Customer Reviews

Movie Speak: How to Talk Like You Belong on a Movie Set

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This book was a pleasure to read from start to finish (or perhaps I should say from "Roll 'em!" to "Cut!"). It was informative, engaging, interesting and witty, and there was "never a dull moment". In short: anyone interested in any aspect of film making, or simply curious about the subject, should have a copy in their collection- and that's a wrap!

Tony Bill's elegant little volume does indeed offer exactly what it says on the cover--it's a handy dictionary of the slang used by movie professionals, and if that's all you want, you need look no deeper. Buy it and enjoy. But in fact, it's also a little lesson on the culture of the movie business, and I mean that in the whole National Geographic sense of the word. Slang exists for two reasons: it's a shorthand way for people to communicate, but it also serves to exclude those who aren't part of the club (or tribe or social class or generation, for that matter). Many of the terms documented here are not in fact any shorter than the official terminology they replace, but they are understood only by those fellow shamens who share the same "secret knowledge."
Many film slang terms also reveal the way the sexes relate on a movie set (most technicians have historically been men), and the way the different social castes within the movie world interact (the Above the Line vs Below the Line people), as well as the pecking order within those castes. And it reveals the delicate proprieties that must be observed, and the proper decorum. It's been famously observed that good manners are the lubricant that allow the moving parts of a society to function. If you plan to direct or produce, ignore these realities at your peril, lest you antagonize a crew that can find an endless number of ways to cost you a lot of time and money.
The book is also a history lesson. Where it is known, Bill offers the etymology of the words and phrases, and sometimes even the name of the person who coined the term (or after whom it was named).
The author also breaks the dictionary up with several essays on his theories on writing and filmmaking, illustrated with personal anecdotes from a long and storied career. A great raconteur, we can only hope Tony Bill finds time to expand this material into a full length biography.

I am a screenwriter. Years of reading all the how to books and Tony Bill tells the reader to throw them all away. I love it. Great reading from beginning to end! The number one Bible sized book on the movies.

I work in the film industry and went to film school and this is the best book regarding the industry I have read yet. It is fun and actually usefull. I not only recommend it to coworkers, I also purchased enough to pass around so that they could read them. For the low price there is no reason people interested in this industry shouldn't get this book.

Have to have more than one on hand at all times because I keep giving them away or people keep taking them. Once someone around my office opens it, they don't take their head out of it. The war stories are as valuable and fun as the nomenclature. A must-have. If you work in the film business you'll enjoy the experience behind Tony's choices and definitions; and if you don't you'll pick up enough to make your vocabulary sizzle. Wrap the BFLs!

This is a fantastically fun read, educational, engaging and entertaining, by one of Hollywood's most respected and beloved Renaissance men, Tony Bill - actor, director and Academy Award winning producer. A must read for anyone who loves film. THE perfect pocket-book sized gift!

My son graduated from CSU San Francisco's film program last May. I bought this book and The Production Assistant's Handbook for him partly as mementos, and partly to fill in any gaps he might have in his film production savvy. Like so many bright kids, he absorbs data by osmosis and since he's already worked on 3 or 4 productions much of the info in these books may seem rudimentary to him. Nonetheless, as someone who has spent a lot of time on film sets in the '70's and '80's, and loved the lingo ("Give me a half-apple with the baby plate."), I thought the books were useful. Both are clearly written and don't take themselves too seriously.

Whether you every work or visit a film set or not, this book is a delight. Easy to read and charmingly written and still gives you all you need to know. Never be intimidated by the insider's use of movie language again!
I give this book as a gift all the time and everyone loves it.
Have some fun....buy this book.

Hello all,

If you love movies, you'll love this "dictionary" of movie language. I smiled all the way from the charming dedication to the pull quotes Workman Publishing highlighted in the short essay sections. I especially enjoyed the "aha" moments where I finally understood what some terms I had heard before actually mean..... Tony Bill has provided us with a wonderful read. I highly recommend his unique book as a gift.

I love small books. I take this book with me when I travel to read the fascinating information in it. While I know most of the definitions, there are new things to be learned every time I flip through this book. The minimal illustration is entertaining but I wish it contained more of it.