Customer Reviews

Make Your Own Damn Movie!: Secrets of a Renegade Director

5 star:		(226)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Before reading this book, I had never heard of Lloyd Kaufman, Tromaville or the Toxic Avenger. Now I feel like he and all his crazy characters are family. And why not? You've got to love a guy who in the acknowledgments writes, "No thanks to: Viacom, New Corp, Vivendi, AOL Time Warner, Sony and other devil-worshipping international media conglomerates." He is a modern-day Don Quixote.

"Make Your Own Damn Movie," sounds like a call to action but it really isn't. For that reason, I gave this book four stars. Kaufman writes knowledgeably about how independent theaters, studios, and filmmakers are being squeezed out by consolidation - where Viacom owns Blockbuster, Paramount Pictures, Simon & Schuster Publishers, along with TV, cable and other media - basically all the channels of distribution and publicity in the marketplace. This book contains witty, subversive, smart and useful information, but to what purpose if the outlook is so bleak?

Kaufman closes his book with "sometimes lost causes are the only ones worth fighting for." That's hardly the call to action I thought I'd be reading. He clearly sees himself and his work as being a dying breed. This is a horror director who has written a tragedy. Has it come down to that for this innovative, dynamic and vivacious film pioneer?

If you are an aspiring filmmaker, this is an excellent autobiography about a 25-year veteran of independent films. But if you're looking for the nuts and bolts of filmmaking or a rah, rah you can do it tract, you may want to consider other material.

Winner of the lifetime achievement award for his body of work and important contribution to the filmindustry at this years's prestigious Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival, Lloyd Kaufman is a genius making masterpieces on a budget that would barely be enough to pay for one day's catering on an average Hollywood producton and he does it for thirty years now. In a world where low budget independent filmmaking means manymultimillion dollar productions by subdivisions of Warner and Disney, Lloyd Kaufman survived for three decades (and counting) with his truly independent filmcompany Troma and in doing so directed, produced and/or wrote dozens of brilliant films (plus distributed hundreds more works that would otherwise have been totally neglected) without which the world would be an even less happy place! Heck - his work provided loads of "inspiration" (i.e. rips-off-ism) for the big ones who simply aren't creative enough to come up with their own masterpieces.
Want to know how he does it? Interested in learning from his expertise making true art and surviving in an industry that is almost entirely taken over by those big conglomerates? Need to know how you can make your own film you have been dreaming about for so long, but felt discouraged by the way the world has turned out to be? READ HIS BRILLIANT BOOK "MAKE YOUR OWN DAMN MOVIE"! If there is one person alive (or dead, but they usually don't say too much to begin with) who can actually tell you how to overwin all possible obstacles you might -and will- encounter realising your plans, it is Lloyd Kaufman. He has lived it, he is still doing it, and every film he makes is better than the previous one, even while the problems are getting bigger.
Kaufman does not only tell you HOW you can go about making your own damn movie, reading this book his enthousiasm about the art of filmmaking may even get you encouraged to do so even if you didn't have any such plans at all. Apart from that, there are loads of anecdotes from his thirty-plus years in the business and he is one of the most entertaining, witty and funny writers I have ever encountered.
Footnotes, additional info and insight in how rewarding working with Lloyd can be (and how good his pay is) are provided by some of those other Troma-people he collaborated, like co-writer/assistant-director on Kaufman's latest masterpiece CITIZEN TOXIE: THE TOXIC AVENGER IV, Trent Haaga and others.
For those who want to learn about the business, for those who want to know about Troma and the filmindustry from the inside, and for those who want to have a damn good time reading, this book is an absolute MUST. I found it to be unputdownable and like his previous book "ALL I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FILMMAKING I LEARNED FROM THE TOXIC AVENGER" I am sure I will read it many more times. So don't rent it, don't borrow it, but support independent cinema and buy this one. It's a damn good value for your bucks (probably as much as buying the action- and extra's packed brilliant double DVD-set of CITIZEN TOXIE)!!

In terms of quality, the only book that can even come close to this one is "All I Needed To Know About Filmmaking I Learned From The Toxic Avenger", by The Artist Formerly Known As Samuel Weil, Lloyd Kaufman. The two books by this film director are far different, however; "Make Your Own Damn Movie" is more along the lines of instruction and advice, with some autobiography thrown in, whereas "All I Needed To Know About Filmmaking I Learned From The Toxic Avenger" is more autobiographical, with some bits of instruction and advice.

This book will tell you potentially everything you need to know to make your own damn movie, and I predict that it will change and improve the motion picture industry forever.

The author, Lloyd Kaufman, and the two co-authors, Trent Haaga and Adam Jahnke, know whereof they speak, all three of them having been making entertaining movies for years. In this book, Lloyd reveals how he did it, and how you can do it too.

And he does so with considerable wit and humour. This much is no surprise to anyone who is a fan of his films.

I can't recommend this book enough. This will tell you how to make your own damn movie step-by-step. This is a must have for anyone who is either interested in making their own (damn) movies, or is interested in learning how Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz did it themselves.

I'm not sure how this book caught my eye. I think it was because of a discussion of cult horror films with an acquaintance and "Toxic Avenger" came up. If you haven't seen "Toxic Avenger", by all means do so. It is vulgar, infantile, gross, filled with mindless violence, gore and sex - and hilarious because of it. It is not awful: it is just strange and funny.

Lloyd Kaufman and his partner Michael Herz created "Toxic Avenger", so I thought a book on independent filmaking by Kaufman would be interesting.

It is - marginally. And it is a thin margin.

Mostly this is a book celebrating Lloyd Kaufman in all his vulgar glory. Well, how about just vulgarity, because there is no glory?

Kaufman and Herz must have an interesting story to tell. They have been partners for 30 years or so and made about 30 low-budget, independent films, only a few of which have made any substsantial money or even had substantial audiences. More importantly, they appear to have made a ton of money buying up distribution rights to lots of other independent films and distributing them.

First, the production values of the book are as low as the production values in a Troma film. Lots of reverse inserts (white type on a black background) that are essentially unreadable.

Second, while there are loads of anecdotes about various aspects of low-budget filmaking in the book, the whole book is about Lloyd Kaufman, Lloyd Kaufman and Lloyd Kaufman.

Lloyd Kaufman, as it turns out, is a vulgar boor. While his experience may be admirable and perhaps even instructive, page after page of his almost infantile obsession with dirty words, crude sexual allusions and uninformed political opinion is boring. And so is the "misunderstood genius" routine. Kaufman tries to position himself as the independent outsider who is slowly being marginalized by big business, big studios, big broadcasters, big cable companies, big video chains and big everyone else.

Truth be told, the product of Kaufman and Herz's Troma studios is the kind of product that has always played on the fringes of the movie industry. Were it not for the unexpected and entirely accidental success of "Toxic Avenger", it is likely that Troma and Kaufman would be largely unknown. (The Toxic Avenger went on to spawn a TV cartoon series, comic book, action figures and all that kind of stuff - you know, the kind of stuff that the big companies do and Kaufman so despises.)

So, if you are or aspire to be an independent filmaker, is "Make Your Own Damn Movie" worth reading? Worth becomes a relative term. Will you fail in life if you don't read it? No. Will you find the breakthrough idea here that will change your life? Probably not? Is it an enjoyable read? Not really. Are there lots of anecdotes about low-budget moviemaking that might come in handy some day? Yes.

There are even a few funny lines in the book, but most of it is Lloyd Kaufman being vulgar and crude. That's not funny: that's pathetic.

Jerry

In my opinion, this is a great follow-up to Lloyd's previous book, All I Needed to Learn About Filmmaking I Learned From The Toxic Avenger.

If you want a boring compendium of filmmaking techniques that reads like the owner's manual for your car, then stop reading this and go somewhere else, because you are not going to get that with this book.

Those looking for a great introduction to the how-to's of filmmaking will not be disappointed. I myself went into reading this book knowing absolutely nothing about how to make a great film that everyone will love, and I came out still not knowing how to make one, but what I did learn was how you can go about turning an artistic vision from an idea into a film, and keep your shirt (but not necessarily your dignity) in the process.

This book covers the basics of everything you need to know about making your own damn movie, specifically fund-raising, budgeting, screenwriting, hiring the crew, pre-production, legal stuff, getting locations, stunts & special effects, editing, sound mixing, marketing, and distribution.

The writing, done mainly by Lloyd with the help of Citizen Toxie producer Adam Jahnke and Citizen Toxie writer Trent Haaga, is hilarious, employing a mix of fact, instruction, advice, anecdotes, and Troma history to give a well-rounded description of the fundamentals of making your very own, independent movie.

Even for those with a casual interest in Troma films or filmmaking in general, this is a great read. There are parts ranging from epic battles with the gigantic rats in the Troma basement, to the description of the depravity that goes on in Troma rented condos, to stories about cruel conditions endured on the sets of Troma films, and even how to go about getting women nekkid on camera for you (which in my opinion is worth the cost of the book alone, because who DOESN'T need to know how to get women nekkid on camera?).

I give this book a 5/5 for teaching me a thing or two about making a movie, as well as plenty of behind the scenes looks into Troma Films, all while keeping me laughing and immersed in reading it.

I loved this book.The author must be very wise and handsome;clearly he is talented.

Every filmmaking class should have one required reading title only: "Make Your Own Damn Movie!" by Troma's Lloyd Kaufman. I learned more from this book than I ever could have from all of the filmmaking books that were thrown at me in college combined. Mr. Kaufman gives an honest, straightforward, and many times gritty introduction into the world of true independent filmmaking. The book tells it like it is, giving the reader exactly what they need to do in order to get their films made...even if what they need to do is not very pleasant...(which is more fun than pleasant methods, don't you think?)

Not only is Lloyd Kaufman the smartest, most original and true independent filmmaker around, he is also absolutely hilarious. Even if you are not a filmmaker, READ THIS BOOK! It's really funny and is great for anyone who enjoys movies, especially those of Troma.

And then after you read "Make Your Own Damn Movie!", read "All I Needed to Know about Filmmaking I Learned from the Toxic Avenger" if you already haven't. It's also awesome!

This is an interesting book for Troma fans and independent film fans. It is really just a book that is meant to entertain and tell stories rather than provide real helpful insight about how to make films. While I appreciate the show of support for independent art, the book doesn't really seem to support independent creation other than Troma's own brand (despite the title of the book). While I will admit that the book is very funny to read, I think sometimes it crosses into somewhat arrogant and self-important banter.

To me this book is more about Troma patting itself on the back and reflecting on their wacky stories then about really empowering anyone but themselves. Read if you are a fan of Troma, not if you are looking for encouragement.

I was going to title this review: "Incredibly motivational!" It's a decent review title I thought: simple, plain, informative, even kind of catchy if you say it right, almost like a cheer. Incredibly Motivational! Hooray! Gimme an I!
But then I realized, this book didn't really motivate me to do ANYTHING. It made me feel kind of motivated when I was reading it, but then the author admitted the last couple chapters were just being filled to increase word count (and therefore the book's price), and then I accidentally dropped the book in the toilet before I'd finished the last chapter, and then, I don't know, I had to go do something else. Eat, probably.
This book is funny. It will make you laugh out loud, but a lot of it is really just personal anecodotes from a really off-beat filmmaker. It may inspire you to take your dad's camcorder and film something as crappy and classic as "Redneck Zombies," and it may teach you a little about guerilla filmmaking and marketing, but it won't really teach you much about making something GOOD.
But maybe "good" is just relative, and maybe you'll find yourself incredibly motivated. Maybe.

"Make Your Own Damn Movie" tells you the blood and guts and more guts (with more blood and assorted body parts) of independent movie making. While going through each process of assembling a film it doesn't candy coat the time, trouble, expense, headaches, anxiety and possible asthma attacks making one's own movie a reality WILL be. If one truly wants to make one's dream come true, without selling one's soul to the Hollywood corporate system, this is the book that tells one how to do it. Lloyd Kaufman has been a leader in independent film making for thirty years. He knows how to get it done and shares it with you along with some personal quirks you just may not want to know about Lloyd or anyone else. But I digress. You want to make your own movie under your own control? Buy and read this book. You don't want to make a movie? Buy it anyway. It's so funny you'll wet yourself.