Customer Reviews

How to Make an Action Movie for $99

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I have been looking forward to reading this book ever since I heard about it 3 years ago. I finally got my hand on a copy, and boy was I disappointed!
It appears that this is a self-published title. The font is rather large, too large for a book. This title also has no ending, and the numerous spelling and grammatical errors I read made me cringe.
The book talks a lot about his film, Full Motion Blur. For those of us who haven't seen it (Which I'm guessing is most of the readers of the book), it'd be nice to tell us what it was about!! Maybe show us a screenplay or where we can find the film (there's no website or anything online on where to find it).
This book doesn't have much value to a filmmaker until the first 100 pages. the author keeps referring to Chimpanzees and Monkeys, which seems to be an inside joke I don't get. The footnotes are not only in bad taste, but completely pointless. I just kept shaking my head every time I read them (a warning for parents of kids: the book does have some not so subtle sexual inneundo in the book).
He also appears to be a bit self-absorbed and possess a large ego, which is unfortunately evident in the first 100 pages.
Once you get to the section about shooting the movie, he starts to give out information filmmakers can use. Despite being a 6 year veteran of filmmaking, I learned a bit about no budget filmmaking that I didn't find in other books. But the author seems to want us to do what he says, not what he does. He talks about showing, not telling the action, but all he does is tell us some techniques for low-budget filmmaking. How about some still photographs of what you've donem or computer program screenshots when you made the film?
For all the hype and promise this book held, it grossly underdelivers. [...]
Oh, and finally, the author warns of people who tend to criticize filmmakers' efforts are no more than frustrated filmmakers who never made their movie. So that I may put that to rest: I've been making films for six years: I've made 5 films, 9 commercials, and written 20 screenplays, all while holding down a fulltime job and raising a son.

This book is okay, but my main problem with is it that it does not appear the author has made a very good movie 'Full Motion Blur' on which he bases this book. This movie seemingly is the kind of stuff highschoolers (like me) make with lots of violence, no story, and poor editing.

His advice is to not use a tripod, but to move the camera a lot. This, he says, adds tension to the movie. Personally, I regret not buying Robert Rodruiguez's book 'Rebel Without a Crew,' because not only is the movie El Mariachi the greatest low budget movie of all time, but the filmmaking involved with making a movie for cheap is very useful.

This book is not total trash, there is a few pages towards the end which are useful, like stereotyping people and how to use them in movies, and doing special effects. Unfortunatly, for the most part, it's just stipid filler with no content about a nothing movie that no one besides the filmmaker himself has seen.

At less than 200 pages one can't expect this book to give you all the information you really need to shoot a movie. Even less considering the big font used. It looks like the author wanted to write a book to make some money so threw together some content and used a big font to fill 200 pages. This is confirmed by the fact that the author himself says that in the past he used to write books about magician tricks.

To be honest many of the things that this book says are true, but they are disorganized and not of any practical value. The $99 thing seems more like a cool slogan that gets repeated over and over, while he never actually explains where that money went.

This book is mostly a series of 10 point lists about various topics such as what equipment to buy (much more than $99), features of an action movie (Action is Action), etc.

The cover says, "a guide to writing shooting and editing a feature film," however there is a chapter about writing, about shooting it is at most approximative, and about editing nothing at all.

As I already mentioned many of the ideas in this book are valid and intelligent, however do not expect this book to teach you how to shoot a movie despite the HOW TO in the title.

Has anybody seen Full Motion Blur, the supposedly greatest action movie ever made for $99 that the author brags about every other page?

You can make a movie and make it now! I have many books on low budget filmmaking and they all sum up low budget differently then I do. 250,000 is not low budget. In a world of 5 to 50 Million dollar budgets it maybe, but down here on planet earth that is a hell of a lot of cash.
$99.00 now that's a budget I can swing. This book is written in a very funny easy to read style. If you want to make a movie, and want to make it now. I would recommend this book as a must have to your filmmakers library. Rebel without a crew is also recommended reading. Don't pick one over the other if you can help it. If you can not afford both, then definitely you do not have 7000.00 to make a movie. In the case of only being able to afford one book, this would have to be the one. Budget constraints considered of course. Good Luck and Happy Filmmaking!

The author talks from the heart. He speaks like a fan that wanted to learn more about making movies. The book is a very honest discussion of the reality of making an independent film. As a film student I could relate to a lot of his experiences. I also found his insights were very illuminating. The book itself is a quick, fun read. It really makes you want to get up and go out there and make a film just to see what it's like. Too many people are focused on criticizing the efforts of others instead of challenging themselves. Although this isn't quite a criticism, the author obviously knows a lot more about the film business than he lets on. That's okay. It never feels like he's talking down to the reader. It feels more like a conversation with an excited friend that wants to share something they learned.

Whether your into film making or not, amateur or professional this book is fantastic. Well layed out and step by step, you will be well on your way to making your amateur movies professional. I honestly think even professional film makers should read this book. Film making in constantly changing so if you want to keep pace and also be a step ahead of the pack get the book.

It's entertaining, humerous, but very inspirational as well.
Everything you ever wanted to know about film making in the digital era is here. Special effects, how to get equipment for free, using actors, how to edit, everything! .... Awesome stuff.

For anyone interested in making the next El Mariachi for a mere pittance, look no further than this informative, entertaining little book. Andrew is a savvy, funny guy who gives you everything you need to know re: making your very own digital bloodbath-on-a budget movie. Documented in these pages is living proof that you don`t need a ton of doubloons to be creative on film. Great stuff Andrew and by the way, you can send the cheque to my agent Giovanni "The Icepick" Scumbaglio.

The advent of digital filmmaking has opened the world of moviemaking to anyone with a computer and some extra cash to spend on a digital camera. Where, a few years back, El Mariarchi shocked audiences by costing a mere 7,000 dollars to make (almost the entire budget went to purchasing, processing, and editing the film) nowadays the same film could have been made for significantly cheaper. With digital film being as cheap as it is, and as readily accessible to the everyday person (it's sold in [local stores]), a director need have only a script and some friends to make their own movie.

How to make an action Movie takes this approach to low budget digital filmmaking to an extreme..the entire film cost just [$$] to make! The author goes into details about how to find the right actors (dedicated ones willing to work for screen credit) how to avoid the ones that will bring your picture down, lighting, sound, finding locations that are free to shoot at, and what to keep in mind while writing a script. The book is smart without being condescending, and I found myself chuckling several times throughout it (the author has a very weird sense of humor).

This book is for anyone interested in filmmaking but isn't sure where to start, or anyone interested in the emergence of digital filmmaking and what it means to the world of cinema. Smart, funny,and educational, this book should be on every young filmmakers bookshelf.

Near the end there are some nifty tips for dealing with inexperienced actors. A few others are decent as well.

Keep in mind that this book is about making a $99 movie - which it does tell about, yes indeed.

If you want to enter a film festival or distribute it, this isn't the book. But if you want to feel cool about yourself having made a $99 movie, and can tolerate the lack of proofreading, grammar and symantical errors up the yinyang and bragging about something that is nothing, go ahead - the tips alone are probably worth it.

In regards to the author's credentials, look for yourself - No IMDB listing for Full Motion Blur or Andrew Harter (as of this posting). Also, a quick google of "full motion blur andrew harter fort lauderdale film festival" turns up nothing that he and his buds didn't write. I could be wrong, but that's the results I got tonight.

Tips OK.

Book sucks.

worth $10 if you understand and accept that

As an indie action film director and lover I absolutely loved this book. It was so on the money. In the same tradition of Robert Rodriguez's Rebel without a Crew Harter gives you everything you need to know about low budget filmmaking. The title is a bit misleading because it assumes you have a video camera already but it also tells you how you may be able to get one if you don't have one. This is one of the best books on the topic I've read in a long time. I wish the book was a little longer I was actually sad when it came to an end which is a pretty funny thing to say about a how to book but when you read it you'll see what I mean. I'm anixously awaiting the DVD release of "Full Motion Blur" and I hope it gets picked up for distribution.

This book offers so much with chapters such as "10 ways to get Equipment for Free", "10 Mistakes a Nobudget Director can Make" and "Making it Happen in 10 Steps", this book offers indept and entertaining breakdowns of the process that Hollywood will forever try to make us believe takes millions of dollars. A many months. You'll read this book over and over.