Naked Filmmaking: How To Make A Feature-Length Film - Without A Crew - For $10,000 Or Less [Paperback]

Mike Carroll (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2, 2010

Price Drop Special for the 2012 Holidays. Award-winning filmmaker Mike Carroll guides you through his proven step-by-step process of how to single-handedly make a full-length hour and a half to two hour movie and not go bankrupt or lose your house in the process. Mike has single-handedly produced three feature-length films as a writer-producer-director-cinematographer-sound recordist-editor and had all of his films play on the big screen in film festivals. In this book he walks you through the process involved in how to write a script for a film that will essentially require no money to make it, then into his unique style of casting, choosing the right camera, locations, filming and lighting, working with actors, microphones and how to record perfect audio, and how to start editing it all. Then how to get it out to film festivals & sell it to the world. You've read all the screenwriting books. Attended the writer's workshops. You've got that great, perfectly-formatted script for your Sundance debut film. Only one problem: nobody will read it. Thousands of scripts arrive in Hollywood every week - never to be heard from again. Stop banging your head against the wall. Make Your Movie Yourself. Illustrated with 150 photos - behind-the-scenes and frame blowups from the films themselves. Also including script extracts. Mike's films "Dog Soldiers," "Year" and "Nightbeats" are all available on DVD from Amazon and make perfect filmmaking companions to this book. Each DVD includes in-depth audio commentaries and "Year" and "Nightbeats" also include making-of documentaries and detailed alternative examples of how sequences were edited. For more information visit mikecarrollfilms

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

MIKE CARROLL has been a professional cameraman-editor for 25 years. He has made three films - a documentary, Dog Soldiers, and two feature films, Year and Nightbeats - using the one-man filmmaking methods in this book. He lives in Sacramento, California, with his wife Bonnie Bennett, who is also his co-producer and leading lady. He is currently at work on his next feature, which can be followed at the websites mikecarrollfilms.com and nakedfilmmaking.com.

Product Details

• Paperback: 276 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace (April 2, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1450510264
• ISBN-13: 978-1450510264
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #42,752 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars If you're flying solo check this one out., October 2, 2010

By 

THOMAS BRANDSTETTER "pahdooshay" (paducah, ky usa) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Naked Filmmaking: How To Make A Feature-Length Film - Without A Crew - For $10,000 Or Less (Paperback)

Great book. I'm making my first short and while a great deal of the methodology in this book is identical to mine, it's also given me plenty of new information. If you want to know about something ask someone who's gone down the path and Mr. Carroll is on the filmmaking path. He covers all aspects of the process and is able to back up his points with personal experience. I agree with the other reviewer who said this might be as good as the Rodriguez book. I go through filmmaking books like a rock pig on pizza and this one is a standout.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nude Photos, August 22, 2010

By 

Anthony D'Juan Shelton - See all my reviews

This review is from: Naked Filmmaking: How To Make A Feature-Length Film - Without A Crew - For $10,000 Or Less (Kindle Edition)

Mike Carroll opens his book with a confession when he tells us he wants people to buy the book. He wants people to read the book. He has titled it "Naked Filmmaking" with full awareness that the onlooker will be drawn to it since sex controlled America is lured to perversions like a movement in the peripheral. He's an artist with a grasp on the reality of this ever expanding world of technology (the digital age)and holds no illusions in the possibility of being left behind (perhaps his largest fear?). Carroll chapters his book with layers of straight talk, not of the failed outsider but the active explorer who is eager to share his knowledge. One is inspired to take on the task because Carroll makes it seem possible (and it is!), all the while jabbing the low tech thinkers and non-creative hacks with unsettling reality. This book is what got me through the making of my film and I can say, without shame, it stands as the best book on one-man filmmaking (true independence) since "Rebel Without a Crew" by Robert Rodriguez.

- Anthony D'Juan Shelton

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential reading for independent filmmakers, June 7, 2010

By 

Solomon Stadtner - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Naked Filmmaking: How To Make A Feature-Length Film - Without A Crew - For $10,000 Or Less (Paperback)

Naked Filmmaking is a much-needed book for people who are serious about making independent movies. Mike Carroll has been brave enough to make 2 full-length features on his own, and he's now sharing his experiences with the world.

He starts by explaining how to write a script that is unique and personal, but that will also be entertaining for the audience. He describes how to make use of the resources available to you when writing a screenplay. Included are sample pages of scripts that he's written, which help illustrate his point.

He then discusses how to find the perfect camera for your project, where to buy it, and how to identify everything that the camera is capable of. There is information about recording effective sound, making use of natural light (both indoors and outdoors), and being your own camera operator.

Carroll makes the solid point that movies are nothing without actors and he explains how to find great actors, the advantages of working with theater actors, how to collaborate with them, and how to build an efficient production around their schedules.

Great detail is given regarding film editing as well. He explains how to make the movie flow, how to polish the sound and picture quality, and the importance of getting feedback from others.

The book concludes with advice on promoting films once they're finished. There are excellent sections on film festivals, press kits, advertising, and self-distribution through DVDs and online streaming. He also stresses the importance of controlling how the films are presented at screenings.

Mike Carroll demystifies the process of making movies. He describes every technical and creative detail about film production in ways that are easily understood. This is one of the best filmmaking books that I've ever read.