The Guerilla Film Makers Handbook (All New American Edition)

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Summary: Is this better than The Guerilla Film Makers BLUEPRINT?
Review: Hey..just wanted to know if anyone have read the Film Makers BluePrint? I hear its really really detailed as far as the process of filmmaking at a low budget...is it better that this book? Let me know...thanks...

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Summary: lots of info,but title is a bit misleading
Review: i read the other reveiws on this book and bought it. then returned it. it is packed full of all kinds of great information from industry experts, which is great, but i was looking for a book on filmaking for rebel independent film makers. It seems to be written for people with LOTS of money. which i don't have. in their defense the title does not say anything about independent, which is what i assumed. when i think of guerilla i think of rebels. this book is a bit out of my league.

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Summary: F-ing awesome
Review: I was browsing St. Mark's Bookshop a couple weeks ago and I picked up this book and started flipping through it and was so impressed. I thought it might be kinda lame and simplistic for me since I graduated from NYU's Tisch Film School 2 years ago, but it was so comprehensive and really wide-ranging and interesting. Not dumbed down, but really accessible at the same time.

See, I'm trying to get some work in the film industry this summer (and get out of LA and back to NY!)and there are all these different actual names and contacts in areas like camera rental and finance and post-production and at the IFC, which has been really useful to me. A few people have even got back to me about possible jobs! So anyway, I highly recommend this book for both the experienced and inexperienced film maker. Also for guys like me who are sort of somewhere in between. This is seriously the best book on everything you'd ever want to know about how to actually go about financing, making, and marketing an independent film.

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Summary: inspirational!
Review: I've been writing screenplays for several years in New York, but I didn't have a firm idea about the film industry as a whole until I read this book. It's so inclusive of every apect of the industry! There's even an interview with an animal wrangler! I liked the section on screenwriting, but what really impressed me was the honesty of all the people who were interviewed for this book. It gave me a lot of perspective, and I'm seriously considering moving to LA to try to get into the film making scene out there. I'm so inspired by this book!

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Summary: The best book for understanding how movies are made
Review: This book is amazing. I bought 4 highly rated books on amazon on how to make films. This one is hands down the best by far. I would say by a large margin. Over 700 pages of information. It covers a broad range of subjects such as Sound, Lighting, Directing, Screenwriting, etc. Each one is addressed by a professional in that field. Complete with illustrations, pictures, and explanations, that I believe a beginner can understand, and some great tips on how to maximize each area, and some pitfalls to watch out for. This is worth the money, and I am sure will be a great reference even after you start making films.


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Summary: ABSOLUTELY for Guerilla Film Makers and Beyond!
Review: This book is AWESOME! It covers everything you need to know to start out making a movie. The interviews are with working professionals, the majority of whom started out on guerilla films and who talk about the differences between the low budget guerilla movies and the big Hollywood blockbusters that many work on today. And peppered within the interviews are these helpful hints that give the low budget/guerilla tips on how to save money and play with the big boys when you have no money. I found this invaluable as I know I'm getting my advice and tips from the experts who have made it and not unknown filmmakers who can't move on from the doldrums of guerilla films. After having read this book I feel like I've sat down and had meetings with all of these experts and boy! do I feel informed! I'm a filmmaker who has to start out guerilla style but hope to move out of the guerilla world and into the professional world. This book gives me a guide and the inspiration. Sure it might not be easy but at least now I'm armed with everything I should know! As with all serious filmmakers, you have to actually go out there and make a movie which is obviously what the book can't do for you but it can certainly lead you in the right direction and tell you what you're up against. None of the other books out there seem to compare with this one. Thank you!!!!

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Summary: Fun AND useful!
Review: This book is awesome. As a sophmore in film school, most of the texts we use are really dry and boring. One of my profs was sent a copy of the Guerilla Film Makers Handbook and after he showed it to me I went straight out and ordered myself a copy!

One thing I really love is how visual the book is. Its jam-packed with charts, pics, diagrams, etc.

This is the perfect book for anyone dreaming of making movies!!

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Summary: Not for guerilla film makers
Review: When I think of guerilla tactics, I think of making do with what you have to achieve some kind of a result. So I figured that I could learn a lot of can-do stuff from this book. Boy, was I ever wrong.

Don't get me wrong -- the book is full of useful information about the film industry. My problem with the book is that it is mostly composed of interviews with film industry workers, who feel the need to justify themselves, with the result that you really don't get the sense that it's possible to pull off an ultra-low budget film.

For example, entertainment attorney Mark Litwak says about incorporating your company, that "If you're a person who thinks it would be okay to do your own brain surgery, then you're probably the kind of person who might want to do this on your own." Cost: $15-$25k in legal services.

Movie financier Lew Horwitz says this of borrowing money to finance your film: "...the borrower will also pay the lenders attorney fees which are generally around $20k..."

It's not all lawyering and accountancy, though. Jeff Blauvelt of HD Cinema, predictably pushes HD cameras and tapes, saying, "The DV era has ended for filmmaking." A three-week camera package rental is $9k. Thanks for crushing my dreams, Jeff.

Are you getting the idea? This isn't guerilla filmmaking. This is filmmaking on a budget of hundreds of thousands. So if you're looking for a book on how to make a movie on the cheap, this isn't it, unless your idea of cheap is enough money to pay for a Ferrari Enzo F60. So I'm giving this book 3 stars. Really 5 for content, but subtract two for the misleading title.

I was much happier with the book Digital Filmmaking 101, by Dale Newton and John Gaspard. That book, at least, shows how it's possible to make a film for under $10k, and includes many cost-cutting tips.

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Summary: Indispensable
Review: Where to start with such an enormous book? Let me make this clear, in case my review ends up being too long and rambling: if you are interested in filmmaking, YOU NEED TO OWN THIS BOOK. It's that simple.

Right, now...the first thing to say is 'thank you' to the two authors. I have never heard of either of you before, and I've never seen any of your three movies. But what you have achieved here is amazing. Especially because you're British, and what the hell do British people know about making movies?? (joke) The amount of information in this book is truly incredible. First off, there are over a hundred very honest and interesting interviews with people who work in the industry. And they're not just the same old people trotting out the same old platitudes about how great the industry is, or how to get a job, yawn yawn...these are people who - almost without exception - are brilliant at describing the various aspects of their roles, and also come across as very enthusiastic and passionate. Perhaps the key here is that Jolliffe and Jones (I'm not sure if they both do the interviews, or what) know exactly which questions to ask, and they know how to extract the right information from their subjects. No small skill. What is staggering is the range of professionals and experts they have gathered together here. Here are just a few of their job titles: Financial Advisor, Line Producer, Entertainment Attorney, Steadicam Operator, Director of Photography, Foley Mixer, Animal Trainer...yes, you read that correctly! Now, if I'm giving the impression that the book is just a stream of un-interrupted interviews, think again - another strength of this book is its visual presentation on the page. Almost every single page is jammed with information and photos, so not only do you get to see what all the interviewees look like (I find this weirdly helpful!), but you also get boxes and charts with lots of additional info in all the different subject areas. So, in the interview with the Animal Trainer guy, there's a box about the American Humane Association, telling you about what they do and how to contact them - address, website, phone numbers, everything. It's this attention to detail which really makes this book so excellent.

Also, the layout of the book on the page is so well done. Although at times the authors and interviewees deal with quite technical material, everying is always very visual and fun to read. The photos in the book are sharp, and diagrams are used intelligently where they're needed. Pics and diagrams are never just used for the sake of it, or to pad out the book: the book is so huge that it doesn't need padding!

The last 150 pages of the book are very different to the first 550, as this is where you will find a range of case studies of recent movies. The two authors start by telling their own story, and describing in fascinating detail the three movies they made in Britian in the 1990s. None of which seem to have made any money, and one of which even caused them to end up in jail. They are amazingly honest about their mistakes and the short cuts they were forced to take, due to having virtually no money. And you can really hear the enthusiasm in their voices still, despite all the setbacks they have had. The book then moves on to look at a bunch of recent movies. The case studies that stand out for me are on "Thirteen", "Donnie Darko", and "Roger Dodger". All of the filmmakers are refreshingly upfront about how they found funding, how all the pieces fell together, and how hard it can be to deal with success when it actually arrives. These case studies don't have the in-depth detail of the rest of the book, but they provide a huge amount of inspiration, which I guess is just as important.

You probably can tell that I could go on for hours about how good this book is. I'll just say one more thing: this is the single most useful book I have ever read.