Customer Reviews

Shoot Me: Independent Filmmaking from Creative Concept to Rousing Release

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

 

 

Would you build a house without a blueprint? Of course not. So don't even think about shooting your own independent feature until you've read this book. Laid out in a logical manner (and written in a witty fashion that I quite enjoyed), the authors walk you through the mine field known as Independent Filmmaking. From raising money, to casting, to production, to post-production and beyond, solid advise is offered - the fact that the authors are working professionals and not academics dispensing sage advise from some ivory tower, held much greater weight with me.

I am planning my own independent feature, and found the sections detailing the Business Plan and Memorandum invaluable - the actual document is reprinted in the book. Unless your independently wealthy and financing your feature with the family trust, you won't shoot one frame until you've raised some cash from investors. This book will show you how.

I look forward to seeing their finished feature, and hope it's as good as the book.

indieWIRE's Bookshelf: Collette, Hoberman, Simonelli, Frumkes & More -- by Brandon Judell -- Rocco Simonelli and Roy Frumkes both teach film at New York's School of Visual Arts. They also wrote the screenplays for "The Substitute" and "The Johnsons." Frumkes additionally helmed "Document of the Dead" (1989), a not-bad documentary about George Romero that compares the King of the Living Dead to Hitchcock and other masters. Now the duo have teamed up and scribed "Shoot Me: Independent Filmmaking From Creative Concept to Rousing Release" (Allworth Press; $19.95). This might be their most successful partnering. After all, every one of their students will have to buy copies, plus Wes Craven has already raved that the authors "know the film business like Dante knew hell." Thankfully, Wes wasn't bull-----ing us. "Shoot Me" has to be one of the best books out there right now on making an indie film from scratch. We get to experience each anxiety-filled moment as Rocco and Roy put together their independent feature, "The Sweet Life." We get to see an actual "collaboration agreement." We learn how to budget a film (working in digital saved the project $750,000) and why storyboarding is so important. But there are little tidbits of info you might not ever think of asking, like how to raise money to make an unprofitable short? For first-time filmmakers, offer "a potential investor points not only in your short thesis/independent project, but in the first feature you produce, so that for the money they invest in the short, they go along for the ride and benefit down the road of your career." There are also unpleasant surprises: "At least during production, shooting in digital video did not lessen the need for a full crew." Written in an acceptably "one-of-the-guys" lively manner, "Shoot Me" is a top candidate for being the filmmaking bible of the moment.

Would you build a house without a blueprint? Of course not. So don't even think about shooting your own independent feature until you've read this book. Laid out in a logical manner (and written in a witty fashion that I quite enjoyed), the authors walk you through the mine field known as Independent Filmmaking. From raising money, to casting, to production, to post-production and beyond, solid advice is offered - the fact that the authors are working professionals and not academics dispensing sage advice from some ivory tower, held much greater weight with me.

I am planning my own independent feature, and found the sections detailing the Business Plan and Memorandum invaluable - the actual document is reprinted in the book. Unless your independently wealthy and financing your feature with the family trust, you won't shoot one frame until you've raised some cash from investors. This book will show you how.

I look forward to seeing their finished feature, and hope it's as good as the book.

I like movies and everything to do with movies. But I especially like the "behind the scenes" stuff. That's why I liked this book. It is not a "how to guide", so if that's what you're looking for, go elsewhere. "Shoot Me" is a journey through the arduous process of indie filmmaking as seen through the eyes of both the director and producer. With brutal honesty the authors take you through the daily grind of movie making on a budget. It isn't always pretty but it is interesting. Though some chapters may be a little dry and seem to be directed specifically toward the serious filmaker, there's enough "gossipy" material for the rest of us to enjoy. So if you're a movie fan who likes to know the "backstory", you'll enjoy this book.

I really, really tried hard to like this book. Really! But you know what? It didn't quite work out that way. In short, the authors came off sounding like whiny children rather than mentoring gurus.

There are many challenges in making an independent film, but most of them can be overcome with a certain amount of planning, thick skin, and a healthy attitude. These two did not seem to quite understand that. Let me quote directly from the book:

"To get our film completed, I lied to people, manipulated them, sacrificed my pride, and vitiated myself on an almost daily basis. And I don't apologize or make excuses for any of it."

Well, there you have it. Reading the book, which is laid out like two overlapping diaries thrown together, is like reading about a train-wreck in progress. You get to hear in painful detail how all of the things in the quote above came to pass, and so much more. I suppose if you really like daytime talk shows, this will be interesting material. But you won't learn how to make a movie.

If you are seriously interested in making a low-budget movie (the authors' movie cost them $200K), get yourself a copy of Rodriguez's Rebel Without a Crew.

So why three stars? Because this book unintentionally reaffirmed a number of things that you simply should not do when making a low-budget movie. Judging by the tone of the book, this was not their intention, but at least you can get something out of it...