Goldman, the writer of \u201cButch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid,\u201d \u201cMarathon Man,\u201d \u201cAll the President\u2019s Men,\u201d and \u201cThe Princess Bride,\u201d provides an often hilarious account of his singular career as a screenwriter. He brings readers into the world of a professional screenwriter, and at the time, created public awareness of what the job actually entails. It\u2019s also part survival guide on the vagaries of Hollywood and creativity. Its opening sentence, \u201cNobody knows anything,\u201d is as oft-quoted by film buffs as the rest of his work.<\/p>\n\n\n
![\"Spike](\"https:\/\/filmfreeway.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/12\/Spike-Lees-Gotta-Have-It-682x1024.jpg\")
\u201cSpike Lee\u2019s Gotta Have It,\u201d Spike Lee (1987)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n\nThis chronicle of the making of Lee\u2019s 1986 film \u201cShe\u2019s Gotta Have It\u201d is an inspiring deep dive into the boots-on-the-ground, nuts-and-bolts process of indie filmmaking, based on journals that Lee kept during production. \u201cShe\u2019s Gotta Have It\u201d is one of the films that kicked off the modern era of independent film, and is still a touchstone today. My most vivid memory of this book is Lee writing about trying to wedge a rented editing console into his tiny New York apartment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMaking Movies,\u201d Sidney Lumet (1996)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nAnother great New York filmmaker, Lumet directed such classics as \u201cSerpico,\u201d \u201cDog Day Afternoon,\u201d \u201cNetwork,\u201d and \u201cThe Verdict.\u201d He lays out the process of getting a movie made; and while it can be a little dismaying at times to realize that, on some levels, it\u2019s just as hard to make a movie that has a fantastic script and huge stars attached to it as it is to make a low-budget indie, this is ultimately a page-turner and a master class from one of the greats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRebel Without a Crew,\u201d Robert Rodriguez (1996)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s still hard to believe that such a stylish, inventive, visually witty film as \u201cEl Mariachi\u201d (1992) was made by a first-time director on a $7,000 shoestring budget. Rodriguez shares how he did it in a way that reads almost like a bonus feature to the film. Thanks to Rodriguez\u2019s passion and zeal for his work, this behind-the-scenes account crackles with energy. You will finish this book knowing that you, too, can make a movie worth watching for next to nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEvery Frame a Rembrandt,\u201d Andrew Laszlo (2000)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nThe veteran director of photography walks his readers through shooting five motion pictures, teaching the fundamentals of cinematography along the way. \u201cWar stories\u201d from the sets of \u201cSouthern Comfort,\u201d \u201cThe Warriors,\u201d \u201cFirst Blood,\u201d \u201cStreets of Fire,\u201d and \u201cInnerspace\u201d illuminate the unique pictorial challenges of each production. \u201cEvery Frame a Rembrandt\u201d brims with absorbing accounts of how the look of a film is crafted by professionals with decades of experience.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n![\"In](\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\u201cIn the Blink of an Eye,\u201d Walter Murch (2001)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n\nA superb introduction to the art of film editing by one of its masters. Murch, who edited the \u201cGodfather\u201d trilogy and classics such as \u201cGhost\u201d and \u201cThe English Patient,\u201d is not only an Oscar-winning editor but also the first person to ever receive an onscreen credit as \u201csound designer\u201d (for \u201cApocalypse Now\u201d). His \u201crule of six\u201d (criteria to consider in making a cut) has become a touchstone, and his theories about the psychological aspects of editing are fascinating. An embracer of new technologies, Murch updates this volume (originally published in 1991) from time to time as editing systems advance; he was the first editor to cut an entire feature film in Final Cut Pro (\u201cCold Mountain\u201d). This is essential reading for editors of any type of cinema.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf It\u2019s Purple, Someone\u2019s Gonna Die,\u201d Patti Bellantoni (2005)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nA fascinating exploration of the use and symbolism of color in filmmaking, the author posits that certain colors, utilized either with instinct or intent, can not only influence emotions, but create them. The book\u2019s intended audience is visual designers, but it\u2019s valuable for any film lover given its accounts from cinematic heavy hitters such as production designer Henry Bumstead (\u201cVertigo,\u201d \u201cTo Kill a Mockingbird,\u201d and most of Clint Eastwood\u2019s films), Oscar-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins (\u201cThe Shawshank Redemption,\u201d \u201cFargo,\u201d \u201c1917\u201d), and others. However, as a screenwriting teacher, I found this book essential in getting my students out of the \u201caction\u2026dialogue\u2026dialogue\u2026action\u201d box, and into being more visual on the page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe War of Art,\u201d Steven Pressfield (2002)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nThis famed historical novelist (Pressfield\u2019s \u201cGates of Fire\u201d is an even better version of the Battle of Thermopylae than \u201c300\u201d) has some movie-world street cred: His book \u201cThe Legend of Bagger Vance\u201d was turned into a major motion picture starring Will Smith and Matt Damon. But Pressfield also has a side gig as a writer of inspirational works aimed mostly at other writers; and let me tell you, this guy feels your pain. You\u2019re getting the goods from someone who has faced the blank page. I never use the words \u201cwriter\u2019s block,\u201d but when I have in the past gotten\u2026let\u2019s call it \u201cstuck,\u201d this book helped me get my fingers tapping at the keyboard again. I\u2019ve bought many paperback copies of this treasure and given them to writer friends. Practical but spiritual, it\u2019s a quick-read breaker of creative logjams and a map that guides, to quote Mary Heaton Vorse, \u201cthe seat of the pants to the seat of the chair.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo You Want to Be a Producer,\u201d Lawrence Turman (2005)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nThere are a number of fantastic books that focus on producing (Christine Vachon\u2019s \u201cShooting to Kill\u201d and Julia Phillips\u2019 \u201cYou\u2019ll Never Eat Lunch in This Town Again\u201d both spring to mind). But this how-to from the producer of \u201cThe Graduate\u201d and more than 40 other films is uniquely encouraging and enthusiastic about the job. Describing it as a frustrating roller coaster ride, he also insists, \u201cEven the complainers love it.\u201d Turman covers the entire process of making and releasing a film\u2014from raising money to hiring the creative talent and marketing the finished product. A brass-tacks look at the mechanics of making motion pictures from an authoritative source whose work was always smart and often influential.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\u201cLetters to Young Filmmakers,\u201d Howard Suber (2012)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n\nDeceptively breezy and easy to consume in one thoroughly enjoyable sitting, UCLA professor Suber distills a lifetime of teaching emerging filmmakers into a single repository of advice and encouragement. Inspired by Rainer Maria Rilke\u2019s \u201cLetters to a Young Poet,\u201d Suber\u2019s cinematic pearls of wisdom will echo in your brain when you\u2019re on set or at the keyboard. His chapter taking a skeptical view on the age-old advice, \u201cWrite what you know,\u201d will be very familiar to my screenwriting students. His chapter simply titled \u201cDecisions\u201d is meant for filmmakers\u2014but honestly? It\u2019s just a solid overall life lesson. If you don\u2019t have a mentor in the business, at least you can read a mentor\u2019s book.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Karl Williams is a screenwriting instructor at Scottsdale Community College<\/mark><\/a> in Arizona. He has won the Comedy and Sci-Fi Awards at the Austin Film Festival<\/mark><\/a> and the Jack Nicholson Prize for Excellence in Screenwriting at UCLA, where he earned his MFA.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
This chronicle of the making of Lee\u2019s 1986 film \u201cShe\u2019s Gotta Have It\u201d is an inspiring deep dive into the boots-on-the-ground, nuts-and-bolts process of indie filmmaking, based on journals that Lee kept during production. \u201cShe\u2019s Gotta Have It\u201d is one of the films that kicked off the modern era of independent film, and is still a touchstone today. My most vivid memory of this book is Lee writing about trying to wedge a rented editing console into his tiny New York apartment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\u201cMaking Movies,\u201d Sidney Lumet (1996)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nAnother great New York filmmaker, Lumet directed such classics as \u201cSerpico,\u201d \u201cDog Day Afternoon,\u201d \u201cNetwork,\u201d and \u201cThe Verdict.\u201d He lays out the process of getting a movie made; and while it can be a little dismaying at times to realize that, on some levels, it\u2019s just as hard to make a movie that has a fantastic script and huge stars attached to it as it is to make a low-budget indie, this is ultimately a page-turner and a master class from one of the greats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cRebel Without a Crew,\u201d Robert Rodriguez (1996)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nIt\u2019s still hard to believe that such a stylish, inventive, visually witty film as \u201cEl Mariachi\u201d (1992) was made by a first-time director on a $7,000 shoestring budget. Rodriguez shares how he did it in a way that reads almost like a bonus feature to the film. Thanks to Rodriguez\u2019s passion and zeal for his work, this behind-the-scenes account crackles with energy. You will finish this book knowing that you, too, can make a movie worth watching for next to nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEvery Frame a Rembrandt,\u201d Andrew Laszlo (2000)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nThe veteran director of photography walks his readers through shooting five motion pictures, teaching the fundamentals of cinematography along the way. \u201cWar stories\u201d from the sets of \u201cSouthern Comfort,\u201d \u201cThe Warriors,\u201d \u201cFirst Blood,\u201d \u201cStreets of Fire,\u201d and \u201cInnerspace\u201d illuminate the unique pictorial challenges of each production. \u201cEvery Frame a Rembrandt\u201d brims with absorbing accounts of how the look of a film is crafted by professionals with decades of experience.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\u201cIn the Blink of an Eye,\u201d Walter Murch (2001)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n\nA superb introduction to the art of film editing by one of its masters. Murch, who edited the \u201cGodfather\u201d trilogy and classics such as \u201cGhost\u201d and \u201cThe English Patient,\u201d is not only an Oscar-winning editor but also the first person to ever receive an onscreen credit as \u201csound designer\u201d (for \u201cApocalypse Now\u201d). His \u201crule of six\u201d (criteria to consider in making a cut) has become a touchstone, and his theories about the psychological aspects of editing are fascinating. An embracer of new technologies, Murch updates this volume (originally published in 1991) from time to time as editing systems advance; he was the first editor to cut an entire feature film in Final Cut Pro (\u201cCold Mountain\u201d). This is essential reading for editors of any type of cinema.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf It\u2019s Purple, Someone\u2019s Gonna Die,\u201d Patti Bellantoni (2005)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nA fascinating exploration of the use and symbolism of color in filmmaking, the author posits that certain colors, utilized either with instinct or intent, can not only influence emotions, but create them. The book\u2019s intended audience is visual designers, but it\u2019s valuable for any film lover given its accounts from cinematic heavy hitters such as production designer Henry Bumstead (\u201cVertigo,\u201d \u201cTo Kill a Mockingbird,\u201d and most of Clint Eastwood\u2019s films), Oscar-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins (\u201cThe Shawshank Redemption,\u201d \u201cFargo,\u201d \u201c1917\u201d), and others. However, as a screenwriting teacher, I found this book essential in getting my students out of the \u201caction\u2026dialogue\u2026dialogue\u2026action\u201d box, and into being more visual on the page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe War of Art,\u201d Steven Pressfield (2002)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nThis famed historical novelist (Pressfield\u2019s \u201cGates of Fire\u201d is an even better version of the Battle of Thermopylae than \u201c300\u201d) has some movie-world street cred: His book \u201cThe Legend of Bagger Vance\u201d was turned into a major motion picture starring Will Smith and Matt Damon. But Pressfield also has a side gig as a writer of inspirational works aimed mostly at other writers; and let me tell you, this guy feels your pain. You\u2019re getting the goods from someone who has faced the blank page. I never use the words \u201cwriter\u2019s block,\u201d but when I have in the past gotten\u2026let\u2019s call it \u201cstuck,\u201d this book helped me get my fingers tapping at the keyboard again. I\u2019ve bought many paperback copies of this treasure and given them to writer friends. Practical but spiritual, it\u2019s a quick-read breaker of creative logjams and a map that guides, to quote Mary Heaton Vorse, \u201cthe seat of the pants to the seat of the chair.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo You Want to Be a Producer,\u201d Lawrence Turman (2005)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nThere are a number of fantastic books that focus on producing (Christine Vachon\u2019s \u201cShooting to Kill\u201d and Julia Phillips\u2019 \u201cYou\u2019ll Never Eat Lunch in This Town Again\u201d both spring to mind). But this how-to from the producer of \u201cThe Graduate\u201d and more than 40 other films is uniquely encouraging and enthusiastic about the job. Describing it as a frustrating roller coaster ride, he also insists, \u201cEven the complainers love it.\u201d Turman covers the entire process of making and releasing a film\u2014from raising money to hiring the creative talent and marketing the finished product. A brass-tacks look at the mechanics of making motion pictures from an authoritative source whose work was always smart and often influential.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\u201cLetters to Young Filmmakers,\u201d Howard Suber (2012)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n\nDeceptively breezy and easy to consume in one thoroughly enjoyable sitting, UCLA professor Suber distills a lifetime of teaching emerging filmmakers into a single repository of advice and encouragement. Inspired by Rainer Maria Rilke\u2019s \u201cLetters to a Young Poet,\u201d Suber\u2019s cinematic pearls of wisdom will echo in your brain when you\u2019re on set or at the keyboard. His chapter taking a skeptical view on the age-old advice, \u201cWrite what you know,\u201d will be very familiar to my screenwriting students. His chapter simply titled \u201cDecisions\u201d is meant for filmmakers\u2014but honestly? It\u2019s just a solid overall life lesson. If you don\u2019t have a mentor in the business, at least you can read a mentor\u2019s book.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Karl Williams is a screenwriting instructor at Scottsdale Community College<\/mark><\/a> in Arizona. He has won the Comedy and Sci-Fi Awards at the Austin Film Festival<\/mark><\/a> and the Jack Nicholson Prize for Excellence in Screenwriting at UCLA, where he earned his MFA.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
It\u2019s still hard to believe that such a stylish, inventive, visually witty film as \u201cEl Mariachi\u201d (1992) was made by a first-time director on a $7,000 shoestring budget. Rodriguez shares how he did it in a way that reads almost like a bonus feature to the film. Thanks to Rodriguez\u2019s passion and zeal for his work, this behind-the-scenes account crackles with energy. You will finish this book knowing that you, too, can make a movie worth watching for next to nothing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cEvery Frame a Rembrandt,\u201d Andrew Laszlo (2000)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nThe veteran director of photography walks his readers through shooting five motion pictures, teaching the fundamentals of cinematography along the way. \u201cWar stories\u201d from the sets of \u201cSouthern Comfort,\u201d \u201cThe Warriors,\u201d \u201cFirst Blood,\u201d \u201cStreets of Fire,\u201d and \u201cInnerspace\u201d illuminate the unique pictorial challenges of each production. \u201cEvery Frame a Rembrandt\u201d brims with absorbing accounts of how the look of a film is crafted by professionals with decades of experience.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\u201cIn the Blink of an Eye,\u201d Walter Murch (2001)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n\nA superb introduction to the art of film editing by one of its masters. Murch, who edited the \u201cGodfather\u201d trilogy and classics such as \u201cGhost\u201d and \u201cThe English Patient,\u201d is not only an Oscar-winning editor but also the first person to ever receive an onscreen credit as \u201csound designer\u201d (for \u201cApocalypse Now\u201d). His \u201crule of six\u201d (criteria to consider in making a cut) has become a touchstone, and his theories about the psychological aspects of editing are fascinating. An embracer of new technologies, Murch updates this volume (originally published in 1991) from time to time as editing systems advance; he was the first editor to cut an entire feature film in Final Cut Pro (\u201cCold Mountain\u201d). This is essential reading for editors of any type of cinema.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf It\u2019s Purple, Someone\u2019s Gonna Die,\u201d Patti Bellantoni (2005)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nA fascinating exploration of the use and symbolism of color in filmmaking, the author posits that certain colors, utilized either with instinct or intent, can not only influence emotions, but create them. The book\u2019s intended audience is visual designers, but it\u2019s valuable for any film lover given its accounts from cinematic heavy hitters such as production designer Henry Bumstead (\u201cVertigo,\u201d \u201cTo Kill a Mockingbird,\u201d and most of Clint Eastwood\u2019s films), Oscar-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins (\u201cThe Shawshank Redemption,\u201d \u201cFargo,\u201d \u201c1917\u201d), and others. However, as a screenwriting teacher, I found this book essential in getting my students out of the \u201caction\u2026dialogue\u2026dialogue\u2026action\u201d box, and into being more visual on the page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe War of Art,\u201d Steven Pressfield (2002)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nThis famed historical novelist (Pressfield\u2019s \u201cGates of Fire\u201d is an even better version of the Battle of Thermopylae than \u201c300\u201d) has some movie-world street cred: His book \u201cThe Legend of Bagger Vance\u201d was turned into a major motion picture starring Will Smith and Matt Damon. But Pressfield also has a side gig as a writer of inspirational works aimed mostly at other writers; and let me tell you, this guy feels your pain. You\u2019re getting the goods from someone who has faced the blank page. I never use the words \u201cwriter\u2019s block,\u201d but when I have in the past gotten\u2026let\u2019s call it \u201cstuck,\u201d this book helped me get my fingers tapping at the keyboard again. I\u2019ve bought many paperback copies of this treasure and given them to writer friends. Practical but spiritual, it\u2019s a quick-read breaker of creative logjams and a map that guides, to quote Mary Heaton Vorse, \u201cthe seat of the pants to the seat of the chair.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo You Want to Be a Producer,\u201d Lawrence Turman (2005)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nThere are a number of fantastic books that focus on producing (Christine Vachon\u2019s \u201cShooting to Kill\u201d and Julia Phillips\u2019 \u201cYou\u2019ll Never Eat Lunch in This Town Again\u201d both spring to mind). But this how-to from the producer of \u201cThe Graduate\u201d and more than 40 other films is uniquely encouraging and enthusiastic about the job. Describing it as a frustrating roller coaster ride, he also insists, \u201cEven the complainers love it.\u201d Turman covers the entire process of making and releasing a film\u2014from raising money to hiring the creative talent and marketing the finished product. A brass-tacks look at the mechanics of making motion pictures from an authoritative source whose work was always smart and often influential.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\u201cLetters to Young Filmmakers,\u201d Howard Suber (2012)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n\nDeceptively breezy and easy to consume in one thoroughly enjoyable sitting, UCLA professor Suber distills a lifetime of teaching emerging filmmakers into a single repository of advice and encouragement. Inspired by Rainer Maria Rilke\u2019s \u201cLetters to a Young Poet,\u201d Suber\u2019s cinematic pearls of wisdom will echo in your brain when you\u2019re on set or at the keyboard. His chapter taking a skeptical view on the age-old advice, \u201cWrite what you know,\u201d will be very familiar to my screenwriting students. His chapter simply titled \u201cDecisions\u201d is meant for filmmakers\u2014but honestly? It\u2019s just a solid overall life lesson. If you don\u2019t have a mentor in the business, at least you can read a mentor\u2019s book.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Karl Williams is a screenwriting instructor at Scottsdale Community College<\/mark><\/a> in Arizona. He has won the Comedy and Sci-Fi Awards at the Austin Film Festival<\/mark><\/a> and the Jack Nicholson Prize for Excellence in Screenwriting at UCLA, where he earned his MFA.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"In](\"https:\/\/filmfreeway.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/12\/In-the-Blink-of-an-Eye-Walter-Murch-660x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\u201cIn the Blink of an Eye,\u201d Walter Murch (2001)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n\nA superb introduction to the art of film editing by one of its masters. Murch, who edited the \u201cGodfather\u201d trilogy and classics such as \u201cGhost\u201d and \u201cThe English Patient,\u201d is not only an Oscar-winning editor but also the first person to ever receive an onscreen credit as \u201csound designer\u201d (for \u201cApocalypse Now\u201d). His \u201crule of six\u201d (criteria to consider in making a cut) has become a touchstone, and his theories about the psychological aspects of editing are fascinating. An embracer of new technologies, Murch updates this volume (originally published in 1991) from time to time as editing systems advance; he was the first editor to cut an entire feature film in Final Cut Pro (\u201cCold Mountain\u201d). This is essential reading for editors of any type of cinema.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf It\u2019s Purple, Someone\u2019s Gonna Die,\u201d Patti Bellantoni (2005)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nA fascinating exploration of the use and symbolism of color in filmmaking, the author posits that certain colors, utilized either with instinct or intent, can not only influence emotions, but create them. The book\u2019s intended audience is visual designers, but it\u2019s valuable for any film lover given its accounts from cinematic heavy hitters such as production designer Henry Bumstead (\u201cVertigo,\u201d \u201cTo Kill a Mockingbird,\u201d and most of Clint Eastwood\u2019s films), Oscar-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins (\u201cThe Shawshank Redemption,\u201d \u201cFargo,\u201d \u201c1917\u201d), and others. However, as a screenwriting teacher, I found this book essential in getting my students out of the \u201caction\u2026dialogue\u2026dialogue\u2026action\u201d box, and into being more visual on the page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe War of Art,\u201d Steven Pressfield (2002)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nThis famed historical novelist (Pressfield\u2019s \u201cGates of Fire\u201d is an even better version of the Battle of Thermopylae than \u201c300\u201d) has some movie-world street cred: His book \u201cThe Legend of Bagger Vance\u201d was turned into a major motion picture starring Will Smith and Matt Damon. But Pressfield also has a side gig as a writer of inspirational works aimed mostly at other writers; and let me tell you, this guy feels your pain. You\u2019re getting the goods from someone who has faced the blank page. I never use the words \u201cwriter\u2019s block,\u201d but when I have in the past gotten\u2026let\u2019s call it \u201cstuck,\u201d this book helped me get my fingers tapping at the keyboard again. I\u2019ve bought many paperback copies of this treasure and given them to writer friends. Practical but spiritual, it\u2019s a quick-read breaker of creative logjams and a map that guides, to quote Mary Heaton Vorse, \u201cthe seat of the pants to the seat of the chair.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo You Want to Be a Producer,\u201d Lawrence Turman (2005)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nThere are a number of fantastic books that focus on producing (Christine Vachon\u2019s \u201cShooting to Kill\u201d and Julia Phillips\u2019 \u201cYou\u2019ll Never Eat Lunch in This Town Again\u201d both spring to mind). But this how-to from the producer of \u201cThe Graduate\u201d and more than 40 other films is uniquely encouraging and enthusiastic about the job. Describing it as a frustrating roller coaster ride, he also insists, \u201cEven the complainers love it.\u201d Turman covers the entire process of making and releasing a film\u2014from raising money to hiring the creative talent and marketing the finished product. A brass-tacks look at the mechanics of making motion pictures from an authoritative source whose work was always smart and often influential.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\u201cLetters to Young Filmmakers,\u201d Howard Suber (2012)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n\nDeceptively breezy and easy to consume in one thoroughly enjoyable sitting, UCLA professor Suber distills a lifetime of teaching emerging filmmakers into a single repository of advice and encouragement. Inspired by Rainer Maria Rilke\u2019s \u201cLetters to a Young Poet,\u201d Suber\u2019s cinematic pearls of wisdom will echo in your brain when you\u2019re on set or at the keyboard. His chapter taking a skeptical view on the age-old advice, \u201cWrite what you know,\u201d will be very familiar to my screenwriting students. His chapter simply titled \u201cDecisions\u201d is meant for filmmakers\u2014but honestly? It\u2019s just a solid overall life lesson. If you don\u2019t have a mentor in the business, at least you can read a mentor\u2019s book.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Karl Williams is a screenwriting instructor at Scottsdale Community College<\/mark><\/a> in Arizona. He has won the Comedy and Sci-Fi Awards at the Austin Film Festival<\/mark><\/a> and the Jack Nicholson Prize for Excellence in Screenwriting at UCLA, where he earned his MFA.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
A superb introduction to the art of film editing by one of its masters. Murch, who edited the \u201cGodfather\u201d trilogy and classics such as \u201cGhost\u201d and \u201cThe English Patient,\u201d is not only an Oscar-winning editor but also the first person to ever receive an onscreen credit as \u201csound designer\u201d (for \u201cApocalypse Now\u201d). His \u201crule of six\u201d (criteria to consider in making a cut) has become a touchstone, and his theories about the psychological aspects of editing are fascinating. An embracer of new technologies, Murch updates this volume (originally published in 1991) from time to time as editing systems advance; he was the first editor to cut an entire feature film in Final Cut Pro (\u201cCold Mountain\u201d). This is essential reading for editors of any type of cinema.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIf It\u2019s Purple, Someone\u2019s Gonna Die,\u201d Patti Bellantoni (2005)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nA fascinating exploration of the use and symbolism of color in filmmaking, the author posits that certain colors, utilized either with instinct or intent, can not only influence emotions, but create them. The book\u2019s intended audience is visual designers, but it\u2019s valuable for any film lover given its accounts from cinematic heavy hitters such as production designer Henry Bumstead (\u201cVertigo,\u201d \u201cTo Kill a Mockingbird,\u201d and most of Clint Eastwood\u2019s films), Oscar-winning cinematographer Roger Deakins (\u201cThe Shawshank Redemption,\u201d \u201cFargo,\u201d \u201c1917\u201d), and others. However, as a screenwriting teacher, I found this book essential in getting my students out of the \u201caction\u2026dialogue\u2026dialogue\u2026action\u201d box, and into being more visual on the page.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe War of Art,\u201d Steven Pressfield (2002)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nThis famed historical novelist (Pressfield\u2019s \u201cGates of Fire\u201d is an even better version of the Battle of Thermopylae than \u201c300\u201d) has some movie-world street cred: His book \u201cThe Legend of Bagger Vance\u201d was turned into a major motion picture starring Will Smith and Matt Damon. But Pressfield also has a side gig as a writer of inspirational works aimed mostly at other writers; and let me tell you, this guy feels your pain. You\u2019re getting the goods from someone who has faced the blank page. I never use the words \u201cwriter\u2019s block,\u201d but when I have in the past gotten\u2026let\u2019s call it \u201cstuck,\u201d this book helped me get my fingers tapping at the keyboard again. I\u2019ve bought many paperback copies of this treasure and given them to writer friends. Practical but spiritual, it\u2019s a quick-read breaker of creative logjams and a map that guides, to quote Mary Heaton Vorse, \u201cthe seat of the pants to the seat of the chair.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo You Want to Be a Producer,\u201d Lawrence Turman (2005)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nThere are a number of fantastic books that focus on producing (Christine Vachon\u2019s \u201cShooting to Kill\u201d and Julia Phillips\u2019 \u201cYou\u2019ll Never Eat Lunch in This Town Again\u201d both spring to mind). But this how-to from the producer of \u201cThe Graduate\u201d and more than 40 other films is uniquely encouraging and enthusiastic about the job. Describing it as a frustrating roller coaster ride, he also insists, \u201cEven the complainers love it.\u201d Turman covers the entire process of making and releasing a film\u2014from raising money to hiring the creative talent and marketing the finished product. A brass-tacks look at the mechanics of making motion pictures from an authoritative source whose work was always smart and often influential.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\u201cLetters to Young Filmmakers,\u201d Howard Suber (2012)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n\nDeceptively breezy and easy to consume in one thoroughly enjoyable sitting, UCLA professor Suber distills a lifetime of teaching emerging filmmakers into a single repository of advice and encouragement. Inspired by Rainer Maria Rilke\u2019s \u201cLetters to a Young Poet,\u201d Suber\u2019s cinematic pearls of wisdom will echo in your brain when you\u2019re on set or at the keyboard. His chapter taking a skeptical view on the age-old advice, \u201cWrite what you know,\u201d will be very familiar to my screenwriting students. His chapter simply titled \u201cDecisions\u201d is meant for filmmakers\u2014but honestly? It\u2019s just a solid overall life lesson. If you don\u2019t have a mentor in the business, at least you can read a mentor\u2019s book.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Karl Williams is a screenwriting instructor at Scottsdale Community College<\/mark><\/a> in Arizona. He has won the Comedy and Sci-Fi Awards at the Austin Film Festival<\/mark><\/a> and the Jack Nicholson Prize for Excellence in Screenwriting at UCLA, where he earned his MFA.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
This famed historical novelist (Pressfield\u2019s \u201cGates of Fire\u201d is an even better version of the Battle of Thermopylae than \u201c300\u201d) has some movie-world street cred: His book \u201cThe Legend of Bagger Vance\u201d was turned into a major motion picture starring Will Smith and Matt Damon. But Pressfield also has a side gig as a writer of inspirational works aimed mostly at other writers; and let me tell you, this guy feels your pain. You\u2019re getting the goods from someone who has faced the blank page. I never use the words \u201cwriter\u2019s block,\u201d but when I have in the past gotten\u2026let\u2019s call it \u201cstuck,\u201d this book helped me get my fingers tapping at the keyboard again. I\u2019ve bought many paperback copies of this treasure and given them to writer friends. Practical but spiritual, it\u2019s a quick-read breaker of creative logjams and a map that guides, to quote Mary Heaton Vorse, \u201cthe seat of the pants to the seat of the chair.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSo You Want to Be a Producer,\u201d Lawrence Turman (2005)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\nThere are a number of fantastic books that focus on producing (Christine Vachon\u2019s \u201cShooting to Kill\u201d and Julia Phillips\u2019 \u201cYou\u2019ll Never Eat Lunch in This Town Again\u201d both spring to mind). But this how-to from the producer of \u201cThe Graduate\u201d and more than 40 other films is uniquely encouraging and enthusiastic about the job. Describing it as a frustrating roller coaster ride, he also insists, \u201cEven the complainers love it.\u201d Turman covers the entire process of making and releasing a film\u2014from raising money to hiring the creative talent and marketing the finished product. A brass-tacks look at the mechanics of making motion pictures from an authoritative source whose work was always smart and often influential.<\/p>\n\n\n
\n<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\u201cLetters to Young Filmmakers,\u201d Howard Suber (2012)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n\nDeceptively breezy and easy to consume in one thoroughly enjoyable sitting, UCLA professor Suber distills a lifetime of teaching emerging filmmakers into a single repository of advice and encouragement. Inspired by Rainer Maria Rilke\u2019s \u201cLetters to a Young Poet,\u201d Suber\u2019s cinematic pearls of wisdom will echo in your brain when you\u2019re on set or at the keyboard. His chapter taking a skeptical view on the age-old advice, \u201cWrite what you know,\u201d will be very familiar to my screenwriting students. His chapter simply titled \u201cDecisions\u201d is meant for filmmakers\u2014but honestly? It\u2019s just a solid overall life lesson. If you don\u2019t have a mentor in the business, at least you can read a mentor\u2019s book.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Karl Williams is a screenwriting instructor at Scottsdale Community College<\/mark><\/a> in Arizona. He has won the Comedy and Sci-Fi Awards at the Austin Film Festival<\/mark><\/a> and the Jack Nicholson Prize for Excellence in Screenwriting at UCLA, where he earned his MFA.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/filmfreeway.com\/articles\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/9\/2024\/12\/Letters-to-Young-Filmmakers-Howard-Suber-2012-683x1024.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\u201cLetters to Young Filmmakers,\u201d Howard Suber (2012)<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n\nDeceptively breezy and easy to consume in one thoroughly enjoyable sitting, UCLA professor Suber distills a lifetime of teaching emerging filmmakers into a single repository of advice and encouragement. Inspired by Rainer Maria Rilke\u2019s \u201cLetters to a Young Poet,\u201d Suber\u2019s cinematic pearls of wisdom will echo in your brain when you\u2019re on set or at the keyboard. His chapter taking a skeptical view on the age-old advice, \u201cWrite what you know,\u201d will be very familiar to my screenwriting students. His chapter simply titled \u201cDecisions\u201d is meant for filmmakers\u2014but honestly? It\u2019s just a solid overall life lesson. If you don\u2019t have a mentor in the business, at least you can read a mentor\u2019s book.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Karl Williams is a screenwriting instructor at Scottsdale Community College<\/mark><\/a> in Arizona. He has won the Comedy and Sci-Fi Awards at the Austin Film Festival<\/mark><\/a> and the Jack Nicholson Prize for Excellence in Screenwriting at UCLA, where he earned his MFA.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Deceptively breezy and easy to consume in one thoroughly enjoyable sitting, UCLA professor Suber distills a lifetime of teaching emerging filmmakers into a single repository of advice and encouragement. Inspired by Rainer Maria Rilke\u2019s \u201cLetters to a Young Poet,\u201d Suber\u2019s cinematic pearls of wisdom will echo in your brain when you\u2019re on set or at the keyboard. His chapter taking a skeptical view on the age-old advice, \u201cWrite what you know,\u201d will be very familiar to my screenwriting students. His chapter simply titled \u201cDecisions\u201d is meant for filmmakers\u2014but honestly? It\u2019s just a solid overall life lesson. If you don\u2019t have a mentor in the business, at least you can read a mentor\u2019s book.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
Karl Williams is a screenwriting instructor at Scottsdale Community College<\/mark><\/a> in Arizona. He has won the Comedy and Sci-Fi Awards at the Austin Film Festival<\/mark><\/a> and the Jack Nicholson Prize for Excellence in Screenwriting at UCLA, where he earned his MFA.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n