Filmmaking For Dummies, 2009 | ISBN: 978-0-470-38694-1 | 387pages | PDF | 6MB


With all the recent advancements in filmmaking technology, more people than ever are trying their hand at filmmaking. Keeping up with the newest information in this booming field, this updated edition of Filmmaking For Dummies features up-to-the-minute coverage of the latest and greatest hardware, software, accessories, and trends--including high-definition technology and new outlets for films such asand MySpace. 

It demystifies the nuts-and-bolts of filmmaking, from developing a project and securing financing to hiring a cast and crew, editing, and getting distribution. This new edition also provides new movie examples and updated contacts and resources. Whether people want to become professional filmmakers or simply shoot quality home movies, this practical guide has all the advice and tips needed to succeed.


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Digital Cinema : The Revolution in Cinematography, Post-Production, and Distribution: On Creating Digital Content: Video Production for Web, Broadcast, and Cinema, co-edited by Brian McKernan


This is the first complete overview of digital cinema technology, clearly detailing how each phase of the moviemaking process, shooting, postproduction, delivery, and exhibition, are changed by digital technology. With its huge cost-saving potential, digital cinema is the biggest thing to happen to the movies since sound. This title includes digital Cinematography - how to photograph and shoot in digital, and how it's different from film; plus, Nonlinear Editing - software, basic techniques and cost savings.

Not since the advent of sound has technology so greatly impacted motion pictures. With its huge cost-saving potential, digital technology can alter every aspect of the movie-making process, from shooting through postproduction to delivery and exhibition.

The digital cinema revolution is the result of years of progress in the technologies of film, computer graphics, and high-definition television. Now Brian McKernan, founding editor of Digital Cinema magazine, provides an up-to-date look at how new digital technologies are reshaping the movie industry.

    * Digital cinema -- how it came about, its history and pioneers
    * Understanding digital image compression
    * The latest camera choices for digital cinematography -- from high end systems to the affordable world of indie filmmaking
    * Audio and the cinema -- why sound is half the picture
    * The revolution in postproduction -- the convergence of computer graphics, HDTV, film, and video
    * Nonlinear editing—software choices, new techniques, and digital compositing
    * Digital intermediates--color grading, changing the shot after the shoot, film transfer, and film recording
    * Independent digital filmmaking in Hollywood and across the nation -- the democratization of the movies
    * The new role of the cinematographer in the digital age
    * Understanding digital projection technologies
    * What digital cinema means to indie productions, exhibitors, film distribution, and the future of the movies

You'll also find insights on the cost-vs.-quality controversy, the impact of digital cinema on creative freedom, and the integration of film and digital from such leading filmmakers as George Lucas, Robert Rodriguez, and Michael Ballhaus ASC. 


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Screen Plays: How 25 Scripts Made It to a Theater Near You--for Better or Worse by David S. Cohen


From Publishers Weekly:

"As a well-placed observer who knows intimately many of tinsel town's key players, Variety reporter and 25-year Hollywood insider Cohen reveals the story behind 25 scripts that became such high-profile projects as Lost in Translation, Troy, American Beauty and The Aviator. On the way, budding screen-writers convinced their own story seems like a long-shot will find inspiration (or at least comfort) in stories like Milo Addica and Will Rokos's, whose screenplay for Monster's Ball was rejected by top industry brass as 'the best script that will never get made.' 

With the deep background reporting he's known for, Cohen produces revealing nuggets of moviemaking trivia, alongside stories of serendipity and triumph; for instance, had Erin Brockovich not shared a chiropractor with her future producer, Carla Santos Shamberg, her movie probably would never have been made. Nowhere is Cohen's understanding of the tempestuous film industry more apparent than in the compelling account of Black Hawk Down screenwriter Ken Nolan, who was terminated from that project only to get himself re-hired and, ultimately, sole writing credit. Cohen's is a surefire crowd-pleaser for casual movie fans and true cineastes."


From Booklist:

"Variety reporter Cohen tells the stories of the scripts of several commercially and artistically successful recent films. Most were significantly tweaked to improve their commercial prospects. Some, such as those of Gladiator and My Best Friend’s Wedding, underwent wholesale change on the way to the screen. American Beauty, TV scribe Alan Ball’s attempt to break into the movies, was among the rare few that survived largely intact. Cohen also inspects a few stinkers, like Random Hearts and Pay It Forward, whose stories are just as revealing and instructive, despite their unhappy endings. 

The writers at issue range from novices to writer-directors John Waters, Sofia Coppola, and Todd Solondz, and include one of the few screenwriters considered a film auteur in his own right, Charlie Kaufman. Besides revealing each script’s genesis and fate, Cohen recounts the writers’ backstories and includes commentary by many of the movies’ stars. Almost any movie lover should enjoy the book’s illuminating insight into how what’s on the screen gets there, and aspiring screenwriters may be invaluably guided by the writers’ experiences."


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Anatomy of a Guerrilla Film: The Making of RADIUS (Paperback) by Helmut Kobler


 Want to make a guerrilla film of your own? Learn how as first-time director Helmut Kobler takes you through the highs and lows of creating his ambitious film "RADIUS" on a meager budget. Kobler explains how he and his team accomplished each step of the filmmaking process -- from writing the script and financing it with credit cards to completing the final sound mix, marketing the film, and distributing it for others to see. 

Go behind the scenes as Kobler offers a frank account of what went right and what went wrong. This unique guide is a must-have for all aspiring guerrilla filmmakers.


About the Author:

In a previous life, Helmut Kobler used to design and direct award-winning video games for Windows PCs and the Sony Playstation. He is now an indie filmmaker and technology writer living in Los Angeles. He runs K2 Films, a small film production company that makes one independent film at a time, often with a strong internet element that lets the public participate in the making of the film.