Television Books

This book is an expansive overview of the life of Louise Brooks and also of the early days of the movie industry. Very throughly researched, it gives a nuanced look and the beautiful, brilliant and maddeningly self-destructive icon. It also is a wonderful history of the entertainment world in the 1920's and the personalities who populated that world. A must-read from fans of Louise Brooks.

Several books have been written about Louise Brooks, but this book is probably the most concise and most thorough of them all. The book starts off with Louise's birth and it describes all the people that helped to make Louise so interesting and famous. There are many black-and-white photos of Louise, from the time she started in show-biz (at age 4) to Louise in her later years, just before her death.

Since Louise Brooks had such a fascinating life, it is not a surprise that this book is so long. Each Chapter basically covers a chunk of her life, and each Chapter describes (in detail) the characters that encountered & shaped Louise, and also all the Theatre and Movie productions that Louise was involved in.

This is what a biography should be: insightful, understanding, offering a measured & complex view of its beloved subject. And what a subject Barry Paris has in Louise Brooks! Her beauty, her intelligence, her compelling charisma all shine in these pages, giving us a multi-faceted view of this ravishing star. For someone who had never heard of Louise Brooks, this biography will send him or her in eager pursuit of her all-too-few films & her own writing -- and both are of the very highest standard.

It's clear that Brooks never did anything without wanting to give her all, to make true art out of it, a work of beauty & meaning that would stand the test of time. And the same could be said of this superb biography. While Paris clearly adores Brooks (and with good reason), he never succumbs to blind hagiography. Nor does he stumble in the opposite direction of pathography. His purpose is to explore the life of a fascinating woman, and to present it to the reader as thoroughly & lucidly as possible. He succeeds on every level. Louise Brooks emerges from these pages as both a flesh & blood woman, and as the dazzling, mysterious icon she became to countless admirers.

In short, the best book on Louise Brooks you'll ever find, most highly recommended!

I have not yet read this entire book, but just glancing through it when it arrived I would find that I have just read twenty pages or so whenever I openned it up. I can't wait until I read it cover to cover.

Barry Paris's bio is a wonderful read and in my opinion did more for the recent increase of interest in Brooks than anything other book.

At the time of it's publishing in the mid 90's the internet was a mere flicker of info, photos bios and trivia about obscure stars like Louise Brooks were very hard to come by. After this book was published, I was one of several people who started fledgling web sites in Brooks' honour. While I gave up, one of those websites carried on to become the Louise Brooks Society, the definitive website on her life. Paris' book is essential reading for anyone who is facinated by this beautiful starlet.

This was purchased for my daughter who happens to be a huge Lucy fan. She thoroughly enjoyed it as it is chock full of reproduced letters, articles and other memorabilia. It makes a wonderful gift.

What a wonderful gift Lucie Arnaz and Desi Arnaz Jr. have given to the fans of their parents. This book will warm your heart, make you smile, and bring tears to your eyes. It will make you feel like you snuck into Lucy's closet and found her scrapbook sitting on the shelf. I got goosebumps when I saw the enevelope written by Desi that said 'To my darling'. I almost felt like an intruder when I pulled out the Valentine for Lucy that was inside. There are photos, letters, clippings, and side notes, all beautifully assembled. This is a must have have for anyone who has ever loved Lucy, Desi, Vivian, and William.

When I received this book in the post I did not put it down for a least an hour. It was so thoughtfully put together and showed all of Desi and Lucy's fans just how much they loved and cared for each other thoughtout their lives.
My most memorable areas are the little pieces written by the couple describing their thoughts and how they felt about each other. Lucy's words about Desi's death really struck me as although she had been married for 25 years she still felt his death hard.
My daughter who is only aged 15 years also could not put it down and was especially interested in the reproductions of the important letters and documents.
We both love it and it is certainly a must for the bookshelf of any Lucy and Desi fan.

If you are a Lucy Fan then you simply must buy this book! I just received mine and sat mesmorized by it, it is now my favorite Lucy item I have. I have an enormous collection of everything to do with Lucy or I LOVE LUCY you can imagine and this Scrapbook is so incredible.....it's honestly as if you are looking at the original scrapbook and you are even able to pull out inserts on several pages.....passport, letters, etc. I am not joking, if you are a collector of Lucy things and you do not have this Scrapbook then you are missing an incredible addition to your collection. The price is really great considering all you get. Words truly are not enough....I'll never ever get tired of looking at this!!!! Don't just think about buying it, buy it this minute!!!

The scrapebook was execellent. I enjoyed every little thing about it. It was great of all the document that were in there. This is a great book.

Great book, worth the price a hundred times. Great to read more exploits of Bean! Just like the TV show! Recomended! Some parts will laugh you to death such as:

Smashed bugs in the book

Police reports

Much much more!

Funny, but I expected it to be like a book, and there were just some andom notes for every day.

This book is hilarious and makes for simple, entertaining reading. It consists of a diary in which Mr. Bean records his various escapades (in his untidy scrawl) and keeps his letters and newspaper clippings. It contains quite a few references to the episodes themselves, and it's necessary to read it more than once to appreciate the full humour value. I recommend this book to all fans of Mr. Bean.

Even Mr. Bean's most enthusiastic fans will have to agree that he can be really gross sometimes. For those of us who wish we'd never seen him try to stop his ears with someone else's used chewing gum, he's a lot easier to take in print than on video, just as weird but much less nauseating. I think he's funnier, too. It's kind of like a radio play: What you fill in with your imagination can be funnier than what they show you.

Mr Bean aka Rowan Atkinson is one of my favorite comedian. He manages to crack you up without resorting to low down slapstick humor. The book is a must-read for Mr Bean fans, and for those of you who have yet to see his TV shows (way better than the movie), I highly recommend this book. It is guaranteed to give me tummyaches from laughing too hard.

THIS BOOK IS GREAT, REALLY GOOD AND FUN TO READ IF YOU ARE AN X-FILES OR GILLIAN ANDERSON FAN. I HIGHLY RECOMAND THIS BOOK

Straight from the cutesy title that X-Philes know and love as one of Scully's trademark phrases, Mulder, it's Me really hits the spot. Gil Adamson and Dawn Connolly's biography about the amazing Gillian Anderson is extremely informative without being invasive of Ms. Anderson's privacy. The well-written fourteen-chapter biography is only the beginning of this stunning masterpiece - the book also includes candid interviews, a comprehensive episode guide of the first four seasons of The X-Files, a section on the 1996 Burbank convention by the renowned Autumn Tysko, a listing of internet resources, and 16 pages of color photos. Whether you are a newbie or a veteran fan, Mulder, it's Me: The Gillian Anderson Files is the must-have biography.

This is the best Gillian Anderson biography on shelves today. But this isn't just a biography, this book also includes television and radio interviews with answers to some of the most frequently asked questions. You get to find out what people did when Gillian Anderson appeared at the X-Files convention and what questions her fans asked. It also includes the speech she made in Washington D.C. for public awareness about Neurofibromatosis, the disease her younger brother has been diagnosed with. This book also includes great Gillian Anderson Internet sources and an X-File episode guide with all the shows from season one to the end of season four. But best of all, this book includes a great section of full page color photographs of Gillian. If you are a Gillian Anderson fan, you have to get this book!

This book is great for people who want t get all the facts and want awesome color Photos .I think Gillian is agreat person and Actress and this book helps you realize that.AS well as info there is a great X-files episode guide section.Many thanks to the athur and gillian for being the great actress she is.

This book has, well, everything you wanted to know about Gillian Anderson (Agent Dana Scully on the X-Files) and more! The colour photo's are excellent, as well as the black and white ones. Each chapter has a unique title, and very good detail into herself, her daughter, and her work. A must have for any Gillian Anderson fan.

Sad, but not hopeless, biographical account of a young musician stricken with a horrifying illness. Heartfelt & honest without being overly sentimental. Written in a captivating & sometimes humorous tone, not witholding any details. I have been reading this as a physician, and will recommend the book to any young patients I have with grave illnesses.

I purchase this book many years ago simply because I was a big ebtg fan. I casually knew what he had been thorugh and felt terrible for him, but was going through the process of losing and then grieving for a loved one.
When I read the book, it offered me a perspective on what life may have been like for my loved one as he suffered illness. What a wonderful gift Ben Watt has given. He writes without self-pity, in his lyrical style without being flowery or glossing over the ugliness of illness. I am so glad that he survived for selfish reasons-the music he (&Tracey) has(have) produced (before and after the illness) has been a diverse gift to the world.
And I am so greatful that he wrote this book. Experiencing the death of a loved one through being a spectator to horrible illness, was, in a strange way one of life's best gifts to me. No I didn't learn to be greatful for my health and all that crap-I learned that true joy comes from giving to another and expecting nothing in return. Ben Watt's Patient, gave me an extra perspective on that experience, and sometimes helps me to remember the life-lesson from it all.
In summation, read Patient for more of Watt's lyrical writing, read it to find a surprisingly good story with plot twists and turns, read it to learn what severe illness truly is. Fascinating. A gift-thank you.

I'd been a fan of EBTG for quite awhile before this book came out. Their soothing music has always been a favorite so I was really interested to see what this book was all about.

It turned out to be a very disturbing account of Ben Watt's freak-show illness, blow by blow. His commentary is riveting and one gets the feeling that he does not feel sorry for himself in the least, but instead follows his own story as if he is an observer who also happens to be its main character.

I was heartened to read toward the end of the book Watt's own musings on what may have brought all his health problems about. Though he left it vague, his illness seems to be among those new "diseases of civilization" caused by many factors in our surroundings that lead to hard-to-define ailments where environmental toxicity and the overuse of pharmaceutical medicines are certainly not to be discounted.

In any case it seems that his passion for music transcended all, and was at least in part a contributor to his recovery. Most of all he deserves a thanks for telling his story, unadulterated. For sure it has made this reader not feel so isolated.

The fact that Watt's story lacks a significant plot (outside of the onset, diagnosis, and treatment of his rare condition) is largely forgivable. For those of us who know Watt primarily as a musician/songwriter, the somewhat static storyline here is acceptable. All that's missing from "Patient" is Everything But The Girl's enlightening bed of music to be heard under Ben's delicately articulated prose. Typical of many great songs, Watt occasionally blurs the line between the first- and third-person narration, and "Patient" is better off for it. Perhaps even better than the great writing, though, is the genuine and intimate portal into the lives of Ben and Tracey rarely afforded to EBTG fans. It's a relatively short read, but each page gives plenty to be absorbed as the result of Ben's crafty alliteration and his uncensored, yet careful, approach to the fog of medical lexicon. Not for the weak of heart--or stomach--Watt's book exacts distinct feelings of sobriety and contemplation...with an ending portrait that expertly convey's his trademark understated hope.

I'll admit I picked this up mostly out of curiosity as a longtime fan of Everything But the Girl. What kept me reading, however, was Ben Watt's skill as a writer. His story is gripping and harrowing, but told with a dry wit and wonderful observations. This book is not just about one man coming to terms with serious illness, but how that experience affected his relationships with his loved ones and his view of himself. This would be a great book for anyone in the health care field to read; it gives you a sense of the patient as a full human being, not just a "problem" to be fixed. Ben Watt's writing skills are as strong as his ample skills as a musician/songwriter. This book has my highest recommendation.

This is definately a winner! Great little gems from Walt Disney's family, closest friends and colleagues. The pictures are equally wonderful. Great candid shots and personal family photos. This man had more character than Mickey Mouse himself!

The pictures were nice. I'm a big Dinsey fan so I pretty much enjoyed this book. It told what people who worked with him thought about him. I gave the book four stars because there were some bad words.

This book is exactly as one would expect by reading the title. It's just quote after quote from people who knew Walt Disney best. I liked that many of his former employees were interviewed. Since I was familiar with some of the animators, imagineers, and actors it made it a more personal thing for me when reading this book. There are also many pictures that show Walt during all the different periods of his life, though the majority of them are during his successful years heading the Disney corporation. I share the sympathy of another reviewer who said that after reading this book they wished they had known Walt Disney. I think a person who really admires the Disney empire will share the same sentiments about the man who dared to dream.

This lavishly illustrated tribute --- first published in 1999 and now released as an oversized trade paperback --- is a must for diehard Disneyites. (Dig the vintage, time-worn color
cover photo of Uncle Walt, with Cousin Oscar clearly in view.) Amy Boothe Green and Howard Green's text is nothing more than quote after quote from Walt's pals, peers, co-stars, family and friends, all of whom (surprise!) praise The Man Who Would Be King. But it's the vast array of black-and-white and color photographs --- many rare and many never-before-seen, all of which are stuffed into the pages --- that make this a winner. Walt as a young boy. Walt as a young man. Walt at play. Walt at work. Walt with family. Walt with friends. Walt with Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. Walt with Hayley Mills. Walt with Shirley Temple. Walt with Annette Funicello, who provides the book's most poignant quote: "When I was first diagnosed with multiple sclerosis ... I thought,. "If Mr. Disney were here, I could ask him what I should do. He would know." And, of course, Walt with the Mouse and the Mouseketeers. Noting goofy here. Except Goofy.

I was very happy while reading this book. I found all the things Walt's aquaintances had to say about him very interesting and credible. Very little seemed sugar coated (as Disney personel seem to be sometimes). I would make the assumption that Walt's personality was portrayed correctly by the many people that knew him. Throughout the course of reading this book I kept thinking about the quote that one amazon reviewer said that made me buy this book in the first place, "makes me wish I knew that man."

If you were born during the tail end of the Baby Boom or are part of Gen-X, think of "Retro Hell" as a travel guide to Memory Lane. This book covers almost every aspect of life in the 1970's and '80's, from the most profound to the most trivial. What makes this book a joy is its ability to remind you of the little things you've forgotten -- toys, fads, fashions, one-hit-wonder bands, TV shows, commercials -- and bring back a flood of memories.

Though much of the writing is strongly tongue-in-cheek, it's not all cynical... which is quite refreshing. Not everything about the '70's and '80's was horrible; indeed, in an age of terrorism and war, roller disco doesn't seem so bad.

This book was originally published in 1997. If a newer edition is planned, adding some context would be especially helpful, now that the entire decade of the '90's has passed. For it's the seemingly frivolous things that ultimately shape our lives in unexpected ways.

Perfectly suited to its target audience both in subject matter and in presentation, this little encyclopedia is guaranteed to be incomprehensible to anyone who was not a small child during the Ford and Carter administrations. It is an exhaustive laundry list of toys, television shows, and other products marketed to children mostly in the 1970's and early 1980's. Said children grew up, went to college, and spent many a late-night dorm room session processing their mixed amusement and time-gilded fondness for these products. Generation X's strangely premature nostalgia was in the mid-'90's documented and catalogued by the staffers of a 'zine called Ben Is Dead, and subsequently released as a book, published with a silver cover, adorned with a flaming disco ball and digito-futuro typeface, called "Retro Hell".

As with any encyclopedia, this book is not to be read cover to cover. Unlike with an encyclopedia, the entries will not strain the most fragile of attention spans, as they are brief and anecdotal. Some merely invoke the commercial slogan attached to the toy in order to clarify the meaning of the item. Chances are good that if you, a friend or a sibling had a particular game, toy, or favorite TV actor in 1976, it will merit an entry in this book, presumably to your surprise and affectionate delight.

OK, let's face it. We GenX'ers (my DOB: 12/20/69) had discussions about these silly things with our friends as far back as 1986, and it all began with our laughter at the memory of the Brady Bunch, with its plaid polyester and relentless good cheer. (Surprisingly no one has ever called attention in print to the sublime musical score of the Brady Bunch.) By the mid-1990's, most of us were a bit burnt out on that sort of discussion. And yet, the sheer inclusiveness of this book guarantees that the late-night discussions will continue for at least as long as it takes to comb through it, as the diligent editors of BID have dredged up for us memories of long-forgotten things like Wacky Packages, checkered Vans, and Operation!. One can imagine that this catalogue was generated with competitive passion, as the youthful 'zinesters engaged in that most cherished of all verbal sports, "Obscurity One-Upmanship", or "Who can recall the most marginal bit of shameless pop culture detritus from the furthest corners of their memory?

Their effort is worthwhile, despite its novelty. It is as ironic as the generation it was written for, as it is in fact useful trash. It is the narrowest history of minutiae you can possibly find, and therefore the most telling. As might once have been said on a nighttime infomercial somewhere around 1980, "It makes a great gift ! "

If you were born between 1965 to 1979, this book is aimed at you. You may end up disagreeing with many of the entries, but not because they're wrong- just because it can be so embarrassing to see your past held up in a modern light.

This is an encyclopaedic recounting of pop-culture memories of many authors, and was originally published in 3 consecutive issues of Darby's magazine "Ben is Dead". One of the unfortunate side-effects of the translation from magazine to book has been the loss of a bit of material. Most/all of the supplementary articles and sidebars have been lost; a lot of pictures have been dropped (possibly from copyright or trademark infringement?); individual entries have been changed, either to remove possibly inflammatory material, or for some judicious editing. Some entries are gone all-together.

But, after 5+ years, my copies of BiD are brown and curling from acidic decay, water damage, constant re-reading. This book is a more durable, more easily transportable, more easily read and shared compendium of what is undoubtedly the best part of the original 3 issues.

For most entries, there are comments from multiple authors- if you don't like what someone wrote about your favorite subject, there's someone else right after them that wrote exactly what you wish you could say. You'll have old dusty memories jarred- both pleasant and unpleasant. You'll cringe in agony when you realize just how stupid we looked drawing a "Z" in the dirt to run faster when wearing Zips shoes. You'll recall that night you saw Pink Lady & Jeff on TV and realized adults didn't know what they were doing, either. You'll also get a lot of info on regional fads (typically southern California) that may not mean much in the rest of the country, but makes for interesting reading.

The best part about the book is the editorial decision to not just concentrate on the happy/good parts of our collective past. A lot of dirt is listed, too, which will make some people uncomfortable, but it makes the book probably the most honest of the pop-culture books that reference the 70s. Instead of sanitizing and making palatable what was, in all honesty, an incredibly vapid and tasteless era, Retro Hell is more of a catharsis for everyone who grew up in that time. The book's not just a fun read, but it'll probably make you a better person, too.

Concentrating on the period 1970-1988, this textbook of cultural anthropology covers a variety of trivial obsessions which, at the time, must have seemed extremely important. For somebody from the UK, it's like a glimse into a bizarre alternative world of Pet Rocks, Farrah Fawcett's hair and the not-at-all drugs-related H. R. Pufnstuff. Did people once vote for Jimmy Carter? Apparently so. It's written in an engagingly everyday tone by the staff and freinds of a sadly-defunct magazine called 'Ben is Dead', and the only bad thing is that it isn't ten times the size - it's great to read on the train, and my copy is now creased and tatty.

My old punk rock pal Mary Mayhem pawned off a box of old fanzines on me the other day, and there was a big stack of BEN IS DEAD magazines amongst them. I had forgotten how good that magazine was. Its a bona fide work of art (without chewing on it, okay?). The publisher, Darby Romeo, was sort of the archetypal Southern California Jewish cultcha' chick for the '80s. Besides being a brilliant writer, she had a yearning quality and a very original slant. She always seemed to be looking for the real and the authentic, even as she was wading through the shallow and phony junk that is Pop Culture. With her "Retro Hell" issues, its almost as if she's looking for God in the details (and I'm sure He's there somewhere, even amidst the Fonzie lunchboxes and Charlie's Angels posters). Face it, we were all raised amidst the blizzard of Pop Culture artifacts. We tried to create a life (or a so-called lifestyle) out of the crap pouring out of our TV sets, radios, and rock magazines. Darby Romeo graduated from high school in 1985, started publishing BEN IS DEAD in 1988 at around age 21, and I think she kept publishing it until around 1999 or so. Every issue got better, slicker, more original, and even more successful (she even copped a book publishing contract out of the deal). And then, she apparently disappeared from public view. Rumor has it she joined a weird cult. WHich I suspect is just the kind of weird rumor that Romeo would appreciate (everytime I disappear from view people just assume I'm dead, sheesh). She had a highly defined sense of irony on top of irony on top of searching for something real on top of further irony. She was the kind of Hollywood chick who hated and smirked at everything "hip." Even as she seemed obsessed with all things hip. As a little girl in the '80s she had Duran Duran posters all over her bedroom walls (well, she would've if her father had let her). Then in the '90s she launched herself into the gears of the Media Machine and got to interview Duran Duran. She even got grab-assed by Simon LeBon, or one of those hair-boys. So you see, dreams come true. Its odd and odd experience re-reading those "Retro Hell" issues of BEN IS DEAD ten years later. Its a perfectly-preserved time-capsule of the long-gone '90s fanzine scene. So I guess now its Retro Retro.

Happily, this is an original script/shooting script, not the final filmed version so there are plenty of scenes and lines included here that did not appear in the movie. After reading I have a new appreciation for the subtle, nearly flawless directing and acting in this amazing film. Buy it!

I liked Rushmore for a few reasons. The first is that the soundtrack featured songs by The Who, Cat Stevens and Chet Baker instead of some crappy "alternative" bands. I also liked the big vision that Max Fisher had for himself and the people around him. He risked making a fool out of himself in order to accomplish goals that only he could see. Bill Murray can turn any word into a laugh. I want to read the book.

I dare use the word "quirky," because that usually means "esoteric and/or pedantic." But "Rushmore" manages to be quirky while still being entertaining and heartful. There is real emotional impact in this film, as sharp and hurtful as first love lost. Yet, it remains a brilliant comedy with enough "moments" to make repeated viewings worthwhile. The book only serves as a fond memory of the film, much as the soundtrack. See the movie first, then buy the book to cherish the experience again.

Rushmore, both the script and the movie, are instant classics. The buzz generated is still modest compared to the actual impact. Very fulfilling read. Sic transit gloria.

I identified with the characters in the movie. I know one person wrote an intelligent review saying that the movie seemed too surreal, but in my opinion, though I admit the situation had a surreal feel to it, the characters were extremely realistic. I loved Margaret Yang and the way she was so caught up in success that she lied for a project that was almost bought by NASA.

If you don't like anything else, you have to at least admit that Rushmore is one of the funniest things you have seen or read.

My 3 yr old was already comfortable going to the dentist but this helps just before an appointment to let her know what will happen and to talk about any worries she has. Great bedtime reading.

I'm a school nurse always looking for entertaining ways to teach my elementary school children how to take good care of their teeth. Dora was a huge hit with the Pre-school children. They followed the book along eagerly page by page as I read it to the class and their excitement brought out my enthusiasm for teaching! Way to go Dora!

I bought this after taking my daughter to the dentist for the 1st time when she turned 2. She refused to open her mouth even to talk. She would only shake her head. After reading this weekly for 6 months, she couldn't wait to go to the dentist. She happily let the dental hygenist and the dentist look inside her mouth! Now if I could just get her potty trained!!

I purchased this book for my 4 year old granddaughter who was fixing to go to her first dentist appointment. She loves Dora and of course this was a good choice. This book has just enough detail to make that first visit comfortable. She was not afraid of the office or the dentist after reading this book.

My 2 1/2 year old hates to brush her teeth. So much so that I worry that I am not getting them clean enough. So she came for a "field trip" with me for my dentist visit. The dentist's office was set up just as in the book. My daughter wanted a turn and was able to pick out a purple toothbrush and sticker just like Dora. She knew exactly what to expect in the visit from reading this book.

The author has created an extremely useful introduction to the art and business of making documentary videos, but the information presented makes it useful for those wanting to make a narrative video as well. I was struck by the gorgeous visual presentation of this book, which must be an example of his video making style as well. I purchased a permanent marker to underline important sentences but I quickly abandoned the project as I was underlining every other sentence. What a user-friendly, nuts-and-bolts manual for the first time filmmaker---I recommend it unreservedly.

This is a well written book that includes useful information and tips from someone who has obviously been onsite for some troublesome shoots...and who made creative workthroughs for those problems. The supplemental DVD (including tips and sample release forms) is a very generous bonus, and makes this well worth the investment.

So far i have only watched the DVD (excellent tips and resources) and emailed anthony (he wrote right back)...can't wait to get started.

and looking forward to learning more from him
very accessible and clear ....what a great find.

he really makes you feel like anything is possible..very positive
I'm digging into a whole new world

thank you Anthony

I'm a working Hollywood director and just finished traveling to 20 countries over two years for my latest feature documentary, so I've seen it all. While browsing through the bookstore, I came across "Shup Up and Shoot" and started leafing through it. Suffice to say, it is as accurate and spot-on as it is comprehensive. Lavishly illustrated and meticulously researched, "Shut-Up" is the idea reference guide to carry with you on your documentary shoot. Whether you're just getting started or a seasoned pro, I'd highly recommend this book!

this book is great. if you are an aspiring filmaker and you need practicle information to help you get started this book is perfect. i am a film school senoir (i wont say where cause i dont want them to look bad) and i learned so much more useful stuff from this book than i ever have at school. based on what i learned in this book i am already starting pre-production on a project that i am shooting this summer. this book is an invaluable tool for every documentary filmaker starting out. this is the book you are looking for, so buy it already, you will be incredibly glad you did.