Books about Moviemaking from Amazon.com

Let this in-depth professional book be your guide to Blender, the powerful open-source 3D modeling and animation software that will bring your ideas to life. Using clear step-by-step instruction and pages of real-world examples, expert animator Tony Mullen walks you through the complexities of modeling and animating, with a special focus on characters. From Blender basics to creating facial expressions and emotion to rendering, you’ll jump right into the process and learn valuable techniques that will transform your movies.

Note: CD-ROM/DVD and other supplementary materials are not included as part of eBook file..
Price: $19.17 [Notify me when price goes down.]

It was an explosion that reverberated across the country—and into the very heart of early-twentieth-century America On the morning of October 1, 1910, the walls of the Los Angeles Times Building buckled as a thunderous detonation sent men, machinery, and mortar rocketing into the night air. When at last the wreckage had been sifted and the hospital triage units consulted, twenty-one people were declared dead and dozens more injured. But as it turned out, this was just a prelude to the devastation that was to come.

In American Lightning, acclaimed author Howard Blum masterfully evokes the incredible circumstances that led to the original “crime of the century”—and an aftermath more dramatic than even the crime itself.

With smoke still wafting up from the charred ruins, the city’s mayor reacts with undisguised excitement when he learns of the arrival, only that morning, of America’s greatest detective, William J. Burns, a former Secret Service man who has been likened to Sherlock Holmes. Surely Burns, already world famous for cracking unsolvable crimes and for his elaborate disguises, can run the perpetrators to ground.

Through the work of many months, snowbound stakeouts, and brilliant forensic sleuthing, the great investigator finally identifies the men he believes are responsible for so much destruction. Stunningly, Burns accuses the men—labor activists with an apparent grudge against the Los Angeles Times’s fiercely anti-union owner—of not just one heinous deed but of being part of a terror wave involving hundreds of bombings.

While preparation is laid for America’s highest profile trial ever—and the forces of labor and capital wage hand-to-hand combat in the streets—two other notable figures are swept into the drama: industry-shaping filmmaker D.W. Griffith, who perceives in these events the possibility of great art and who will go on to alchemize his observations into the landmark film The Birth of a Nation; and crusading lawyer Clarence Darrow, committed to lend his eloquence to the defendants, though he will be driven to thoughts of suicide before events have fully played out.

Simultaneously offering the absorbing reading experience of a can’t-put-it-down thriller and the perception-altering resonance of a story whose reverberations continue even today, American Lightning is a masterpiece of narrative nonfiction..
Price: $23.66 [Notify me when price goes down.]

From the author of the best-selling biography Woody Allen—the most informative, revealing, and entertaining conversations from his thirty-six years of interviewing the great comedian and filmmaker

For more than three decades, Woody Allen has been talking regularly and candidly with Eric Lax, and has given him singular and unfettered access to his film sets, his editing room, and his thoughts and observations. In discussions that begin in 1971 and continue into 2007, Allen discusses every facet of moviemaking through the prism of his own films and the work of directors he admires. In doing so, he reveals an artist’s development over the course of his career to date, from joke writer to standup comedian to world-acclaimed filmmaker.

Woody talks about the seeds of his ideas and the writing of his screenplays; about casting and acting, shooting and directing, editing and scoring. He tells how he reworks screenplays even while filming them. He describes the problems he has had casting American men, and he explains why he admires the acting of (among many others) Alan Alda, Marlon Brando, Michael Caine, John Cusack, Judy Davis, Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Mia Farrow, Gene Hackman, Scarlett Johansson, Julie Kavner, Liam Neeson, Jack Nicholson, Charlize Theron, Tracey Ullman, Sam Waterston, and Dianne Wiest. He places Diane Keaton second only to Judy Holliday in the pantheon of great screen comediennes.

He discusses his favorite films (Citizen Kane is the lone American movie on his list of sixteen “best films ever made”; Duck Soup and Airplane! aretwo of his preferred “comedian’s films”; Trouble in Paradise and Born Yesterday amonghis favorite “talking plot comedies”).He describes himself as a boy in Brooklyn enthralled by the joke-laden movies of Bob Hope and the sophisticated film stories of Manhattan. As a director, he tells us what he appreciates about Bergman, De Sica, Fellini, Welles, Kurosawa, John Huston, and Jean Renoir. Throughout he shows himself to be thoughtful, honest, self–deprecating, witty, and often hilarious.

Conversations with Woody Allen is essential reading for everyone interested in the art of moviemaking and for everyone who has enjoyed the films of Woody Allen.

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Price: $16.00 [Notify me when price goes down.]

If you wanted warm and fuzzy advice on making it in Hollywood, this aint the book for you. This is a take no prisoners book written by a real inside Hollywood professional that will help you get your work done and get it seen by the public..
Price: $12.75 [Notify me when price goes down.]

The Bare Bones Book of Screenwriting uses a 'let's-get-down-to-brass-tacks' approach to screenwriting concentrating on the foundation of essential creative, technical and business principles in the market. Written in a simple, straight-forward witty style by a professional in the field, The Bare Bones Book of Screenwriting is a treasure chest for anyone interested in the screenwriting trade. "The perfect guide for new writers. Sharp prose and practical advice in simple English with all the nuts, bolts, and screws you'll need." -Ravi Malhotra (Academy Award winning producer, West Bank Story).
Price: $12.55 [Notify me when price goes down.]

This information-packed volume helps filmmaking students master a wide range of techniques, and then shows them how to put their skills into practice Its main focus is on short movies, ranging in length from 15 seconds to 15 minutes, and intended for private screenings, festivals, competitions, or broadcasts on TV or the Web. All essential equipment and techniques are clearly explained with diagrams and step-by-step photos. Novice filmmakers learn to formulate story ideas, shoot footage, edit, lay down soundtracks, and add special effects. The book presents practical projects and exercises that give students the opportunity for hands-on experience. They also get advice on putting together a showreel and getting their finished film seen. Printed in full-color throughout, this instructive volume features more than 400 how-to photos and illustrations..
Price: $2.15 [Notify me when price goes down.]

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Price: $1.76 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Apple's iMovie is revolutionizing the home movie market, bringing professional quality digital video (DV) editing into the American household. Learning how to creatively edit digital video footage, and combine it with soundtracks, titles, and special effects, has never been easier! Movie-Making with iMovie 2 shows beginners how simple it is to create their own fun short films to document events, including birthdays, vacations, parties and more. An excellent introduction to digital film making, this book provides opportunities to gain firsthand experience in every aspect of the movie-making process - from purchasing equipment and gaining a working knowledge of photography and film basics through sketching a storyboard and developing an original movie idea. Starting with tutorials designed to guide readers through the steps required to produce movies, readers are then given instructions for transforming their own unedited home movie footage into entertaining and enjoyable movies. Fun and extraordinarily easy to use, this book inspires creativity while providing the technical know-how needed to launch into a rewarding new hobby or to take the first steps toward a professional digital film making career..
Price: $62.72 [Notify me when price goes down.]

Of this comprehensive manual on the craft and business of film acting, Elizabeth Cowley of The Daily Mail says: "Caine knows so much, not just about acting, but about the whole business of filmmaking. . . . You'll be laughing, absorbed, and enchanted." Includes Caine's filmography..
Price: $19.99 [Notify me when price goes down.]