All I Need to Know About Filmmaking I Learned from the Toxic Avenger

Imagine Roger Corman and John Waters crossed with Howard Stern–and you’ll have an idea of the demented genius behind Troma studios, one of the oldest (and most successful) independent film studios in the world. Lloyd Kaufman’s spirited, outrageous, no-holds-barred look at low-budget, guerilla filmmaking is truly an inspiration to young filmmakers, a delight for movie…

filmmaking.net rating: ★★★★☆

Feature Filmmaking at Used-Car Prices: How to Write, Produce, Direct, Shoot, Edit, and Promote a Feature-Lenth Movie for Less Than $15,000

Making a movie is an expensive enterprise no matter which way you try to cut costs. Many women filmmakers find themselves trying to stretch miniscule budgets without compromising quality. This book offers practical tips on how to make a movie without wasting money. Rick Schmidt suggests saving money by shooting titles on location, renting film…

filmmaking.net rating: ★★★★☆

From Reel to Deal: Everything You Need to Create a Successful Independent Film

The boom in interest in independent filmmaking witnessed during the 1990s gave birth to a cottage industry built around offering slimmed down, “just the facts” filmmaker training and taking advantage of a new audience of reasonably wealthy middle class wanna-be filmmakers who had no time for lengthy degree programs at traditional films schools. At the…

filmmaking.net rating: ★★★★☆

Digital Babylon: Hollywood, Indiewood and Dogme 95

“Filmmaking must always be linked to a certain degree of risk.” This is the philosophy of Dogme 95, a collective of film directors born in 1995 in Copenhagen, when Lars von Trier (Dancer in the Dark) and other directors penned a semiserious manifesto demanding a cinematic “vow of chastity” aimed at countering the world’s glut…

filmmaking.net rating: ★★★★☆

Before You Shoot: Guide to Low Budget Film Production

A practical guide for independent filmmakers on all aspects of film & video production – including planning, budgeting, scheduling, casting, production logistics, post-production, distribution, and much more. Geared for producers or production managers but valuable for anyone connected with the filmmaking process. One of the best reference books of its type out there!

filmmaking.net rating: ★★★★☆

Make Your Own Hollywood Movie

The advent of digital video and the decreasing costs of entry-level cameras and editing software have opened up filmmaking to a younger audience who were generally excluded unless they had rich parents or were incredibly resourceful. Given the explosion of interest in filmmaking in the teen market, it’s slightly surprising that there aren’t more books…

filmmaking.net rating: ★★★★☆

Nuts and Bolts Filmmaking

Nuts and Bolts Filmmaking, an ideal book for the rapidly growing number of low-budget filmmakers, provides how-to information on the day-to-day techniques of actual low-budget production. Containing construction details describing how to replicate expensive tools for under $30 a piece, this book provides quick and inexpensive remedies to both the most common and most difficult…

filmmaking.net rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

Complete Guide to Digital Video

“Complete Guide to Digital Video” will walk you from beginner to expert, whatever your level of ambition. It’s the shooting script for aspiring Spielbergs, both young and old, covering the basic techniques of shooting, lighting, editing, and publishing, all the way through to expert insider views of the video-maker’s art. Whether spicing up home movies…

filmmaking.net rating: ★★★★☆

The Filmmaker’s Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age

Widely acknowledged as the “bible” of film and video production and used in courses around the world, this indispensable guide to making movies is now updated with the latest advances in high- definition formats. For students and teachers, the professional and the novice filmmaker, this clear and comprehensive handbook remains the reliable reference to all…

filmmaking.net rating: ★★★★☆

Getting Your Short Film Funded, Made and Seen

Shooting People, the UK-based filmmaker community (with a New York offshoot), made a name for itself in the film book publishing world a few years back with the excellent UK Film Finance Handbook. This time around the Shooting People team have taken aim at the world of short filmmaking. Shorts have of course been the…

filmmaking.net rating: ★★★★☆