Customer Reviews

What a Producer Does: The Art of Moviemaking (Not the Business)

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

 

 

Houghton eschews all talk of money in his book, but these days, a producer's priority is getting funding for his film. Of course, it was easy for him to disregard financial matters -- he was primarily a TV producer, with a big studio backing his moves. Beyond the Twilight Zone, his credits were immaterial. Hence, his advice is largely inapplicable to independent producers and students of film -- the likely readers of this book.

This book is also dry to the point of going full-Sahara. As just one example, he describes a sound-editing room in tedious detail for no apparent reason. When you consider the fact that today's sound-editing rooms bear no resemblance to the rooms Houghton used on the Twilight Zone, then it's all just wasted ink.

And as if this book wasn't enough of a chore to read, it contains numerous typos. Pathetic.

If you want to get an inside-look at making movies, you would be better served by renting your favorite DVD's and listening to the commentaries. Then supplement that by reading John J. Lee's reference book, "The Producer's Business Handbook."

I certainly wouldn't recommend using this book to replace a thorough education, but if you're strapped for cash and just want to know how it's done, "What a Producer Does" by Buck Houghton can pave the way. I bought this book because I'm going to film school in the fall, and I wanted to know a little about what I'm getting into. I tried to pick up painting once... I was unpleasantly surprised by all the details involved in something as simple as color selection! Any art requires a good deal of technical knowledge before the artist can actually produce masterful works, but filmmaking is simply too expensive to "try out"! Buck Houghton has offered us practical applications of his craft to show the aspiring producer the do's and don'ts without the confusing technical jargon. Mostly the book deals with the how-to's of dealing with the various artists involved in making a film or TV show. He puts the producer in his place, telling him when to crack down and when to let the experts do their work. This is years of experience put into a simple to understand book. The only reason I gave it four instead of five stars is because I ((opinion!)) prefer books that are more manual-like in their structure (bulleting, charts/graphs, etc.). So if that isn't your bag, ignore the four and make it a five!

Of all the books I've read on filmmaking, lighting for film, etc., Buck Houghton's is the most pleasant and interesting! This book is concise, non-critical, and informative. I really appreciated the stories he told from his years in "The Twilight Zone," plus other anecdotes and examples he sprinkled throughout the book. As noted earlier, it's not just good for film students; anyone who has ever watched the credits after a movie and wondered, "What does a Foley operator do?" "What's a gaffer?" should read this book. You won't ever take good movies, or those involved in the making of, for granted again.

What A Producer Does is, well, a bit dry. It's packed with good information, enlightening the reader on the dozens of issues involved in making a film that most of us never even think about. For that, it's worth reading - but not for the writing itself, which is very dry and not all that engaging.

The information was sometimes enlightening and eye-opening, and the reading brisk and easy, but it completely lacked depth and did little to touch on the ART of the producer. The book's message can be summed up as follows: "Hire a bunch of good people and stay out of the way. Oh, and make sure they stay under budget."

Not a bad book by any measure, but it's very textbook-like in nature. If that's what you want, a big thumbs up. Otherwise, grab this only if you spot a good deal.

This is an excellent book for budding producers. It puts the important, realistic and human aspect of producing into layman's terms making it clear and consise. I have only one gripe - every important crew member, above-the-line person and producer are referred to as "he/him" through out the etire book. Unfortunately, the sole exception he makes is in regards to the script supervisor, in which Mr. Houghton states that it is "tradionally a woman's job". Yes, this is left over from the Golden Age of Film and studio contracts, and it's definitely one of the hardest of the on-set jobs, but I still didn't appreciate the male slant through the entire book. Other than that, it's a well thought out book that should be mandetory reading for any producer's program or budding producer/mogul/development executive.

The title of this book explains exactly the content of it. It deliveres what it promises.

Ten, you say? Seems a bit over-the-top for just a little bitty book about making movies, doesn't it? Well, skin my duds off and nail me to a tree, I just can't help gushing a bit about this volume, 'cause my old Pap wrote it. Yup, my dad was the real thing, back when movie cameras were as big as pianos and they edited film with a gizmo that sounded like a giant out-of-control sewing machine. I grew up on the set, thanks to old Buck. They used to call me Fifty Cents (Half a Buck, get it?) Got to play with real guns (shooting blanks) and see some of the great moments of the Twilight Zone being filmed. I was there the day the guy behind the lunch counter took off his hat and revealed his third eye. I was, maybe, 9. I was IN the one about Jeff Myrtlebank coming back to life and confounding his countrified neighbors. That's me with the slingshot. Anyway, this isn't about me. My old dad really knows a lot about how to produce things on film, and he decided to come out of retirement for a year to put it down on paper so a first- or second-year film student could get some idea what a producer's for. Most film students want to be directors or actors or cinematographers. Very few actually set out to be producers, it's such a thankless and grubby task. But someone's got to do it, and once you get inside the mechanics of it, you realize the producer touches on every aspect of the art form before it goes out to the public. So, by learning what the producer does, you get a smattering of everything it takes to make a movie or tv show. That's got to be worth ten bucks or whatever they're charging here at this great new on-line bookstore. So, make my old dad smile, won't ya? He's gettin' up in years, feelin' a little worthless I guess now that all the whippersnappers and beancounters have taken over the industry. Buy his book, let him know you appreciate all those hours and hours of his shows you watched when you were a kid. Please? Hey, I never said I was going to be impartial, here. But seriously, it's a dandy read

I get the him/he issue, but to honest and grammatically correct for whatever reason him/he is considered gender neuatral in this situation. I know it doesn't seem fair, but it just is. Odd, I know, but really imagine a sentence that went he/him or she/her and so on nd so one, just placating and ruining our piece.

Now as to why it "he" was chosen over "her" is not known to me, I am a guy and we probabaly got to choose and wrote it in the dictionary directly before the run, it is such a guy thing.

But, the book had lots of solid material and as usual Buck Houghton delivers what he says he will. From TV to movies to lectures and articles, all of of his work is faithful to the craft, business, and the desire.