Filmmaking For Dummies [Paperback]

Bryan Michael Stoller (Author), Jerry Lewis (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 2003

Film is a powerful medium. Successful filmmakers possess the passion to visually tell a story that will affect people's emotions, make them see things differently, help them discover new ideas, or just create an escape for them.

Whether you love the experience of being enthralled by movies or the excitement, challenge, and magic of making the movie yourself, Filmmaking For Dummies is your primer to creating a respectable product. For the seasoned professional, this friendly reference can inspire you with fresh ideas – before you embark on your next big flick. Get ready to roll with expert information on

• Defining the difference between independent and studio films
• Knowing what genre fits your fancy
• Finding perfect locations
• Storyboarding your film
• Directing the action
• Giving credit and titles

Written from the author's 30 years of hands-on work as a writer, producer, and film director, Filmmaking For Dummies carries you through from screenplay to distribution, with lots of experience-packed insight into

• Writing or finding a screenplay
• Raising financing for your film
• Budgeting and scheduling your film
• Hiring the right actors and crew
• Planning, shooting, and directing your film
• Putting your film together in the editing room
• Finding a distributor to get your film in from of an audience
• Entering (and maybe even winning) film festivals

Taking into account the advent of digital technology, author Bryan Michael Stoller focuses on creative elements that apply to both film and video production. He also points our technical differences and notes the many similarities between traditional and newer age making of motion pictures – all in a fun and engaging way that'll have you shooting for the stars!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I found Filmmaking For Dummies a thorough and informative read: a complete A to Z that demystifies not only production, but pre- and post- production as well. Stoller paints a picture of filmmaking so basic that you'd have to be not just a dummy but completely braindead if you're unable to make your own movie after closing the book." (Entertainment Weekly, September 5, 2003)

From the Back Cover

"I know of nobody more suitable than Bryan Stoller to author a manual on how to get a film made."
—Dan Aykroyd

Scout locations, set up shots, and direct actors

"Bryan Stoller has encapsulated the fundamentals of the filming process in a most accessible way."
—David Permut, Producer and President, Permut Presentations, Inc.

Whether you’re shooting a movie short or a feature film, find out how to do everything from developing a project, pitching it, and obtaining financing to hiring your cast and crew, shooting and editing your film, and distributing it for the world to see.

The Dummies Way

• Explanations in plain English
• "Get in, get out" information
• Icons and other navigational aids
• Tear-out cheat sheet
• Top ten lists
• A dash of humor and fun

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: For Dummies; 1 edition (July 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0764524763
• ISBN-13: 978-0764524769
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #606,464 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

52 of 58 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Well written, but content is misguided, April 16, 2004

By 

J. Adams "crustyjusty" (Ann Arbor, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Filmmaking For Dummies (Paperback)

I read this book, as well as others, because I'm taking a stab at filming a screenplay with some other people. I have enjoyed some of the other dummies books, but I thought this one was off target. It is very high level. For example, in the first or second chapter, he goes over what the job roles are for the production assistant, and ten other job titles you might see at the end of a Hollywood movie, and I'm thinking to myself, am I really going to have a full-time grip on my movie? I was hoping this book would focus on the nuts and bolts of making a small-budget / zero-budget film, but it talked about numbers that apply to people who aren't going to be reading a dummies book. On the whole, I thought it was a real surface look at independent filmmaking, and would be appropriate for someone who wanted to learn about it, but not do it. You would be better off buying IFILM Filmmakers Handbook and some individual books on lighting and sound if you really want information about how to make your own film. A lot of the information in this book can be found on the web, also.

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Filmmaking for Dummies, July 19, 2005

By 

Gabriel Flores - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Filmmaking For Dummies (Paperback)

The book is very helpful. It brings a lot of good information for new filmmakers. You can find tricks, terminologies, tips, techniques, and more to start your career as a new filmaker. There are many good material to learn. The author uses recent movies as examples. It covers many aspects of the filmmaking industry and how to make a low budget film. Beside, the book brings a lot of links to interesting web pages related with the filmaking industry.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good overall reference., July 19, 2007

By 

Alphonse Luis (Aurora, IL.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Filmmaking For Dummies (Paperback)

Good overall reference for filmmaking, for the beginner. For the experienced, good reminder of the basics that one might have forgotten.