Breaking In: How 20 Film Directors Got Their Start (Paperback)

by Nicholas Jarecki (Author) "At its core, this is a selfish book..." (more)
Key Phrases: thesis film, postproduction process, film school, New York, Los Angeles, Johnny Suede (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Young NYU film school graduate Jarecki began this project as a "selfish" endeavor (he wanted to know how he could get his own start), but it evolved into an expansive collection of interviews with three generations of directors about how films are conceived, shot and distributed. The directors included span decades and genres, from John Schlesinger (Midnight Cowboy) to Amy Heckerling (Clueless) to Ben Younger (Boiler Room), but nearly all agree on the need for perseverance and the belief that writing a good script is, as Younger says, the "easiest and most direct route to success." These directors generally praise film programs, like those at Columbia, NYU and AFI (American Film Institute), as training grounds, and they view Sundance and other festivals with both starry and jaundiced eyes. Aside from offering advice, the book also provides directors' views on the purpose of filmmaking. Edward Zwick (Glory) sees film as a way to communicate feelings and "organize" experience; Peter Farrelly (Dumb and Dumber) considers it "telling a good story." Like a fine movie, the book generates memorable images, including Farrelly frozen by fear in bed before his first shoot and a teenaged John Dahl (The Last Seduction) trying to seduce a girl at a drive-in showing A Clockwork Orange. For future filmmakers, the book grants an extended community; for movie fans, it encourages faith in future films made by directors like Brett Ratner (Money Talks) who aim to inspire people, because "that's what movies ultimately are supposed to do."

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist
There is much to enjoy in this rather uneven set of interviews. Jarecki, a young director himself, isn't a deeply probing interviewer, and most of the questions sound as if the subjects had written them. For the most part, though, their stories prove immensely entertaining, detailing the cutthroat competition and illuminating the crazy luck that often leads to a filmmaker's first break. The debut films discussed by the likes of John Schlesinger and Edward Zwick tend to be ambitious or significant efforts, and it is enjoyable to hear their masterminds deprecate them from the perspective of subsequent experience. The book has great appeal to aspiring filmmakers, but the emphasis on technical details may put off casual readers. Still, the personality and intelligence of the subjects carries the day, as the director's affectionately recall how they turned their passion into a full-time gig. Will Hickman
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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Product Details

• Paperback: 336 pages
• Publisher: Broadway; 1st edition (December 26, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0767906748
• ISBN-13: 978-0767906746
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #528,699 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Insight into successful careers, January 8, 2002

By	Eileen Galen (USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

Nicholas Jarecki explains in his Introduction that as a film school graduate he was stymied by the seeming impossibility of actually ever directing films. He didn't want, he says, to "start at the bottom," and he wondered how working directors he admired had, in fact, gotten their starts. He had loads of questions - and decided to ask them - for himself and on behalf of the many people who have wondered the same things. This book is the result of Jarecki's good idea.

Jarecki's questions tend to focus on early influences, the educational and life experiences of the directors, and afford elegant ways into the personalities and attitudes of his subjects. The material is fresh and personal, and makes for great reading. Kimberly Peirce, who directed "Boys Don't Cry," tells a heartrending story of how she came to want to tell the Brandon Teena story. Barry Sonnenfeld compares directing to being a father, since in his view much of directing is "about consistency and love and hugging." Amy Heckerling generously gives credit to people who helped her along the way - including the friend who taught her to drive (no small thing) once she had moved from NY to LA. Part of what makes this book such satisfying reading is that Jarecki has somehow managed to collect interesting, lively, and quirky details from each and every director he interviewed.

Jarecki is smart and humane, and he doesn't show off. He's done something special here. In these interviews he listens actively and intelligently, with restraint and subtlety. One of the best things about these interviews is that they are quite specifically about work and love (and sometimes, luck) - not stardom. These are interesting autobiographies that afford keen insight into the motives, the practice, and process of directing. As it turns out, passion and good writing are two keys to good directing - and nearly all of these directors credit a good script (sometimes their own) first and foremost.

In addition there is brief biographical material, a photo of each director, filmographies, and a good index. A first-rate book.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Terrifying and Inspiring, March 18, 2002

By	Greg (New York) - See all my reviews

There are very few film books out there that future filmmakers (I'm one of them) must read. This book has clawed and elbowed its way onto the list to join Syd Field's Screenplay, Scorsese on Scorsese, Jack Mathews' The Battle of Brazil.
Jarecki interviews directors of all shapes and sizes (only complaint: not enough minority filmmakers--would have been nice to hear Kasi Lemmons or Melvin van Peebles talk about the additional challenges they faced). His questions are basic, it's true, but they also draw the directors out into detailed, fascinating discussions of how they got their films made (tenacity, perseverance, and drive.) The two most important common threads: sheer force of will, and the ability to write your own screenplays.

Reading about all the obstacles Kimberly Pierce and Vincenzo Natali (director of Cube), among others, faced may be disheartened, and Brett Ratner sounds like a schmuck, but this is still a wonderful, must-read book.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read For Aspiring Filmmakers, December 13, 2002

By	Anne Watts (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

BREAKING IN by Nicholas Jarecki is a must-read for aspiring filmmakers, screenwriters and film students. The author has chosen a diverse and interesting group of filmmakers as interview subjects. The interviews give the reader a unique insight into the motivations and personalities of these creative and incredibly motivated individuals. The book illustrates their passion for film and how they were able (many with great financial and personal difficulty) to turn their love of the medium and their drive and ability into a meaningful and lucrative profession.

With his adept interviewing style (the majority of the interviews were conducted in person) the author allows the directors to tell their own life "stories" of how they grew up and became interested in film. The responses to the questions Jarecki asks are very personal and nostalgic and the reader can only assume that, for many of the subjects, the interviews bring them back to their beginnings when they were struggling and just trying to find a way to get into the business of making a feature film. The interviewer keeps the focus of the interviews on the directors' first films and with relative ease seems to elicit candid and thought-provoking insights into their early inspirations and motivations.

This book reveals that the twenty directors were all somehow "moved" and compelled to make films and to share their experiences and vision of life with its triumphs and its tragedies; they have each, in their own unique way, used film as the outlet of their creativity.

The interviews not only offer insights into the process of filmmaking from a personal perspective but also serve as a metaphor for life. The fact that one can be "lucky" or talented is only part of the story here. As a writer and aspiring screenwriter I found each interview to be quite insightful and inspirational in this regard. There is not one clear path to success in this business (or in life) but these filmmakers forged their own paths and found that if you are passionate about something and believe in yourself and your abilities you will eventually find your way in this uncharted territory.

James Toback points out (p. 171) "There are a lot of untalented people who are quite successful and a lot of incredibly talented people who never get a break. They just don't know how to use their personalities to advance themselves. Talented people are brushed aside and defeated and discouraged all the time and untalented people with relentless determination and a certain shrewdness advance all the time." At the core of this book is the message that one who chooses filmmaking as a profession must seek a delicate balance between talent, personality, and the ability to recognize a situation as an "opportunity" which could ultimately lead to that elusive "lucky break." It also doesn't hurt to be a talented writer as most of those interviewed are and were able to direct scripts they had written.

Ben Younger tells of the time he was a waiter in a Manhattan restaurant and happened to be asked by a customer about a short film he had written. The customer was also a successful writer who worked for HBO. He suggested that Ben send a copy of his film to his agent, and so the story goes....

The author elicits a compelling argument about the importance of following a dream. As director Tom DiCillo states at the end of his interview: "Making films is an utterly exhilarating feeling and that is why I do it. If it were only the agony then nobody would last. Sometimes I wish it were easier but I don't regret it for a second."

In the forward to the book, Jarecki mentions the title of the first chapter of Sidney Lumet's book MAKING MOVIES which is aptly titled, "The Director: The Greatest Job in the World". For this reason, if none other, BREAKING IN should be on the required reading list for film students in the US and abroad now and for years to come.