Moviemakers' Master Class: Private Lessons from the World's Foremost Directors [Paperback]

Laurent Tirard (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 10, 2002

From Scorsese and Lynch to Wenders and Godard, interviews with twenty of the world's greatest directors on how they make films--and why

Each great filmmaker has a secret method to his moviemaking--but each of them is different. In Moviemaker Master Class, Laurent Tirard talks to twenty of today's most important filmmakers to get to the core of each director's approach to film, exploring the filmmaker's vision as well as his technique, while allowing each man to speak in his own voice.

Martin Scorsese likes setting up each shot very precisely ahead of time--so that he has the opportunity to change it all if he sees the need. Lars Von Trier, on the other hand, refuses to think about a shot until the actual moment of filming. And Bernardo Bertolucci tries to dream his shots the night before; if that doesn't work, he roams the set alone with a viewfinder, imagining the scene before the actors and crew join him. In these interviews--which originally appeared in the French film magazine Studio and are being published here in English for the first time--enhanced by exceptional photographs of the directors at work, Laurent Tirard has succeeded in finding out what makes each filmmaker--and his films--so extraordinary, shedding light on both the process and the people behind great moviemaking.

Among the other filmmakers included are Woody Allen, Tim Burton, Joel and Ethan Coen, and John Woo.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

From Woody Allen to David Cronenberg, the Coen brothers to Lars Von Trier, all film directors run up against the same essential concerns: how to direct actors, for example, or whether to preplan camera angles. In interviewing these and 16 other notable filmmakers, journalist and screenwriter Tirard finds notable affinities between seemingly dissimilar directors. Tim Burton and Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amelie) both recommend starting out in animation, for example, while Wong Kar-Wai and David Lynch both select their music far in advance and even play it during filming. Most of the responses will come as no surprise to those familiar with the interviewees' work. Martin Scorsese, who has rather strong opinions about which camera lenses to use, believes that "the more personal the film, the more it can claim to be art." Violence impresario Takeshi Kitano, by comparison, describes film as "a succession of perfect images." All in all, Tirard's healthy balance of nuts-and-bolts information and conceptual musings should be of interest to lay readers as well as would-be auteurs. And the filmographies listed at the end of each interview serve as useful checklists for anyone inspired by these well-reasoned, hard-earned life lessons.
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

A filmmaker, screenwriter, and journalist for Studio Magazine, Tirard has assembled a group of interviews with some of the best directors in the movie industry. Unlike many such interviews, which tend to run on forever, each interview here is between five and eight pages long. In addition, instead of focusing on finished products, Tirard developed certain questions that convey the director's techniques for making great films. He groups the directors as "Old School," "Revisionists," "Dream Weavers," "Heavyweights," or "New Blood" and provides a one-page background and filmography. Directors include Sydney Pollack, Woody Allen, Martin Scorsese, Tim Burton, Oliver Stone, and John Woo, along with 14 other influential movie masters. They talk about what cameras and lenses to use, how to decide on shoots, how to handle actors, and other special ways to help students become good filmmakers. Film students and film buffs will appreciate all of the decisions and creativity the directors put into their films. This excellent resource is recommended for all film collections. Rosalind Dayen, South Regional Lib., Broward Cty., Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Faber & Faber; First Edition edition (October 10, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 057121102X
• ISBN-13: 978-0571211029
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.3 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #65,739 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars BEST of its kind, October 2, 2004

By 

David A. Anselmi "taijidave" (Oakland, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Moviemakers' Master Class: Private Lessons from the World's Foremost Directors (Paperback)

This book is absolutely fantastic -- both very readable to a general audience, as well as very informative to a filmmaking one. By asking basically the exact same questions to each of these twenty famous and/or award-winning Directors, he allows us to compare/contrast how each think... & it's fascinating how often these Directors think _differently_ from each other. Ie, twenty (20) different, yet equally valid, perspectives.

This isn't some puff-piece or "tell me about that bitchy Actress" kind of text. Instead, Tirard asks questions targeting the Directors' creative process, from How they conceive (their work), to What they like to make & Why, and even on to For Whom they make it. Plus a very interesting filmic question: "Do you consider yourself the Author of your Films". Tirard can even be [forgiven] his "Are films Art" question... b/c he received some rather interesting answers, esp. by those whose work is considered 'Art'.

Best of all, is Tirard's method -- he asks his standard [ie. excellent] questions, continues on with some very incisive follow-up... & then gets the hell out of the way (definitely unlike the "me-too" style of Bogdanovich). Refreshing.

Absolutely 10 stars for a tremendous work -- This text is a MUST-HAVE for anybody who loves films... & *especially* for anybody who wants to make film. Everybody seems to have their own [strongly-held] opinion of the 'Right Way' to make films... well, this text gives twenty different "Right Ways" to make films, by some of the very best filmmakers around. I just wish they weren't all White Males... I'd've loved to hear Mira Nair's interview, or Nora Ephron's. Where's Volume 2?

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential film reading!, September 27, 2002

By 

olivier hascoat (Los Angeles, ca United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Moviemakers' Master Class: Private Lessons from the World's Foremost Directors (Paperback)

This is an extremely enlightening book for movie lovers as well as aspiring filmmakers. It is refreshing to read about directors talking candidly about their craft with a peer. It is neither boring like some of the more technical books out there nor is it selfserving like books by lone directors. It does not hurt that most of my favorite directors are featured here. The book was recommended to me, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who is interested in filmmaking.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Master class for sure!!!, October 18, 2006

By 

Evan E. Richards (Boston, MA. USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Moviemakers' Master Class: Private Lessons from the World's Foremost Directors (Paperback)

This is exactly what a moviemakers master class should be. It asks technical and artistic questions to some of the greatest directors of all time.

If you want to hear why Tim Burton likes wide lenses, which contemporary directors Scorsese admires and why, Jean Pierre Jeunet's theory of camera movement, David Lynch's "secret dolly move", John Woo's method of shooting and cutting scenes to music, The Coen brothers writing process, Lars Von Trier's take on the rules of Dogme 95, Jean-Luc Goddard's theory of filmmaking out of desire vs. need, then this book is your ticket.

This is a goldmine of knowledge. There are no fluff interviews here; only the best filmmakers in the world relating solid technical advice and tried and true shooting strategies developed from years of experience.