$30 Film School: How to write, direct, produce, shoot, edit, distribute, tour with, and sell your own no-budget DIGITAL movie (Power!) [Paperback]

Michael W. Dean (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1592000673 | ISBN-13: 978-1592000678 | Publication Date: May 13, 2003 | Edition: 1

We’re entering a new era. Mini-DV filmmaking is the new folk, the new punk rock, the new medium where anyone can tell his story. $30 Film School is an alternative to spending four years and a hundred thousand dollars to learn the 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 American work ethic back when it was pure, before it became all about corporations crushing the little guy. Throw in the hacker idea that information wants to be free (or at least very cheap) and you’ve got our deal. Inside you’ll find many interviews from insightful independent filmmakers and artists, as well as a host of practical advice, knowledge, and resources.

Editorial Reviews

Review

One of the most important tools available to an a artist. -- Alt.culture.guide™, Keith Gordon, 2004

From the Publisher

Make your film a reality with a DV camera and a computer. With this book, you will learn how to not only make a film, but also how to distribute, tour with, promote, and sell your film. CD-ROM is full of movies, lessons, interviews, trailers, and other tools.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Course Technology PTR; 1 edition (May 13, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1592000673
• ISBN-13: 978-1592000678
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (122 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #99,649 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Really bad, August 3, 2006

By 

R. Walling (Los Angeles, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: $30 Film School: How to write, direct, produce, shoot, edit, distribute, tour with, and sell your own no-budget DIGITAL movie (Power!) (Paperback)

Dean spends most of the book talking about how great he is, whether it be as a filmmaker or a musician. He drops names no one's ever heard of, and spouts off about how cool he is. Of course, I've never heard of any of his films or bands, but he'd probably say that he's so "DIY" (do it yourself), that only the hardcore folks have heard of him.

Dean winds up rambling about making films for nearly 500 pages, but doesn't say much that will help a new filmmaker hone his/her craft. He makes flippant comments about how Hollywood's approach to filmmaking is wrong, and points out that his method is way better, but he doesn't give any convincing reasons why his method is better. In the end the reader is left $30 poorer with film tips they could pick up from someone's MySpace page.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I wish I could give it 10 stars, February 1, 2004

By 

John Haynes (Oklahoma City) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: $30 Film School: How to write, direct, produce, shoot, edit, distribute, tour with, and sell your own no-budget DIGITAL movie (Power!) (Paperback)

The bottom line belongs at the top:

If you're at all interested in making your own films, BUY THIS BOOK. Absorb its lessons. Share the lessons with your crew.

Without exaggeration, this is simply one of the best-written and helpful books I have ever read, period.

I first heard of $30 FILM SCHOOL when the guys on an online video-editing forum enthusiastically recommended it to a newbie looking for help. She said: "I want to make films, but I don't know where to start!" Everyone said, "Start with $30 FILM SCHOOL." Mind you, some of those guys are seasoned pros. They could recommend any book. $30 FILM SCHOOL got the nod.

Though a journeyman filmmaker myself, not a beginner, I was intrigued enough to order the book. Of the many thousands of dollars I've spent on filmmaking equipment and education, $30 FILM SCHOOL has given me the best return on investment.

It's worth fifty times what you pay for it. Believe me.

Someone once said, "There can be no real democratization of the filmmaking process until the equipment is affordable by everyone." Well, with the digital video / computer revolution and the advent of affordable gear, the time has come. Now anyone can make a film---even you.

But there's still a steep learning curve. There's a big difference between making a film, and making a GREAT film. $30 FILM SCHOOL walks you through the process of making great films. The book is an encouraging, "You-can-do-it!" celebration of the indie filmmaker lifestyle as much as it is a thorough manual of the nuts and bolts of putting a film together. Don't discount this. You need a strong spirit and a steady smile as much as you need to know which lens to use on a particular shot. More than that, you need to be as willing to help others, as to BE helped. Dean gives more than he gets, and encourages you to do the same thing. That way, everyone grows and some damned good films start getting produced.

Dean leaves no stone unturned. Everything from writing the script, getting funding, producing, working with people and equipment, directing, choosing the right computer and software on which to edit sound and video, the editing process itself, and burning your film to DVD is covered.

But probably the most important part, in my opinion, is the section on promoting and distributing your film. Too many artists concentrate only on the art and not on the marketing. They end up with a nice film no one has ever heard of, much less seen. Dean is a tireless marketer who knows what he's talking about from years of actually doing it the hard way---first as a musician, and now as a filmmaker / author.

There's also a very helpful and complete companion CD included with the book.

I bought $30 FILM SCHOOL with Dean's DVD "D.I.Y. Or Die: How To Survive As An Independent Artist." Though you don't need the DVD to benefit from the wealth of info in the book, I suggest you buy both. Each is a learning experience in its own right but together, they add up to much more than just a book and DVD. It's more like a total immersion into the psychology and methods of effective indie filmmaking.

If you can buy only one book on filmmaking, $30 FILM SCHOOL is the one to buy.

12 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars It coulda been a contender, July 12, 2004

By 

David G Snyder (Everett, Washington) - See all my reviews

This review is from: $30 Film School: How to write, direct, produce, shoot, edit, distribute, tour with, and sell your own no-budget DIGITAL movie (Power!) (Paperback)

Having decided to film and produce a series of life history interviews with my grandmother before she passes, I figured it was high time the quality of my productions moved beyond elementary home movies. I purchased this book knowing full well that it was targeted towards the indie filmmaker rather than the serious hobbiest, so I expected portions of it to be irrelevant to me. Even with that expectation, I was disappointed with this book.

There is some information in this book that could be very helpful. The author includes several example letters, contracts, release forms, and the like; however, the good parts are often lost in the jungle of his socio-economic views, anti-establishment diatribes, and self-promotion of his previous works. (If 'DYI or DIE' was intended to go hand in hand with the book, why not include the DVD and call it the '$35 Film School?') Furthermore, the author goes on at length on subjects better left to others while neglecting in-depth discussion in the areas where his experience is useful. For example, he devotes 150+ pages (nearly 1/3 of the book!) instructing the reader on how to do various things in Premiere, cinestream, Vegas, Acid, Soundforge, and MyDVD. Yet, when it comes to the actual camera work, lighting setups, audio engineering, or editing, too often he instructs the reader to "study films and figure out why they did that."

I'm sitting here having just finished the book after several hours of reading, trying to think of the good sections. The only part that stands out is the very first chapter on writing screenplays. Sadly, the good part ends on page 14... that's where he devotes 1 3/4 pages telling the reader how to bind the screenplay with brads. I'm sure that 1 3/4 pages of "treeware" (his eco-friendly term) could have been used in a much more effective way.

I also felt that the author spent far too much time (especially in the first 100 pages) justifying his actions and solitary working behavior. If he doesn't want to work with interns, that's okay. There is no need to write pages and pages on the inadequacies of film school students, interns, and volunteers who don't follow through. Make your point and move on.

You might wonder why I spent several hours reading a book that I found so disappointing. I actually found the book fairly interesting (minus the software tutorials), just not particularly helpful. There are a few good things in there if you dig for them, but this book would have been much better and just as informative if it had been 100 pages instead of 465 pages.

If you're looking for a book to teach you the technical aspects of filmmaking, move along. This book isn't it. If you're looking for a book to motivate you to finish that indie film that has been sitting in your attic for the past 9 years, this might be right up your alley.