Making Movies
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Book Overview
ONE OF THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER'S 100 GREATEST FILM BOOKS OF ALL TIME - "Invaluable.... I am sometimes asked if there is one book a filmgoer could read to learn more about how movies are made and what to look for while watching them. This is the book." --Roger Ebert, The New York Times Book Review
Why does a director choose a particular script? What must they do in order to keep actors fresh and truthful through take after take of a single scene? How do you stage a shootout--involving more than one hundred extras and three colliding taxis--in the heart of New York's diamond district? What does it take to keep the studio honchos happy? From the first rehearsal to the final screening, Making Movies is a master's take, delivered with clarity, candor, and a wealth of anecdote. For in this book, Sidney Lumet, one of our most consistently acclaimed directors, gives us both a professional memoir and a definitive guide to the art, craft, and business of the motion picture. Drawing on forty years of experience on movies that range from Long Day's Journey into Night to Network and The Verdict--and with such stars as Katharine Hepburn, Paul Newman, Marlon Brando, and Al Pacino--Lumet explains how painstaking labor and inspired split-second decisions can result in two hours of screen magic.
Why does a director choose a particular script? What must they do in order to keep actors fresh and truthful through take after take of a single scene? How do you stage a shootout--involving more than one hundred extras and three colliding taxis--in the heart of New York's diamond district? What does it take to keep the studio honchos happy? From the first rehearsal to the final screening, Making Movies is a master's take, delivered with clarity, candor, and a wealth of anecdote. For in this book, Sidney Lumet, one of our most consistently acclaimed directors, gives us both a professional memoir and a definitive guide to the art, craft, and business of the motion picture. Drawing on forty years of experience on movies that range from Long Day's Journey into Night to Network and The Verdict--and with such stars as Katharine Hepburn, Paul Newman, Marlon Brando, and Al Pacino--Lumet explains how painstaking labor and inspired split-second decisions can result in two hours of screen magic.
Format:Paperback
Language:English
ISBN:0679756604
ISBN13:9780679756606
Release Date:March 1996
Publisher:Vintage
Length:240 Pages
Weight:0.60 lbs.
Dimensions:0.8" x 5.1" x 7.9"
Customer Reviews
5 ratings
No greater insite into the mind of a great director...
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 16 years ago
Sidney Lumet is a tremendous director who has worked with some of Hollywood's finest. In this book, Making Movies, Mr. Lumet allows the reader into his mind and method answering any question one might ever think to ask. He is candid, honest, and inspiring -never once leaving the ground to fabricate or falsify the reality and responsibility of making a movie. It is as though he were passing his knowledge on to a family member. If you are thinking about becoming a director, actor, writer, or producer I recommend this book to you; read into the traditions of Mr. Sidney Lumet.
Honesty and a love of movies
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 21 years ago
I've read other books about directing. But I didn't understand what a director did until I read this book. Written lucidly and intelligently, with a true love of a good film story, Lumet's book is a valuable inside account of making movies. There are stories about stars (though not gossip) and about incredible disasters. But mostly it's about going out there, day after day, and getting the best shots you can, the best sound, the best cut.Lumet lays it out step by step with absolute honesty (film-making can be boring!) but also with a great love, a love for a good film story. Lumet believes that the authorship of the film belongs to all the people who help make it-- the actors, the writer, the set designer, the cinematographer, etc.-- The proof is in the pudding: Dog Day Afternoon, 12 Angry Men, Network. He let's today's spoiled-child 'auteurs' know that humility pays dividends. All in all, an essential volume on the craft of directing.
If you are a filmmaker BUY THIS BOOK
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 23 years ago
Sidney Lumet's book has to be one of the greatest reads I have ever found on the art of making movies. He takes a stand on all of the hard issues that a director must face. Additionally, he is candid in admitting what he has done right and what he has done wrong. It is seriously the most educational experience I have ever had from a book, and far better than 90% of my classes at USC film school... Rush out and get this one. It is not only enjoyable, but is also very educational.
Excellent! One of the best!
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 25 years ago
Lumet's book is one of the best film books I've read. It explains all the technical terms, and has diagrams to accompany the text. It explains the process of making movies step by step, and shows the glamorous and not so glamorous parts of the industry. This books is definately for people who are interested in the art of filmmaking, for fun or for work.
if you love movies....
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 26 years ago
you'll want to read this book . . . as you'll find behind-the-scenes information that you won't find elsewhere . . . gave me a better appreciation of what goes into making movies.
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