Video Production Books

this is an awesome product to get if you saw and liked the movie "Kingdom of Heaven". wonderful behind-the-scenes shots. the pics are awesome!!! not to mention the fact that Orlando Bloom, one of my fave actors, is in it!!

If you enjoyed Gladiator you should love Kingdom of Heaven. It has all the thrills and color and then some...and it's far more authentic. This is an epic film filled with color and colorful characters. This book points out the details and should really be inspiring to up and coming film makers. The use of flags and banners is especially strong. I think you'll learn a lot more about the Art of film making from this book, a superb collection. Try it!

The latest entry in the acclaimed "Newmarket Pictorial Moviebook" series, Kingdom Of Heaven: The Ridley Scott Film And The History Behind The Story is the definitive film documentary of "Kingdom of Heaven", the large-scale historical epic about the Crusades that pitted the forces of King Baldwin IV of Jerusalem against the armies of the Saracen general Saladin. Directed by Ridley Scale and starring Orlando Bloom, the commentary is in two major parts: "Kingdoms in the Holy Land: The Crusades and the Film Story" and "Swords and Stones: How Kingdom of Heaven Was Made". This informative guide to the film and its making is enthusiastically recommended for fans of the film, as well as professional, academic, and community library Cinematic Studies reference collections.

I already saw this movie three times. It's sooooo amazing. The book has lots of beautiful pictures and interesting information about the movie.
For everybody who loves the movie, this book is a must have. And of course the screenplay which is coming out in june.

If you are wanting more information on the James Bond movies (background stories on how they got made, info on how various actors came to be Bond, ratings of the movies, etc.) then this is the book for you. At over 200 pages, the tome certainly isn't short on information.

The authors definitely have their favorite, and there is room for argument with some of their ratings, which makes the book even more interesting. They rate each Bond movie in a variety of areas (Villains, Women, Plot, Action, Bond, Gadgets, Dialogue, etc.)

I've found this to be a book I go back to quite often. It's great to read right before or after I've watched a Bond DVD. It illuminates some of the background on actors, producers, directors, locations, etc.

Highly recommended for the Bond movie fan.

"Kiss Kiss Bang! Bang!: The Unofficial James Bond Film Companion" by Alan Barnes and Marcus Hearn is a very good book on James Bond info. Even though unofficial it has good information. I like it.

Alan Barnes and Marcus Hearn's KISS KISS BANG! BANG! is an essential companion book on the cinematic world of James Bond. I like the way the authors choose to take 10 essential elements film by film and critique them. KISS KISS BANG! BANG! is quite insightful and interesting reading. I also enjoy the very handsome layout of the book, which only enhances the reader's interest. The book is also profusely illustrated with very unique photographs not associate with other official books on the cinematic James Bond. This is a well thought out and well-intentioned book. I highly recommend it. If you are a James Bond fan it is quite essential.

Unlike the "official" James Bond compendiums written before it, "Kiss Kiss Bang Bang" offers a broader, more objective view of the history of the James Bond film franchise. While the finished product could have used a polish from a real editor (there are typos everywhere,) the raw material contained here is worth the read alone. Everything from Fleming's early failed attempts to bring his hero to film, to Saltzman and Broccoli's instrumental casting of Sean Connery as the first James Bond is documented and seemingly well researched. Each film production receives it's own chapter, From "Dr. No" to "Tomorrow Never Dies" including the non-Eon produced "Casino Royale" and "Never Say Never Again." All chapters open with production stories as recollected by the cast and crew and includes initial reviews by film critics (a real plus here) who reflect on the sexual and moral perversion that audiences succumb to when viewing a James Bond film. The authors close each chapter with a 10 point fan-boy rating system, grading everything from the opening sequence and titles to the girls and gadgets. Overall the book is a quite refreshing and insightful companion. There aren't a lot of photos in the book, but the ones that are included aren't ones we've seen before. As a fan it left me thankful that Burt Reynolds was never cast as 007, upset that "Casino Royale" was wasted as a spoof and imagining what the franchise would be today if George Lazenby and Timothy Dalton did more films and if Roger Moore did less.

The romantic film A Knight's Tale was shot in Prague and here receives its own book which blends a 24-page color photo album of scenes with the shooting script for the film. Any fan of the movie will relish the complete presentation.

A Knight's Tale. I haven't actualy seen the movie, but I have read the script. It's amazing!! It is funny, interesting, romantic and clever. It tells the story of William Thatcher(Heath Ledger), who is a peasant and the son of a thatcher. When the Knight that William is under the employment of, suddenly dies right before he is supposed to joust, William must joust in his place. Although only himself, and his two friends Wat and Roland, know that it is him jousting and not the real night. You must be of noble blood to compete. Suprisingly, William wins and finds that he is a natural at jousting. He decides to go to a big jousting tournament in a few weeks, under the alias of Sir Ulrich Von Lichtenstein. Wat and Roland help train him and get him ready to joust, and they go to the tournament. There William sees the girl of his dreams, Jocelyn (Shannon Sassomon), and will do anything to win her heart. When he's jousting, he beats everybody there except Count Adhemere(the "bad guy" in the movie). William swears that he will beat Adhemere next time he jousts him. The plot goes on, there are some interesting twists and you meet some more neat characters. This is a really great movie, and this script is easy to read. You will LOVE "A Knight's Tale"!! Don't miss it!!

Written by the screenwriter and director of "A Knight's Tale" this book provides a fascinating insider's look at the film's creation. The 24 page photo album includes rare candid shots of the film's cast and crew.

The story is a classic underdog tale with likeable characters. I particularly enjoyed reading the scenes that were ultimately not included in the film. Although I have watched the movie several times... these passages added a depth to the characters that made kept the storyline fresh for me.

This was an awesome movie that I absolutely loved, so of course, I had to buy and read the screen play. Brian Helgeland was a brilliant author to create such a wonderful and fun script that everyone could enjoy. It was one of the funniest movies I ever saw and the script was also, undoubtedly hilarious. This story has it all: action, comedy, and romance. A story to please all.

While this book has a large section geared towards actors and that aspect of the industry, it also has other sections that talk about various aspects of producing a movie including script and sound effects. I was generally pleased to purchase this for my ten yr old to get a grip on what was involved in actually making a movie. It is fun and easy to follow.

My 5 year old son is a model and has begun auditioning for commercials. This book has been great to read together to learn terminology that is used in the business and to understand the entire process and how everything fits together and relates in the business. It's a great book for anyone new to the acting business.

This book tells you how movies are made. It is a great book to read if you are a beginning actor/actress. It is very interesting. I highly recomend this book for kids.

This book has everything you ever wanted to know about auditons, agents, filming and effects. You follow Johnny as he is cast in the movie "The Mists of Time".

Fascinating and illuminating book about the way movie classics were made in the 30's and 40's. This man knew his job and we are lucky that in the making he wrote those long memos. The people they were sent to found them annoying. We movie fans find them fascinating.

It's a genuine pleasure to see this 1972 volume back in print again. Practically the entire history of classic Hollywood can be seen within the pages of this fascinating series of memos, a veritable stream of behind the scenes trivia and the most impressive book of name-dropping ever seen in print. The cinematic genius of Selznick and Company is told as only it should be told...in the Master's own words.

David O. Selznick was behind some the films considered classics from that era. He was known for his memos that he sent to others in the industry and those working for him. The book is a fascinating look at the studio system at the time - and is also a reminder that people at one time actually communicated in writing - no cell phones, no email. This book is a must-read for those interested at all in film lore - and it's a great read!

I was a bit leery of a book of just memoes but ... This is truly an extraordinary book, full of insights into every aspect of film making. The most interesting parts are about scripts and script construction. That was what Selznick had a genius for, and that comes through clearly. Some of his faults come through too. There are a number of memoes about his life and emotions so you get a picture a man not just an executive.

For anyone who likes old movies a must.

When the University of Alabama's Hudson Strode Program in Renaissance Studies, helmed by luminary Gary Taylor, chose hotshot University of California Professor Bryan Reynolds as one of the "the six most brilliant Renaissance scholars in the world under 40," I begrudgingly decided to read Performing Transversally. I had already heard too much buzz about his book on criminal society, and was confident that his kind of flashy scholarship -- a la his Harvard teacher-thaumaturgists Marjorie Garber and Stephen Greenblatt -- would be of little interest to an old-historicist like me. But now I must confess that I've read both books and found them to be more than impressive.

Reynolds is driven by a desire to mine the subterranean, which leads him to reveal such things as the bogus history of gypsies in Tudor-Stuart England, Shakespeare's anticipation of Stalinism, and the uncanny relationship between Shakespeare and American celebrity killer Charlie Manson. Along the way, Reynolds wrestles with almost every major critical tradition, and explains what he sees as their shortcomings and benefits for future research. His "transversal" approach is enhanced by his wit and chutzpah. In this, he reminds me of Leslie Fielder, or Susan Sontag (God bless them). Reading the work of Reynolds and his collaborators is like revisiting the 60s and 70s when literary theory aspired to ethical ideals and was fun to explore and do.

This book has not only emerged brilliantly out of the new historicism's wake, utilizing everything productive the new historicism had to offer, but it creates a wake in which new historicists -- especially the more myopic ones -- continue to flounder. Reynolds and his fellow transversal movers and shakers launch cogent critique after critique, both implicitly and explicitly, of new historicist criticism (while improving upon the Althusserian and Foucaultian theory behind it), supplanting its often fly-by-night and defeatist rhetoric with optimism, rigor, and relevance to concerns of today the likes of which most new historicists never imagined or cared to imagine possible. Reynolds' performance-oriented and expansive method enables analyses of Shakespeare's plays and adaptations of them -- of the "Shakespace" (one of his many playful coinages) through which they move -- that are far-reaching in value and application across history, cultures, and academic fields. I would even go so far as to say that Reynolds is a visionary with the scope of Raymond Williams, and, like Williams, Reynolds envisions and wants to inspire -- with his "transversal poetics" -- a better future. For Reynolds, although clearly a lover of Shakespeare, Shakespeare is just one of many points of departure for transversal adventures to elsewheres of learning, empowerment, agency, and evolution. There is no book on Shakespeare that I would want my students to read more than this one.

This is a great book. I bought it because everyone was talking about it at the Group for Early Modern Cultural Studies Conference last fall, and as I did it could not believe that I was spending $65 on a book, something I have never done before. But since I am a Shakespeare scholar -- I suppose I can call myself that now even though it is only my third year in grad school -- I figured that I need to have the new hot thing. What I did not know is that all the hipe was more than justified. Reynolds et al. are unrelentingly captivating in every respect: funny, smart, rigorous, engaging... Most important to me, however, is that this book is about change, responsibility, and empowerment. Shakespeare is just Reynolds' vehicle, that he uses to take his readers into "Shakespace," a conceptual and emotional space of expansion and learning, an other world where we can all move transversally. Thanks Reynolds et al. for getting my brain reeling, and getting me excited about my work!

Performing Transversally constitutes a major intervention in early modern studies that will no doubt be as important as Dollimore's Radical Tragedy but at the same time infinitely more useful to the future of critical inquiry across disciplines, ranging from theater studies to film studies. Reynolds' transversal poetics is the most exciting approach to lit-crit since deconstruction emerged on the scene in the 60s, and I am certain that the impact will be no less great. If it sounds like I love this book, it is because I do. It is rare in this profession to be truly inspired by scholarship, and Reynolds -- along with his many brilliant collaborators -- never ceases to inspire, with page after page of scintillating wit, groundbreaking ideas, and unwavering dedication to ethical and pedagogical concerns. This book has changed the way I think about authorship, performance, Shakespeare, and my selves, all the while reminding me of my responsibilities as a academic and even as a citizen. Buy it, read it, live it, you will be happy you did.

Secrets of Hollywood Special Effects was in its day without a doubt an excellent work, and still is packed full of very interesting and helpful references.

While CGI has taken over the mainstream special effects, lower budget films are unable to afford the costs of CGI and real special effects are still in demand, and on stage as well in live productions.

The book quite rightly has a very strong emphasis on safety, and the need to thoroughly rehearse what you are going to attempt.

The author, Robert McCarthy is generous in giving away information not only about the special effect but how to interact with the talent using the special effect.

However his chapter on chemical affects is an absolute shocker, with potassium chlorate and sulphur being frequently used in compositions. These two chemicals can ignite with very small amounts of friction.

Mercurous chloride is used in a number of the compositions, and the dangers of mercury salts completely ignored. No one, but no one uses mercury salts for pyrotechnics, because of the toxicity let alone the cost.

In fact I have to wonder if this chapter used works from the 19th century as a reference, when the use of such compositions was commonplace.

The line drawing illustrations are extremely good, however reproductions of actual film scenes of extremely poor quality and it is difficult to see what is happening. Some of the other black-and-white photos which were shot especially for the book are also of poor quality.

The chapter on fireworks is very dated, with little reference to electronic choreographed firing, and much emphasis on hand firing. As well it recommends the use of steel mortars when nearly every jurisdiction in many countries have banned these because of shrapnel issues after deaths.

These deaths have occurred in among other countries, Switzerland, Australia and New Zealand, entirely due to steel mortars. This chapter should have been removed from the book as it is not special effects and there are far better books and training on firework shows available.

All in all as the book says in its disclaimer, do not attempt to create any of these effects without proper training experience and professional assistance.

However for operators in the industry, it is an exceptionally good read, and if you only come away with one revelation or interesting observation it is well worthwhile buy.

For the interested auteur, TV and film buff it will be a fascinating read seeing behind the scenes.

I am sure those professionals who read the book, will come away with considerable respect for work that Robert McCarthy did.

Anthony Lealand Firework Professionals Ltd www.firework.co.nz

Nothing compares to this book when it comes to special effects, the incredible amount of information is hard to find outside of this book

This book is an amazing resource for the budding special effects wizard. Whether you have a desire to go into the field of big Hollywood effects or if you just have a genuine interest in the "how did they do that" side of the effects business, this is a great guide.

In this day and age it is rare to find books that lay out a helpful guide to practical effects. While I have heard that perhaps some of the chemical information is outdated or mis-stated (chemicals being something I think you should always make sure you understand...eg: beware recipes) I still think the book is worth having for its explanation of all sorts of major on-set effects. Great book! Worth getting!

WARNING MACARTHY'S BOOK GIVES USES FOR CARBON TETRACHLORIDE, DO NOT DRINK ALCOHOL--EVEN ONE BEER--WITHIN 24 HOURS, BEFORE OR AFTER, OF USING CARBON TET--THE COMBO HAS A SYNERGISTIC EFFECT THAT CAN KILL YOU!
This is a great special effects book but the author is not an organic chemist and so didn't know this. (Carbon tet used to be very comon in cleaners and was thought safe at one time.) Since the author gives a number of chemical recipes you should be cautious about drinking before, or after, or during the use of any of them.
Otherwise this is a great book. There is very little overlap between this book and Bernard Wilkie's CREATING SPECIAL EFFECTS FOR TV AND VIDEO so you might want to get both.

Who would ever guess it would be so much fun to weave one's way through the mysterious words that appear on mastheads and screen credits? Richard Weiner has provided us with delightful stepping stones into the glamour of movie sets and editorial rooms. He's a best boy, and then some!

Teachers, writers, midtown bartenders, and anyone else who needs a crash course in today's media terminology should pick up Richard Weiner's new book, The Skinny about Best Boys, Dollies, Green Rooms, Leads, and other Media Lingo. It's a great desk reference and a good gift for media junkies, theatre and film buffs and crossword types. The author has a wit as quick as Google and a nice prose style. I was informed and delighted by this book.

Great reference book written in an entertaining manner. All the jargon I wanted to know in the media fields.
I question a few of the entries (the few I knew something about !).
The "Telestrator" was not invented by John Madden, and
ironically (if you read the introduction to the entry)I believe "clap track" should be "clap trap".
In the Introduction, the author solicits corrections, but only provides a snail mail address ! "Old School"

Ever wondered about the meaning of terms listed at the end of a movie? (It's called a "crawl".) Here's a book that, for the first time, explains it all. I found it indispensable for understanding the various terms involved not only in tv, but media in general. Weiner has provided an easy-to-read, interesting compilation of these terms, written in an engaging personal style. More than a straight-laced dictionary, it gives you insight into newspapers (see the entry of the Los Angeles Times), public relations (see marcom), politics (see Beltway), tv and motion pictures (see Lucille Ball), football (see John Madden), comics (see Borscht Belt) and thousands more. All in all, a fascinating look into the insider's world of communications. I can not recommend it more highly.

An in-depth review of the narrative and style (hence the title!) of Stan the Man. This book covers several Kubrick films(The Killing, Lolita, Barry Lyndon, etc), and it focuses on and is arranged by topic (eg filmic narration, patterns of organization, etc) rather than by individual film. An excellent study that should be on your bookshelf.

Falsetto really takes us inside the creative process of the Stanley Kubrick with his book STANLEY KUBRICK: A NARRATIVE AND STYLISTIC ANALYSIS. It is more than just an hommage to the late film master (there are plenty of those out there already), rather, it is a clever and insightful excursion into what makes Kubrick one of the great film artist of all time. The author is tracing the stylistic development of Kubrick's career, through carefully selected examples from some of his powerful films (THE KILLING, PATHS OF GLORY, LOLITA, 2001, A CLOCKWORK ORANGE, BARRY LYNDON among others). At the same time, he brillantly analyzes the way Kubrick is telling us story with images and sound, his method for organizing the material into a structured and conceptual cinematic "whole". STANLEY KUBRICK: A NARRATIVE AND STYLISTIC ANALYSIS should be seen as a serious (but nevertheless entertaining) investigation into the heart of Kubrick's work, and I strongly recommend it to anyone who appreciate good comprehensive writing about the master.

Falsetto's guide to Kubrick is as Dante's to the Inferno: that is, DIVINE. Never mind the price, this book is worth it! Easy to read, scene breakdowns ( sometimes shot-by-shot ), and narrative patterns. Read another review for what they're like, I won't waste time trying to recite something too perfect to recite:
This is the DEFINATIVE Kubrick book. It offers descriptions from The Killing to Eyes Wide Shut, and it does a good job. Thank you God for Stanley Kubrick, and thank you God for Mario Falsetto
for telling about him!

Falsetto blends thoughtful, intellectual critques of Kubrick's work focusing on his editing choices and the tension between subjective and objective storytelling. It is by far the first comprehensive analysis of Eyes Wide Shut to be included in a book on Kubrick's style. Falsetto's discourse illuminates previous themes that never occurred to me such as the fact that the narrator in Barry Lyndon probably represents the eighteenth century aristocratic viewpoint, and therefore is not really an objective storyteller at all. Falsetto's articulate analysis of Kubrick's narrative themes are completely engrossing and fascinating without ever getting lost in technical jargon. His analysis is particularly right on when discussing such an underappreciated work such as Full Metal Jacket. He argues that Kubrick was aiming for hyperrealism, and that many of the scenes seem very surreal thus penetrating the heart of what war is about. I highly recommend this thoughtful and well thought out book to anyone interested in a fresh look at one of the greatest filmmakers who ever lived.

Provides an in-depth and fascinating account into how Star Trek productions are conceived, filmed and produced. The book showsthe transition from initial idea to final product in 3 Star Trek guises - DS9, Voyager and the film Insurrection. The book is jam-packed with pictures throughout and Erdmann's dialogue is very much narrative in style, as the story is told for much of the book in the quotes of various cast and crew. The book particularly highlights how stories are formed and the various inputs from script writers, producers, directors and cast, and it is fascinating to see how a story develops and changes throughout time. An extremely good read.

From the first writers' meeting to the satellite upload, this book describes in detail every step taken by actors, producers, designers, directors and editors to create an episode of Star Trek. Terry J. Erdmann has had unprecedented access to production meetings, film sets and post-production facilities to unveil how various Star Trek incarnations get from idea to (small of big) screen. If you're interested in what's going on behind-the-scenes, I highly recommend this title.

For any star trek fan, or just for those interested in the making of tv series and films, this book outlines, in high detail and many photographs, the process of producing an episode of DS9, Voyager, and a portion of Star Trek: First Contact. A must for any fan's collection.

With print and pictures detailing EVERY inch of the making of three Trek productions, this is a book that is a treasure for any student of filmmaking. One does not have to be an aficionado of the offspring of the original series to appreciate the work that went into the publication of this book.

The book is a fascinating (to use Spock's word) how-to-make-a-television episode (or movie scene) primer.