One of the questions I get asked most often is what books I would recommend to people really interested in making films? I didn't go to film school so aside from watching movies and making some of my own, some of my best education has come from reading. Here is a list of some of the books that have been most useful to me:
1. Anything in the Conversations with Filmmakers Series
(http://www.upress.state.ms.us/search/series/6
I'm particularly fond of the Coen Brothers, De Palma, Jarmusch, and Woody Allen books in the series.
2. From Reel to Deal: Everything You Need to Create a Successful Independent Film by Dov S-S Simens
(http://www.amazon.com/Reel-Deal-Everything-Successful-Independent/dp/0446674621/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262030901&sr=1-1)
3. My First Movie: Twenty Celebrated Directors Talk about Their First Film
(http://www.amazon.com/My-First-Movie-Celebrated-Directors/dp/0142002208/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262031186&sr=1-1)
4. I Wake up Screening: What to Do Once You've Made That Movie by John Anderson and Laura Kim
(http://www.amazon.com/Wake-Screening-What-Youve-Movie/dp/0823088987/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262031265&sr=1-1)
5. Directing Actors: Creating Memorable Performances for Film & Television by Judith Weston
(http://www.amazon.com/Directing-Actors-Memorable-Performances-Television/dp/0941188248/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262031435&sr=1-1)
6. Godard On Godard
(http://www.amazon.com/Godard-Da-Capo-Paperback/dp/0306802597/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1262031547&sr=1-1-spell)
7. The Films in My Life by Francois Truffaut
(http://www.amazon.com/Films-My-Life-Fran%C3%A7ois-Truffaut/dp/0306805995/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262031618&sr=1-1)
8. Everything by Pauline Kael
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pauline_Kael)
*I'm also anxiously awaiting Jon Reiss' Think Outside the Box Office: The Ultimate Guide to Film Distribution and Marketing for the Digital Era
(http://www.amazon.com/Think-Outside-Box-Office-Distribution/dp/098257620X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262031712&sr=1-1)
What are your favorite film books?
Hit Factories - A Journey Through The Industrial Cities of British Pop # 5
The Human League
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Karl Witney gets off the Megabus from Leeds to The Steel City and wanders
off in search of the sound of Sheffield. Inevitably he ponders The Human
Lea...
14 hours ago
Great stuff and quite a few I don't have. Thanks for the tips!
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Jeremy! Yeah, I really love all of these.
ReplyDeleteI got a great one for Christmas - if you're a Stanley Kubrick fan: http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-Kubrick-Narrative-Stylistic-Analysis/dp/0275972917/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1262379994&sr=1-2
ReplyDeleteWill be checking out some of these you listed. Thanks.
Hey Jeremy,
ReplyDeleteI'll definitely pick that Kubrick up. I haven't seen that one yet. Thanks so much for the heads up!