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Most of the filmmaking books on the market are crap! Trust me, I've read them all. That's why I created this page. Listed below are by far the best books on each subject (writing, directing, acting, and the indie scene). I promise you each of these books will give you the hard facts and information you need to succeed. Don't waste a ton of money on the hundreds of other books out there. Just read the best! I update this list as new and better books come out.
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Screenwriting
Directing
Indie Scene
General Hollywood
The Best Books on Screenwriting
Story:
Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting (--Robert McKee)
Robert McKee charges over $400 for his screenwriting seminars, but here is the entire course in the palm of your hand. Every detail and principle of screenwriting is laid out right here. A must read for anyone who is seriously considering writing a script.
List Price: $35.00
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The Writer's
Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers (--Christopher Vogler)
Perhaps the best book about screenplay structure ever written. Using examples from classic films such as THE WIZARD OF OZ, WITNESS, PULP FICTION, TITANIC, and even THE LION KING, this book details step by step outlines of what makes good three act story structure.
List Price: $22.95
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The Hero With A
Thousand Faces (--Joseph Campbell)
This book is less about screenwriting than it is about the power of myth, but it's a crucial read nonetheless. George Lucas credits this book as the inspiration for STAR WARS. After reading it, you will understand how mythology is woven into the fabric of the human subconscious.
List Price: $15.95
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The 50 Greatest
Movies Never Made (--Chris Gore)
This is just a fun read about 50 great films and how Hollywood, through one form or another, destroyed the idea in development, thus killing the project. Some are old classics from by Welles and even Salvador Dali, others are recent.
List Price: $13.95
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500 Ways
to Beat the Hollywood Script Reader : Writing the Screenplay the Reader Will Recommend
(--Jennifer Lerch)
For anyone writing a script with hopes of selling it Hollywood, these tips are essential for getting your script past the lower level reader (and I guarantee 99.9%of the time it will be sent to the studio reader). The tips are so important, even produced writers use this book to punch up their spec formats).
List Price: $12.00
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Directing
Actors: Creating Memorable Performances for Film and Television (--Judith Weston)
The secret to a good film is good acting. Not only does this book teach you the best way to direct actors, it also teaches you the principles of acting. I use it as a reference whenever I am working. A great book for actors too!
List Price: $26.95
Sale Price: $21.56
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Film Directing:
Shot By Shot: Visualizing From Concept to Screen (--Steven Katz)
This book has the nuts and bolts of how to direct. It discusses blocking scenes, where to place the camera, types of shots, lenses, and just about every other tool a director has to his disposal. Perhaps the most comprehensive book on film directing ever.
List Price: $24.95
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Film Directing,
Cinematic Motion: A Workshop for Staging Scenes (--Steven Katz)
This workbook lays out shots in painstaking detail, with hundred of storyboard panels, to show you exactly how to stage a scene. Essential fundamentals for learning how to block a scene. This is a companion book to the above Shot By Shot.
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The Filmmaker's
Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age (--Ascher, Pincus, Keller)
Comprehensive is an understatement. This book is over 600 pages, with 18 chapters, and nine appendices. The authors detail virtually everything you need to know about filmmaking.
List Price: $18.95
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The Best Books on The Indie Scene
IFP/West
Independent Filmmaker's Manual (--Nicole Shay Laloggia, Eden Wurmfeld)
This is the definitive producer's manual for low budget filmmaking. It covers screenwriting, re-writes, financing, breakdown, scheduling, budgeting, pre-production, production, post-production, and distribution. It includes references, organization lists, blank forms and fill-in-the-blank contracts and a lot more.
Also included is a CD-ROM with interviews from filmmakers including Kevin Smith, and Ang Lee. No producer should make a low budget film without it.
List Price: $36.95
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Filmmakers and
Financing: Business Plans For Independents (--Louise Levison)
This is the only book devoted exclusively to specialized business plan for filmmakers. Includes a sample business plan as well as examples in each chapter. Presents a step-by-step approach to create a compelling business plan to attract investor financing for a project. Want to raise money to make an indie film? Get this book!
List Price: $22.95
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Party in a
Box: The Story of the Sundance Film Festival (--Lory Smith)
The real story about how Robert Redford created America's greatest and most successful film festival. Informative and extremely fascinating.
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The Ultimate
Film Festival Survival Guide (--Chris Gore)
Which film festival is the best and how do you cut through the politics? This book has tons of great information on how to get your film into the big festivals and how to work them for maximum exposure. Believe me, there's a lot more to film festivals than watching films.
List Price: $14.95
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Spike, Mike,
Slackers and Dykes (--John Pierson)
John Pierson has sold some of the most successful indie films of all time including SHE'S GOTTA HAVE IT, CLERKS, SLACKER, and ROGER AND ME. Since selling your film is as important as making it, you should read the inside scoop on the politics of distributors and film festivals from the guy who beat the system.
List Price: $12.95
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Hollywood 101: The Film Industry (--Frederick
Levy)
Making it in Hollywood is possible, as long as you have a strategy. That is the message of this book. But this book has much more including a real game plan to help you get anything from entry level jobs, so long lasting writing/producing/directing careers.
List Price: $19.95
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The Big Deal:
Hollywood's Million Dollar Spec Script Market (--Thom
Taylor)
This is a funny collection of stories of people and how they broke into Hollywood. A very fun read too.
List Price: $16.00
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The Comedy
Writer (--Peter Farrelly)
I know this is a fiction novel written by the writer/director of THERE'S SOMETHING ABOUT MARY and DUMB AND DUMBER. However, there's a couple of chapters here that explain how Hollywood works and a strategy on how to break in. It's the most accurate information on Hollywood that I have ever seen. This is what taught me the real tricks of Hollywood, and it works. It's also a fun read.
List Price: $13.95
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