Books about Filmmaker from Amazon.com

What the industry's most succcessful writers and directors have in common is that they have mastered the cinematic conventions specific to the medium..
Price: $11.53 [Notify me when price goes down.]

In this comprehensive guidebook, three experienced entertainment lawyers tell you everything you need to know to produce and market an independent film—from the development process to deal making, financing, setting up the production, hiring directors and actors, securing location rights, acquiring music, calculating profits, digital moving making, distribution, and marketing your movie. This all-new second edition has been completed updated..
Price: $15.59 [Notify me when price goes down.]

2008 EditionThe authoritative guide to funding, preparing, shooting, lighting, editing, finishing and distributing your film or video

Widely acknowledged as the “bible” of film and video production and used in courses around the world, this indispensable guide to making movies is now updated with the latest advances in high- definition formats. For students and teachers, the professional and the novice filmmaker, this clear and comprehensive handbook remains the reliable reference to all aspects of moviemaking.
• Techniques for making narrative, documentary, corporate, experimental and feature films.
• Working with high-definition and standard-definition digital video formats, including DV, HD, and HDV.
• Extensive coverage of video editing with the latest nonlinear editing systems.
• Thorough grounding in lenses, lighting, sound recording, and sound editing.
• The business aspects of financing and producing movies.

Written by filmmakers for filmmakers, this book will give you the skills you need to take your dreams from script to screen..
Price: $8.05 [Notify me when price goes down.]

With his signature in-your-face, no-holds-barred advice, the Godfather of Independent Film teaches readers everything they need to know to create full-length feature films. From screenwriting ('There are two types of scripts: It's great or it sucks!') to distribution ('Who are the whores of Hollywood?'), Simens provides encyclopedic, precise, and creative instruction for making a vision a reality. By the end of the book, readers will know exactly what to do to make their films..
Price: $10.75 [Notify me when price goes down.]

* You have an idea you want to pitch to a production company; how do you safeguard your concept?
* There's a painting in the background of your independent film; is it necessary to clear the rights?
* The screenplay you and a friend wrote gets optioned; how do you split the proceeds fairly?
* How do you get a script to popular Hollywood actors or deal with their agents?
Find quick answers to these and hundreds of other questions in The Pocket Lawyer for Film and Video, the next best thing to having an entertainment attorney at your beck and call. Written by a TV-producer-turned-entertainment-lawyer, this no-nonsense reference provides fast answers in plain English: no law degree required! The Pocket Lawyer is designed to help producers reduce legal costs by providing the vital information needed to make informed decisions on the legal aspects of film, video, and TV productions.

Film and video production is a litigation lighting rod: actors get hurt, copyrights are infringed, and contracts are broken. Big-budget producers have lawyers on retainer, but many independent filmmakers are left legally exposed. Arm yourself with the practical advice in this book. You will not only avoid common pitfalls, but become empowered in your daily work. Too many otherwise competent producers turn over every aspect of the deal negotiations to their lawyers and agents. This book explains the principal deals common to every production, putting producers back in the co-pilot seat with their representatives.

The format is carefully designed for quick reference, so you get the answers you need, fast. Features include:
* Clause Companion: explains the meaning and impact of typical contract clauses, taking the headache out of reading them.
* F.A.Qs: instantly answers the most commonly asked legal questions.
* Warnings: alerts you to critical areas and common mistakes.
* Pro-Tips: advice on unions, escrow accounts, etc. for producers who want to distribute their video widely.

Key features
* Avoid legal pitfalls with this quick reference guide: get instant answers
* Written in plain English for filmmakers, not lawyers
* Three books in one: a handy manual on film contracts, a step-by-step guide to critical legal issues on and off the set, and a quick reference on copyright and intellectual property issues.
Price: $20.55 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Over 100 storyboards with simple descriptions .
Price: $9.50 [Notify me when price goes down.]

If film has a language, The Filmmaker's Handbook is your translation guide, dictionary, and phrase book. In over 600 pages, 18 chapters, and nine appendices, the authors detail virtually everything you need to know about filmmaking

There is probably more information here than anyone needs to know, from which lens to choose all the way through final editing and sound mixing. But too much information is not a bad thing. This is the kind of book that a blossoming filmmaker will surely grow into.

Much of the book focuses on gear and hardware, and rightly so since making a film or video is both dependent on and influenced by the gear that is used. This handbook describes the differences between the tools--film stock, lenses, lighting setups--and the impact of each on the look of the finished product.

This new edition has been updated to include information on digital cameras, the digital video format, nonlinear editing systems, and other contemporary tools. It's odd to see a picture of the Canon XL-1--a very popular and state-of-the-art digital video camera--in a book whose first edition came out in 1983.

The Filmmaker's Handbook is an indispensable guide for any filmmaker, or for anyone who wants a better understanding of the language of film. --Mike Caputo.
Price: $10.40 [Notify me when price goes down.]

The first, most crucial step in making a film is finding the funds to do it. Let Louise Levison, who wrote the innovative business plan for "The Blair Witch Project," show you how. Whether you're planning a feature, short, documentary, or large format film, this unique guide teaches you how to create a business plan that can be presented to a potential investor. In jargon-free terms, the author leads you through every step. Each chapter concentrates on a different section of the business plan, including the industry, marketing, financing, distribution. There are supplementary exercises and spreadsheets on the CD workbook so you get comfortable crunching the numbers--no math degree required!

The fifth edition contains completely revised and updated industry data, updated information on the market for short films, as well as a new chapter on nontraditional films such as documentaries.

* Includes a CD workbook with forms, spreadsheets, and hands-on exercises
* A sample business plan is included as a helpful reference
* Learn how to develop business plans for features, shorts, documentaries and more.
Price: $18.75 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Have you ever watched a big-budget Hollywood movie and wondered "How did they do that?" or, perhaps, "How can I do that?" While digital technology greatly simplifies the filmmaking process, there are many tried-and-true production tricks that only those lucky enough to work in the world of high-budget professional film production get to know. The truth is that setting up a car chase, making a realistic-looking alien, staging a fistfight, creating atmospheric lighting, and using special effects are often not as difficult to master as you might think.

Digital Video Production Cookbook will show you how to create sophisticated-looking visual effects, dramatic shots, and powerful sequences using low-cost methods adapted from high-end professional techniques. Author and award-winning filmmaker Chris Kenworthy explains how you can use a digital video camera and basic editing software, to create high-end production values with household equipment and a little imagination.

The book includes easy-to-follow recipes for:

• Creating bluescreen effects
• Simulating rain, snow, and other natural phenomena
• Working with backlighting, simulated candlelight, and special lighting effects
• Shooting day for night
• Staging safe stunts, chase scenes, and fistfights
• Makeup techniques for aging, bruises, and serious injuries
• Shooting at night
• Working with camera movement
• Adding special effects such as laser bolts, holograms, and explosions

and much more.

Packed with full-color, step-by-step instructions, inspirational examples, and authoritative information and advice, this book is the ultimate, no-nonsense cookbook for every aspiring digital filmmaker.

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Price: $16.78 [Notify me when price goes down.]