Customer Reviews

Producing and Directing the Short Film and Video, Second Edition

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

For a person curious about creating a short film, this book will help you. This book breaks down the function and importance of each individual person involved in the making of a short film, how certain problems were encountered and resolved, provides websites for other film affiliated tools and/or questions and answers, and points you to certain short films which can inspire you. A plus for anyone willing to get into movie production on short films.

Before I begin, let me admit that I mistook this title to be one of the many how-tos on home video production. This is anything but.

It is not an understatement to say this is as complete a treatment of the art of movie making as I have ever encountered and is geared towards the serious student of professional film making. Unfortunately, I'm at most a dabbler in the art.

Fortunately for me, I'm an avid fan of cinema, and so this book did give me a deeper glimpse into what goes on behind the scenes of movie-making - a lot deeper than what the "Making Of" snippets that I'd find on movie discs.

For instance, in the chapter that covers the actor, you learn how stand-ins work to help you practice your camera movements, the importance of keeping your actor comfortable, and how to help guide your actor to perform (tight shots require less performance, and guiding an actor's eye line), and how apple boxes can be used to make an actor seem taller. In addition, you see how the assistant director creates "mini-stories" for the background characters in a scene (such as a crowded bar) so as to create a natural looking scene within which the primary and secondary characters perform. What's cool is that I didn't realize that the extras in such scenes are simply required to mime their actions (such as laugh without making a sound). The actual sound is added back in during post production.

As you can tell, there's a wealth of information in this book - but make no mistake - it's neither a coffee table book, nor is it a casual read. It feels and reads (and even weighs) like a textbook, and would be brilliant when used in a course.

Happy Reading!
~Damodar

As an actor, interested in all aspects of film, I cannot imagine a more detailed and succinct introduction to this world. David Irving and Peter Rea have found a way to clarify all the difficult areas of film direction and production in one small wonderful book. All film students will be grateful.

I've read many books on creating short films and directing.

This book is more about the theory and a higher level understanding of the "how to"... and I love it.

I got so many ideas from reading this book, things that never quite clicked before that now do.

I've spent some time helping local businesses create commercials for their company, and after reading this book and learning some of the more advanced techniques, it's going to change how I approach things.

The part about having everything have a "mini story" is just so enlightening that it changes how I approach everything.

I'm still slowly working away at a script for an animation, and it's books like these that cause me to never complete it (you just get so many ideas and ways to improve things).

This is the kind of book that you'll read and gain some tip or insight that'll change how you approach something.

I recommend picking up this book if you're new to producing films and directing. You'll get a great sense of what is required, tips and tricks on things to implement, and be well on your way to producing impressive digital shorts.

This isn't the only book you'll ever need, but it is one HECK of a start. Especially if you're learning this in your spare time (like me), and piecing together things as you go along. This book is a real eye opener, and can't recommend it enough for budding film makers.

(Both those who wish to produce live action films or digital shorts).

This book should have been a required text book for school (in any film production course)! I really could have used this when we shot our student short film ($15,000 budget) on Super 16 film; the whole experience itself was a great learning experience, but if I had this book for support, I would have felt more comfortable on what I needed to do and to expect from other crew members.

This book breaks down everything in detail from start to finish; getting the idea, budget (has humor about catering of not just offering pizza because it would end up being a "pizza film" and definitely have salad -- very true! need to keep the crew happy), getting crew members, what each crew member specifically needs to do, figuring out the whole production and style of the film, the audio, workflow, etc. It's organized and it has samples, templates, some black and white pictures, and many great advices/quotes.

The book may be a little too overwhelming to a total beginner -- there is a lot of information -- but if filmmaking is your passion, you'll love it. For me, it is currently the Bible of how to make films.

It's imperative to have good teamwork and communication in filmmaking; even if you're not going to be the director/producer, it's very beneficial to know what every department does.

It's definitely a must have for students planning on making a film. It's more guidance than my professors ever really explained in my years of taking film classes (sad, but true).

I don't know if this was a mistake, but I was a little confused here:
on page XIX, it says "(see Figure 1.1 for producer's responsibilities)" but I don't see any other 1.1 figure besides on page 4 of "two hungry diners, from The Lunch Date."

This book is way beyond what I was looking for. I just wanted a simple introduction to shooting amateur videos with my HD camera, but what I got was a comprehensive introduction to the entire film making process.

I learned a lot about how real movies are made. If I had those kinds of aspirations, this would be a wonderful book. Instead, it's a little overwhelming for me right now. Something I'm sure I could come back to later when I've built up to it.

Overall this is a nice piece of work to read. Very accessible, and seemingly comprehensive. But all I really know of full-on filmmaking is what I learned from this book and what I've heard in director's commentaries on DVDs.

This book provides a wealth of information for experienced and novice filmmakers alike. I have personally been editing, directing, and producing my own videos for a little over 7 years now and I must say that this book gives both an informative and creative look on how to go about the basics and the more advanced aspects of film making.
Even with me 7 years of experience I've have learned much from this book that had I not read it, would have cost me valuable time (& $$) in the field, and for this fact I give this book a 5 stars! I could write a lengthy review covering it chapter by chapter but my synopsis would not give you the overview you will get if you just click on the Amazon "Look Inside" feature & peruse this book for yourself. You will be quickly able to ascertain the scope & depth that this covers. To the authors I'd like to say keep it up guys, you're doing a great job!

This book is filled with knowledge about producing and directing short films and videos. It is one of the most informational books on film-making I have read. Each section covers a lot of information, answers a lot of questions, provides different scenarios that you may encounter, and offers advice from the authors based on their own experiences. The chapters are covered over 336 pages, and the appendices are an additional 52 pages.

This book is broken down into the following chapters: The Script, Finance, Breakdowns, Schedule, Budget, Crewing, Casting, Art Direction, Location, Rehearsals, Camera, Sound, Art on Set, Set Procedures, The Actor, Picture Post-Production, Sound Post-Production, Finishing/Online/Laboratory, and Distribution/Exhibition.
Each one of those chapters is broken into two parts: the role of the Producer and the role of the Director in each of those aspects/chapters.

The Appendices are: A Short History of the Short Film, Genres and Animation, Script Sample, Screening List, Safety issues, Music Clearance and Insurance, State Film Commissions, Film and Media Programs.

The chapters are properly organized. There is an enormous amount of text to read. The text is easy to read, easy to understand, and straightforward in its meaning. The authors provide their own useful advice for the reader. There are black and white photos from past films. There is also a sample script and advice on framing subjects in your camera shots, and advice for film festivals.

This book is overflowing with knowledge. You are going to spend a lot of time with this book. Highly recommended. My Rating: 5 out of 5.

This is a massive and comprehensive how-to book. My interest in this manual centered around the writing chapter and how to make good decisions when writing which, as most writers know, is not just about writing dialogue and action. When writing a script, there's a lot more to think about. There are technical considerations, cost of making a film, one setting vs another, etc... The information in this chapter alone offers a way of looking at the material and considering ways to work within a budget and still get a desired result. The book goes on to break down and give step by step instructions for creating videos with profession quality and is useful for all experience levels.

The book is written by professionals Peter Rea and David Irving of the legendary NYU Film School - spawning ground for many of the successful Hollywood artists working today so you can be sure they know exactly what they're talking about. Although, when you look at the reviews of the book, it's sweet to see David Irving's mom, Priscilla Pointer (also the mom of actress Amy Irving with whom she appeared in the Stephen King classic film, Carrie) giving her son a good review (but she only gave him four stars so I'll add an extra one to make up for that!).

This is not a book you will invest in and then have it be out of date in a year. It has a long shelf life with valuable information that will be current and useful for quite some time. Also, the resources are extremely helpful and these authors hold nothing back - the list is comprehensive and valuable. No question you will get a better final product by referencing the information contained within.

Highly recommend.

In addition to looking inside Producing and Directing the Short Film and Video via Amazon's "look inside this book" feature, you can look at quite a bit more of the 3rd edition at Google books.

The authors are Associate Professors at NYU's Tisch School of the Arts, and their book is an excellent textbook for introducing informal DIY and formal in-school students to the complexities of producing and directing short films and videos. (The 3rd, 2006 edition of PDSFV is the sole required textbook for a course in film production taught by Terry Linehan for the Film Studies department of the University of North Carolina-Wilmington.)

The textbook is comprehensive as a glance at the table of contents indicates, and it is a book to be used for serious ongoing study and reference - to compliment actual work on a project (enter "the School of Hard Knocks" and "efficio cognosio," "learn by doing," as the authors emphasize in the preface to the 4th edition) - rather than for a cover-to-cover word-for-word read through (which isn't to say that someone with more focus, discipline, energy and ability to quickly absorb large quantities of information than I couldn't do that with benefit).

The book is about 8 1/2 x 11 and lays open flat. It does not include a DVD but does give readers access to a companion website (where one must register with a user name and password and enter a passcode from the book) that includes links to several short videos as well as their scripts (in doc. format).

Another excellent book from Focal Press for the serious student of filmmaking and/or videography.