Film Literature

Listening to: Insolence-Poison Well
Mood: Chillin’

Been real busy the last few months with my next film, Diecast: Initiation. I’m still editing it, putting together the website, making a film marketing plan, etc. It’s a busy process.

Anyways, in trying to do all of the above I’ve also been reading more than I ever have lately (I never read). With only one semester of school left it’s starting to hit me – I’m about to go into one of the world’s most competitive industries where money and egos reign. Can I change my ways and become more assertive? Less lazy? More inspired? Tough to say. All I know is that I will try. Here’s my current booklist:

Directing Actors by Judith Weston

I’m about 2/3rds of the way through with it but so far it has been one gigantic bank-hand to the face – in a good way. She writes a lot about the negatives of result direction, which is the kind I generally give (if any, hah). She offers up suggestions on how to get more out of your actors. It was almost embarrassing to read all this and finally begin to understand why there were questions on set. Essentially she gives a clear outline of what the actor wants to hear from the director and how to solidify that actor-director relationship. It’s a very informative read (thus far) and I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to direct.

From Reel to Deal by Dov S-S Simens

The pre-production and marketing aspects of this book were invaluable. Dov drops the knowledge. At the end of each chapter he provides addresses, phone numbers, etc. to get your “in” in Hollywood. Course, I question how accurate some of these are since the book was written in ’03. Nonetheless, he breaks screenwriting down in a very simplistic way. It literally made me LOL. He also has a ranking of the most popular film festivals (honestly, aside from Sundance and Tribeca, I wasn’t familiar with the topnotch ones). Since the book is more focused on shooting film and feature-length in regards to production, I didn’t find that section particularly helpful. He does address shooting on digital later in the book but I felt like it wasn’t entirely up to date but his section on attaining distribution is enough to warrant the book’s purchase.

Swimming Upstream: A Lifesaving Guide to Short Film Distribution by Sharon Badal

This was actually an assigned book for one of my classes – most people didn’t read it, hah. The book consists primarily of interviews of filmmakers who have successfully made and attained distribution for their short films. I know, there’s short film distribution out there? Don’t quit your day job just yet though – it’s a long, difficult process. In fact, short film distribution is much more competitive than feature length distribution simply because of the greater number of shorts made. Fortunately, if you aim your film at a particular niche or theme, know your audience, have an excellent marking campaign, and know which festivals would appropriately suit your film then there is hope.

Story by Robert McKee

I’ve just started reading this one but I already know that it’s going to be a game-changer. It concentrates on the writing aspect of film in a workshop form. What I’m particularly drawn in by is the fact that there is no one way to write a story. McKee encourages the writer to try whatever works. He touches on plot development and how to humanize your characters. Heck, I even bought the audiobook version. FYI, this book is fairly lengthy. If you aim to become a writer in film, you should definitely check this one out!

100 Ways to Motivate Yourself by Steve Chandler

Albeit, this isn’t necessarily a film book, I’d say it’s just as motivational as Rebel Without A Crew was. I’m constantly finding quotes that really stick with me. Especially going into a career filled with negativity and fatalism, I think it’s extremely important that you present yourself as optimistic and glass-half-full. I know that I enjoy working with upbeat people MUCH more than those who are cynical and jaded – even when the latter has more knowledge and experience. Yes, I would choose a rookie optimist any day over an experienced naysayer. Warning: This book will give you a whole new perspective on life.