Customer Reviews

Filmmaking for Teens: Pulling Off Your Shorts

5 star:		(32)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Troy Lanier and Clay Nichols teach filmmaking at a high school in Austin, Texas. Because they were never able to find a good textbook that effectively taught filmmaking while holding the ever-wandering attention of teens, they decided to write their own book. The result was Filmmaking for Teens: Pulling Off Your Shorts. By breaking down the complex process of creating and completing a short, the authors show that it is possible for anyone to make movies.

Comprehension
This is not your typical, mind-numbing textbook on how to make a movie; it simplifies the process of filmmaking by shortening the length of the project: just 5-6 minutes. Filmmaking for Teens gives you an idea of what to plan for when making a film by going over all of the essentials. As you read the book, you start to understand that this is pretty much the same process that all big-budget Hollywood films go through... just on a much smaller scale.

The writing is humorous in a satirical, tongue-in-cheek way (you know... the way high schoolers are), while at the same time not getting too ridiculous. It explains the technical side of moviemaking in language that both techie geeks and novices can understand and appreciate.

Depth of Information
For its (relatively) small size, this book packs a LOT of information in. Starting with brainstorming (or, as they call it, "brainshowering"), they walk the reader through writing, planning, filming, and finally editing the film. The authors give several guidelines and pointers for obtaining equipment, finding locations, organizing a cast and crew, and getting attention for the finished product.

The cool thing is they also emphasize creativity, professionalism, and responsibility with their teen audience. While they give suggestions, they rarely promote "shortcuts"; instead, they encourage the reader to learn to do things properly, with the understanding that the process will become easier with each project.

Interest Level
There is no danger of this book losing your attention. It's technical and challenging enough to keep your brain cells engaged and operating, but the humor that is woven in with it makes this book both interesting and enjoyable.

Reusability
This book is definitely one to keep as a reference for when you do your projects or to recommend to a friend. The summaries at the end of each chapter can be used on almost any film project, no matter the size. There is also valuable information included about publicity, generating funding for future films, and entering student film festivals. For any young (or even old!) aspiring filmmaker, this book will be your "film bible".

Value vs. Cost
Although the retail price of the book is $18.95, you can buy it from the Michael Weise website for less than $15. Is it worth it? Heck yes. That and a whole lot more. The amount of time, money, and headache this will help prevent is immeasurable. I wish that I had had this book two years ago when I was the producer on my first indie film; it would've made things a lot easier. (Okay, well, somewhat easier at least.) For anyone, teenager, parent, grandparent, whoever, interested in learning more about making films, this book is an absolute must.

Overall Comment
The thing that I really enjoy the most about this book is that, although it is written for teens, it isn't limited to them; anyone with an interest in film can make a short project after reading this book.

The book takes the reader through the entire process of making a short film, planning for a shooting schedule of 3 days (usually found during those semi-holiday extended weekends). Three days is a reasonable amount of time that even most adults would be able to spare. Think about it: if teens-who have little to no money, might or might not have a car (let alone one that works!), and are juggling school, homework, a job, and extracurricular activities-can make a 5-6 minute film, who says that an adult can't?

Understandability - 9.5
Depth of Information - 9.0
Interest Level - 9.0
Reusability - 10.0
Value vs. Cost - 10.0
Total Score - 9.5

Reviewed by Kari Ann Morgan
Microfilmmaker.com

I read a article in MovieMaker Magazine about teen filmmakers and it mentioned this book. I checked out some websites and looked at some movies made by teens and it was great.
I'm a 22 year old filmmaker and I wanted to read this book. I may not be a teen, but it does not matter. This book explains things other books don't. You pretty much have to learn this stuff on your own. Like it talked a lot about getting good pictures and sound from your camera. Just great stuff.
Why didn't they write this book 7 years ago. I would have been making movies over and over again when I was 15 years old. They make the process so open. I read film books for adults and I couldn't understand that stuff at the time, so I waited until college.
This book is great for all ages.

Filmmaking for Teens: Pulling Off Your Shorts
by Troy Lanier and Clay Nichols
Review by Pi Ware

Filmmaking for Teens: Pulling Off Your Shorts is a great gift for a young filmmaker. The book is concrete, fairly well organized, and written in a hip-and-now vernacular that will connect with the suburban teens of today (and sound utterly bizarre in about 7 years). The authors, Troy Lanier and Clay Nichols, have an in-depth knowledge of filmmaking and great ability to distill this knowledge down to its bare essentials, which is all a teen filmmaker wants or needs.

Not only is this a good book for teenagers, but it's a great book for any first time filmmaker. It may not be as exhaustive as Kim Adelman's instant classic, "The Ultimate Filmmaker's Guide to Short Films: Making it Big in Shorts", but for that high school kid in your life who wants to "get into the business"--or for anyone who wants to learn the gritty, Do-It-Yourself ethic of no-budget indie filmmaking--this manual is a great place to start.

Assuming (correctly) that many teen readers will only read the first ten pages of the book, Lanier and Nichols start with a quick summary of how to make your first short and how to keep the project do-able for a teenager. From there they take you through scripting, pre-production, production, and post, and then onto teen-themed festivals listed by deadline date. Lanier and Nichols teach the basics of filmmaking in an easy-to-follow manner, including how to compose a shot, how to write in screenplay format and how to edit the movie once it's shot. And the basics they teach are not lopsided opinions but, rather, they're the white hot core of filmmaking essentials. Though the book's style may be too slanged-up and peppered with "attitude" for the smarter teenage crew, Filmmaking for Teens: Pulling Off Your Shorts is a great how-to book for any ambitious movie geek.

This would have been a great book entitled something like "Moving Beyond Home Video", but under its current title I found it oddly unbalanced. It opens with some good advice directed toward someone who has never written a screenplay, but then goes on to discuss assembling a crew including not only cast, but also an assistant producer and assitant director; the necessity of filming using manual focus; and mics with XLR connectors. If you have never tried to write a screenplay or finished a short film, you are not going to make your first foray into film with a large crew and a 3 chip camera, learning manual focus and lighting over your (recommended) 3 day shoot. On the other hand, if you are comfortable with trying out this kind of equipment, you have most likely tried your hand at screenplay writing before.

I would not recommend this book for a teen or anyone else trying to make their first attempt at filming a story of their own writing. It is, however, a fine book for those who have made a few home films with a sub $500 consumer camera and are looking to take the next step into a more sophisticated shoot with prosumer level equipment. In that light, it has very good overview material of the possiblities of equipment and accessories and has good advice on rehersals and crew.

I would welcome a recommendation from anyone who knows of a good book that is really aimed toward teens who really have never written or filmed anything and who are looking to try to put something together with a few friends with consumer level home equipment.

FILMMAKING FOR TEENS/Pulling Off Your Shorts, written by Troy Lanier & Clay Nichols, should really be titled FILMMAKING FOR EVERYONE WHO EVER EVEN THOUGHT ABOUT IT! Listen up, folks, this is a great little book that makes the fine art of writing, financing, producing, directing, shooting, editing and promoting your stories on film understandable, super easy and a lot of fun. The whole creative process, from concept through premiere, is explained, detailed and illustrated in a clever, thought-provoking and inspirational way, and in understandable, real-life language that makes the book a total pleasure to read, cover-to-cover, for all those budding Spielbergs out there. I'm certainly not a teenager, but, man...I sure wish I'd read this cool book before I wrote, financed, produced, directed and edited my very first disaster...uh, I mean short film! Absolutely nothing of the whole creative filmmaking process is left out, and it's seriously fun to read. I highly recommend FILMMAKING FOR TEENS/Pulling Off Your Shorts for everyone who ever even thought about creating a short film. It should be on the absolutely required reading list for every single film school and filmmaking class, for both teens and adults alike. When I finished reading this book, I knew I could do it...but right, this time!

I was a fan of the first version of this book, but the second version is even better.

For anyone who wants a really detailed book on how to make films using today's technology, this book is perfect. Don't worry if you're not quite a teenager yet or if you've already graduated from high school -- you'll find this book incredibly helpful in getting you started as a filmmaker. Highly recommended!

Kim Adelman
Author, The Ultimate Filmmaker's Guide to Short Films

My TV program, America's Best Student Shorts, showcases short films and videos by high school and college students. I have reviewed hundreds of shorts submitted by young moviemakers. All but a handful would have benefited if their producers had read Filmmaking for Teens and followed its recommendations.

This book would be a great gift for a fledgling filmmaker of any age and it would make an excellent text for high school film production classes. I wish I'd had this book before I made my own first short.

Filmmaking for Teens is intensely practical. It takes the filmmaker through the whole creative process from concept to distribution, covering along the way screenwriting, team building, budgeting, equipment, camera technique, lighting, audio, and editing. Because it is practical, the book is also tremendously motivating - it dissolves the inclination to procrastinate while waiting for the perfect camera, or the perfect screenplay, or the perfect moment.

Since I pay high school and college students for licenses to use their short movies on my TV show, I wish that Filmmaking for Teens devoted more attention to the legalities of making a movie, specifically talent releases. This is particularly important when the on-screen talents are minors.

On balance, this is an excellent book, destined to become a classic.

Tom Hoopengardner, Producer
America's Best Student Shorts

Troy Lanier and Clay Nichols have done it, folks. They have managed to outline and simplify an extremely complicated process for making short films in 200 or so nice, little, easy to read and understand pages. Basically, how you can have your own miniature faux Hollywood right in your own backyard. Everything about the process is addressed and presented, from writing the script to distributing the film. This book is written based on the trials, errors, successes and shortcomings that the authors experienced while on the set of the annual St. Stephen's Episcopal School movie. It provides tips and tricks for young and aspiring filmmakers. Who knows, after you read this excellent book, you could be on your way to the Hollywood big time!

Filmmaking for Teens: Pulling Off Your Shorts is a wonderful guide book for teens and younger kids as well as for any first time adult filmmaker. I run a children's movie making group and work with kids ages 5-17 - this book has been an excellent resource for all of them! I can't recommend this book enough for our next break out generation of filmmakers.

Hats off to these guys! Shorts off to these guys! Film Making For Teens Pulling Off Your Shorts drew me in with its ingenious title, and kept both the information and the comedy flowing. Lanier and Nichols compiled a comprehensive how-to on movie making for people of all ages. They give a step-by-step process for brainstorming, scripting, directing, producing, editing, and exhibiting a short film. Complete with photos from their own school's film class, the book's lingo `casts' out and `reels' in a young audience of budding film students. I've recommend this book to all of my friends interested in film making, and now I've recommended it to you...