Your Complete Guide To (Independent) Filmmaking. An in-depth, no holds barred look at making movies from 'concept to delivery' in today's ever-evolving climate while breaking down the dos and don'ts of (independent) filmmaking. Learn invaluable industry secrets from top to bottom and discover the truth about independent film distribution as the lid is torn off the many myths surrounding sales agents and today's release platforms that are certain to open reader's eyes - and ruffle a few feathers!

An illustrated, accessible introduction to filmmaking from an award-winning Hollywood producer, screenwriter, film school professor, and script consultant to major movie studios Anyone with a cellphone can shoot video, but creating a memorable feature-length film requires knowledge and mastery of a wide range of skills, including screenwriting, storytelling, directing, visual composition, and production logistics. This book points the aspiring filmmaker down this complex learning path with such critical lessons as: • how to structure a story and pitch it to a studio • ways to reveal a story’s unseen aspects, such as backstory and character psychology • the difference between plot, story, and theme • why some films drag in Act 2, and what to do about it • how to visually compose a frame to best tell a story • how to manage finances, schedules, and the practical demands of production Written by an award-winning producer, screenwriter, film school professor, and script consultant to major movie studios, 101 Things I Learned® in Film School is an indispensable resource for students, screenwriters, filmmakers, animators, and anyone else interested in the moviemaking profession.

In the cut-throat world of the film industry, you need every advantage you can get to rise above the competition and make a name for yourself. This essential guide combines a practical, no-nonsense approach with a lifetime of insider knowledge, giving you the competitive edge to jump-start your career. Packed with hard-working tips and advice, this book shows you how to get the best out of your film-school education, how to navigate some of the most frustrating moments in an artist's life, and how to keep the inspiration going as you battle your way through the filmmaking world.

Two filmmakers who've beaten the system give the real dope on what it takes to get your movie made Do you have to go to film school to get your movies made No, say two young entrepreneurs who survived the grind. Here they offer 140 strategies for making movies no matter what. Amateurs as well as seasoned veterans can pick up this entertaining and incredibly useful guide in any place--at any point of crisis--and find tactics that work. Whether it's raising money or cutting your budget; dealing with angry landlords or angry cops; or jump-starting the production or stalling it while you finish the script, these strategies are delivered with funny, illustrative anecdotes from the authors' experiences and from veteran filmmakers eager to share their stories. Irreverent, invaluable, and a lot cheaper than a year's tuition, this friendly guide is the smartest investment any future filmmaker could make. Strategies from the book include: Love your friends for criticizing your work--especially at the script stage Shyness won't get you the donuts Duct tape miracles Don't fall in love with cast or crew (but if you do...)

Filmmaking is entering a new era. Mini-DV filmmaking is the new folk music, the new punk rock, the new medium in which anyone can tell their story. "$30 Dollar Film School, Second Edition" is an alternative to spending four years and a hundred-thousand dollars to learn the filmmaking trade. It is influenced by punk rock's "Do-it-Yourself" spirit of just learning the basics and then jumping up on a stage and making a point; and by the essence of the American work ethic. This new edition of the bestselling title includes new, improved, and updated chapters on video and audio editing, plus a companion DVD-Rom loaded with movies, shorts, and trailers from "graduates" of the first edition.

Comprehensive. Detailed. Practical. Set Lighting Technician's Handbook, Fourth Edition, is a friendly, hands-on manual covering the day-to-day practices, equipment, and tricks of the trade essential to anyone doing motion picture lighting, including the lamp operator, rigging crew, gaffer, best boy, or director of photography. This handbook offers a wealth of practical technical information, useful techniques, as well as aesthetic discussions. The Set Lighting Technician's Handbook focuses on what is important when working on-set: trouble-shooting, teamwork, set protocol, and safety. It describes tricks and techniques for operating a vast array of lighting equipment including LEDs, xenons, camera synchronous strobes, black lights, underwater units, lighting effects units, and many others. Since its first edition, this handy on-set reference continues to be widely adopted as a training and reference manual by union training programs as well as top university film production programs. New to the fourth edition: * Detailed information on LED technology and gear * Harmonized with union safety and training procedures * All the latest and greatest DMX gadgets, including remote control systems * Many new and useful lights and how to use them and troubleshoot them. * New additions to the arsenal of electrical distribution equipment that make our sets safer and easier to power. * More rigging tricks and techniques. * the same friendly, easy to read style that has made this book so popular.

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The twentieth anniversary edition of the classic story of an incredible group of students and the teacher who inspired them, featuring updates on the students’ lives, new journal entries, and an introduction by Erin Gruwell Now a public television documentary, Freedom Writers: Stories from the Heart In 1994, an idealistic first-year teacher in Long Beach, California, named Erin Gruwell confronted a room of “unteachable, at-risk” students. She had intercepted a note with an ugly racial caricature and angrily declared that this was precisely the sort of thing that led to the Holocaust. She was met by uncomprehending looks—none of her students had heard of one of the defining moments of the twentieth century. So she rebooted her entire curriculum, using treasured books such as Anne Frank’s diary as her guide to combat intolerance and misunderstanding. Her students began recording their thoughts and feelings in their own diaries, eventually dubbing themselves the “Freedom Writers.” Consisting of powerful entries from the students’ diaries and narrative text by Erin Gruwell, The Freedom Writers Diary is an unforgettable story of how hard work, courage, and determination changed the lives of a teacher and her students. In the two decades since its original publication, the book has sold more than one million copies and inspired a major motion picture Freedom Writers. And now, with this twentieth-anniversary edition, readers are brought up to date on the lives of the Freedom Writers, as they blend indispensable takes on social issues with uplifting stories of attending college—and watch their own children follow in their footsteps. The Freedom Writers Diary remains a vital read for anyone who believes in second chances.

Chronological layout allows readers to continually refer to the book throughout their film school process, providing a resource for novices or people already into their film school careers. Discussion of debt helps readers gauge the actual finances of applying to film school. In depth discussion of applications and the application process provides clarity and guidance through a vague and difficult process.

The lucky students who get into film school (and then get through it without dropping out) have to compete for a small number of prestigious jobs once they graduate. Despite the enormous odds stacked against them, most students leave film school hoping to become the next Spielberg or Scorsese. The mismatch between their dreams and the reality of working in the industry itself is considerable.

A unique book that traces three years in the lives of seven aspiring Hollywood filmmakers, this is the most intimate and revealing look inside the system of movie-making imaginable. The seven featured players are all collegiate award-winners or fellowship honorees. For anyone either curious about the industry or considering a filmmaking career, this book serves as both a road map and a cautionary tale.