Hollywood Through the Backdoor uncovers the story of actor-writer-composer MICHAEL ST. JOHN, arriving in Hollywood, with no great expectations, just to survive. It was a time when artists of color were forced to accept any kind of demeaning role in the business. When not in a class at U.S.C., Michael found on a film set, observing and meeting stars or those who might make it happen for him. He pulled some outlandish stunts to get the job or part he wanted, but managed to garner the respect of some of the most powerful people in the entertainment industry i.e., Dan Dailey, Marlon Brando, Hedda Hopper, and so many other highly respected creative-movers in the industry, who held out their hand, giving him the necessary push needed. The Backdoor? Hell, Michael didn't care, it was an entrance! Segment Film Productions : Michael Plaster - Steven F. Proctor

Finally! A step-by-step guide to the keys that unlock the doors to Hollywood. Opening the Doors to Hollywood has all the information you'll ever need in order to tap into the $500 million spent yearly in Hollywood on acquiring and developing projects. Discover how to: Find a story Rewrite it Option it Package it Pitch it Write it Sell it to film and television companies Complete with a reference section that includes guilds/unions, libraries, sample contracts, seminars and workshops, trade publications, and writers' organizations, Opening the Doors to Hollywood is invaluable to any writer.

Hollywood Drive: What it Takes to Break in, Hang in & Make it in the Entertainment Industry is the essential guide to starting and succeeding at a career in film and TV. Written by a Hollywood insider, Honthaners invaluable experience and advice will give those attempting to enter and become successful in the entertainment industry the edge they need to stand out among the intense competition. Because while film school prepares students to write a script, direct a scene and operate a camera, few newcomers enter the job market understanding how this business truly works and how to land a first jobmuch less succeed in the industry. Hollywood Drive is not merely a book about what it takes to get your foot in the door. It goes beyond that by offering you the tools, attitude, philosophy and road map youll need to give yourself a good fighting chance at success -- whether youre looking for your very first job or for a strategy to move your career to the next level. This book will allow you to proceed with your eyes wide open, knowing exactly what to expect. Hollywood Drive explores the realities of the industry: various career options, effective job search strategies, how to write an effective cover letter and resume, what to expect on your first job, the significance of networking and building solid industry relationships, how a project is sold, and how a reel production office and set operate. Youll learn how to define your goals and make a plan to achieve them, how to survive the tough times, how to deal with big egos and bad tempers, and how to put your passion to work for you. * Hollywood insider with 20+ years of experience provides realistic advice and tips on getting a first job and moving up in a tough industry * Covers a variety of career choices and the basics of how a production is set up and run * Includes must-have information on breaking into both Hollywood and smaller markets nationwide

Robert Altman and the Elaboration of Hollywood Storytelling reveals an Altman barely glimpsed in previous critical accounts of the filmmaker. This re-examination of his seminal work during the "Hollywood Renaissance" or "New Hollywood" period of the early 1970s (including M*A*S*H, Brewster McCloud, McCabe & Mrs. Miller, Images, The Long Goodbye, Thieves Like Us, California Split, and Nashville) sheds new light on both the films and the filmmaker, reframing Altman as a complex, pragmatic innovator whose work exceeds, but is also grounded in, the norms of classical Hollywood storytelling rather than someone who rejected those norms in favor of modernist art cinema. Its findings and approach hold important implications for the study of cinematic authorship. Largely avoiding thematic exegesis, it employs an historical poetics approach, robust functionalist frameworks, archival research, and formal and statistical analysis to demystify the essential features of the standard account of Altman's filmmaking history and profile-lax narrative form, heavy reliance on the zoom, sound design replete with overlapping dialogue, improvisational infidelity to the screenplay, and a desire to subvert based in his time in the training grounds of industrial filmmaking and filmed television. The book provides a clear example of how a filmmaker might work collaboratively and pragmatically within and across media institutions to elaborate upon their sanctioned practices and aims. We misunderstand Altman's work, and the creative work of Hollywood filmmakers in general, when we insist on describing innovation as opposition to institutional norms and on describing those norms as simply assimilating innovation.

Filmmakers love gadgets. We flock to any new technology that demonstrates the slightest potential to help us conceptualize, visualize, and digitize our creative efforts. So why are we neglecting those touch-screen powerhouses hiding in our pockets and backpacks? It’s time to make a change! In Hand Held Hollywood’s Filmmaking with the iPad & iPhone, director Taz Goldstein exposes how these remarkable devices can aid in nearly every aspect of film and video production. Written to empower aspiring filmmakers and reenergize working professionals, this book will help transform your iOS devices into revolutionary filmmaking tools, perfect for brainstorming, screenwriting, pitching, scheduling, storyboarding, camera blocking, shooting, editing, color correcting, mixing, distributing, and more. Time-tested techniques and film theory are woven into an entertaining and informative exploration of nearly 200 mind-blowing apps and accessories. • Get up to speed quickly with clear, thorough, and friendly descriptions. • Discover apps and accessories that can lower budgets by replacing thousands of dollars worth of traditional filmmaking equipment and software. • Start shooting today with a wide range of video camera apps, including specialty tools for variable speed effects, filtering, stabilization, collaborative shooting, and more. • Whether you’re starting a new video or finishing an existing one, this book features the most helpful apps for your iPad and iPhone—including the iPhone 5. This unique and often humorous guide will benefit any mobile media maker who wants to get the most out of the technology they already own. ABOUT THE AUTHOR Taz Goldstein has been directing and producing for well over a decade. His award-winning films, television productions, and corporate projects have been enjoyed by millions of viewers worldwide. His popular website, HandHeldHollywood.com, has inspired and empowered a new generation of storytellers, and helped to launch the mobile filmmaking revolution.

Examines popular films made in Hollywood by European directors, offering a fresh take on the much-debated issue of the "great divide" between modernism and mass culture.

They were the Bundy Drive Boys: hard-drinking, brilliantly talented, world-famous men of golden-age Hollywood - John Barrymore, Errol Flynn and W.C. Fields. Heroes with Hangovers tells the uncensored and ultimately moving story of these lost-soul geniuses. The partying and antics of the Rat Pack seem tame in comparison, but beneath the boozy bravado was a devoted mutual affection. Illustrated with dozens of never-before-seen photos and illustrations, this is the sozzled side of Hollywood's great era.

The Christian community tends to operate under the assumption that the only women attending church are traditional stay-at-home moms. But in truth, more than 75% of mothers with school-age children work outside the home. Chasing Superwoman gives these working mothers what they’ve been craving—a funny, intelligent, relevant exploration of what it means to live out a vibrant faith amidst the many demands placed on their time and energy. Chasing Superwoman provides a much needed dialogue (not a formula) about the complex spiritual struggle of the working mother, plus a lot of laughter and encouragement for working women to embrace their busy life and trust God’s grace for getting it all done.

The untold tale of bit players, doubles, Central Casting, and extras in American film

More than a book, more than a non-fiction read, more than a memoir, CONFESSIONS OF A SURVIVING ALIEN will engage the reader like most have never experienced. It will take them through a maze of lifes pathos, and elicit the emotions of sadness, joy, pain, regret, guilt, remorse, pride, fear, revenge, happiness, forgiveness, evil, good, and much uniquely intertwined with humor, often times outrageously so. Although defined by the premise of Vietnam, it is much more than another war account, to the contrary. It is more often the dredge of a neophyte Marine trying to get more into the war and action, than out of it. It is more about his disillusionment in practically every aspect of that officially declared police action, but not in ways one might expect. It is more about his evolution and regression as a human being and inner torment, including feelings of alienation. The book starts at the end, and ends with the start, with a chronological account in between, covering four parts: Before Vietnam (BV), During Vietnam (DV), After Vietnam (AV), and finally, After Marines (AM). The story covers the life of a young American, and follows his incredible journey through the decades to find himself, to explore every possibility of livingand nearly dyingand reach some hopeful level of success, however that is defined. From having a unique tour in Vietnam, to escorting deceased Marines to their families and final resting place, to his life threatened by a mob guy, to learning about a deeply held family secret concerning his father, to experiencing a profound spiritual experience in the unlikely locale of Beverly Hills, California, and much more, author Jon Meades biggest challenge may be getting readers to believe his surreal story. He merely shrugs and says, I am just a very ordinary guy, with an extraordinary life to convey. It is nothing less, nor more than that. Maybe, he admits, in the end analysis, success in life is merely surviving life, failures and all. With that admission and a very personal and engaging approach and writing style, the genre of Memoirs may never be the same.