Video Books

This is one of the essential tools to have if you are trying to get in the film business. It is one of my recommended readings that I use for my seminar, HOW TO GET AND SUCCEED IN THE FILM BUSINESS. It has the most updated list of production companies and agencies. I tell all of my students that it is a must buy.[...]

Very useful if you are "in the biz" and need to know more about representation. You will get a great deal by buying the distribution book with it. If you are a writer/director/producer, it is good to have that extra book on hand.

This directory is the most comprehensive listing of persons and titles at almost every production company there is... I believe it is the only database of its kind. Everyone from mega-producers to full-time interns are listed, as well as their phones, faxes and addresses. An invaluable resource.

Hollywood Creative Directory is a superb compilation of Hollywood producers who can make your dreams come true by producing your screenplays. If you haven't succeeded with Hollywood agents, give HCD a try. It lists extensively production companies, offering names, addresses and telephone numbers. If you're having trouble defining your genre or you'd like for producers of films you admire to read your screenplays, make this your first stop on the Hollywood Express to success.

Here is a well-rounded, nicely illustrated guide to classic Hollywood flicks from the '30s to the 1960s. In terms of coverage, there aren't many surprises; all the "usual suspects" are here but as an introduction to some ageless films, it's a nice piece of work.

Author Afton Fraser divides the films into various chapters: Must See, Drama, Suspense, Film Noir, Good Guys & Bad Guys, Comedy, Screen Teams and so on. Each film typically gets two pages of coverage, a mixture of text and four-six photos. Aside from a short plot summary, brief production notes, information on the stars and tidbits on the movie are given. Each section is preceded by a one-two page summary on why Fraser picked the films found in that section.

The book is sub-titled 'A Guide for the Beginner and the Aficionado.' I think it would be most useful for those people wanting to learn about America's rich cinematic history.

Recommended.

This is a book for everyone, for those that grew up with the Film Noir and those that would like to discover anew the B&W film era. The photos are beautiful and the information about each film intriguing. I recommend it highly, I will give several as Christmas presents to relatives this year.

This is the best list of "must see" films that I have ever seen. It is written by a movie star's wife, who knows many of the old stars, and provides their favorites lists.

This book is amazing! This book is written by Brendan Fraser's (The Mummy) wife. This book has 15 chapters. Some of the chapters are Must See, Drama, Suspense, Comedy, Romance, Tearjerkers, One of a Kind, Musicals, Westerns, and Screenteams. Also on each new chapter she has on the side of the page a list of movie stars' picks of classics. It's their must-see list! This book even has a preface by the "Million Dollar Mermaid" herself, Esther Williams. The book includes a lot of never before seen photos. Another great thing about this book is on each movie, Mrs. Fraser includes info on Oscar awards, gossip, info on the leading stars, quotes, and info on screen teams (it shows info on what other movies the stars did together). This book is great for beginners who want to see old movies or just great as a gift for that special movie lover. Afton Fraser did a great job on this book and I hope she does another one! If you love old movies buy this book!

I can add little to the other reviews except for my enthusiastic recommendation of this book! Mank, one of the best film historians on the beat, liberally mixes careful scholarship with the zest of good storytelling. This makes for part one of a great double-feature if you follow it with Shawn Levy's dynamite RAT PACK CONFIDENTIAL. Ah, for the good old days... when bad behavior had panache! Great read! As another has noted, it's hard not to tear through in a single sitting.

Greg Mank has left the haunted mansion of golden age horror film critiques and heads into Hollywood Babylon territory with his newest book; and what he finds would have Kenneth Anger gasping for breath. Mank, with his coauthors Charles Heard and Bill Nelson, tells the tale of the Bundy Drive Boys, a collective of fast living and hard drinking Hollywood actors, writers and artists--- all committed to their friendship and the right to destroy their careers, their families and themselves by any means necessary. Among the hell-raisers are John Barrymore, W.C. Fields, Errol Flynn, John Decker, William Fowler, John Carradine, Ben Hecht and Sadakichi Hartmann; and their stories of childhood tragedy, incest, rape, cannibalism (in a POW camp), drunken brawls, sexual conquests, and even an art forgery scam, will have your jaw hitting the floor.

I read HOLLYWOOD HELLFIRE CLUB in one sitting. My morbid curiosity (wondering just how much worse can things get for the Bundy Drive boys) simply would not let me put this book down. If you are a fan of Hollywood's Golden Age... or the last person to leave the scene of a train wreck, this book will surely entertain and/or horrify you!

There are only two ways you can look at the lives of these legendary "bad boy" actors and comedians. First is head-on, which this book offers in abundance. And second, philosophically, as suggested by one of the most poignant passages in the book, "They all saw the joke of life, and they teach us not to be scared. There is no bogeyman. Get the essence of love and happiness and joy, and share it with people. All that matters is to leave a legacy of happiness, and to give someone else an inspiration--like they gave us." (Rita Saiz, clairvoyant?)

John Barrymore, W.C. Fields, Errol Flynn, and John Decker were among the most talented individuals of their day, and seemingly, among the most tragic, each drowning his pain in alcohol and prematurely snuffing-out their abilities and lives. But they did so in good company: John Carradine, Alan Mowbray, Ben Hecht, and Thomas Mitchell, to name a few. And best of all, there was Gene Fowler, the writer whom they trusted to keep the record straight. And worst of all, there was Sadakichi Hartmann, a pre-counter-culture beatnik/hippie who seemed to be consumed by his worst impulses, and was kept afloat by Barrymore.

But to concentrate on the tragic is to lose sight of the legacy that includes Barrymore's "Svengali" and "Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde," Fields's trenchant satires of American family life, and the transcendent magic of Flynn's swashbuckling heroes. Authors Mank, Heard, and Nelson offer no apologies for these artists, nor do they cast judgement. This is a book that is both repulsive and yet mesmerizing. In the end, we are left not so much mourning the shortened careers of these men, but marveling that their genius allowed them to perform a weird alchemy that transformed so much personal squalor into artistic brilliance.

This is High-Gothic Hollywood storytelling, and maybe it's about time.

I was a bit nervous when I ordered "Hollywood's Hellfire Club" by Gregory Mank, Charles Heard and Bill Nelson.

I love old Hollywood and the stars of its golden age and although I was not looking for a whitewash of their lives, I was worried it might be a book that just trashed them. And yes, the book shows their lives warts and all, but it was clearly written by people who love these guys and the period of Hollywood they lived in.

The interwoven stories of these friends has the highest of highs to the lowest of lows, but all told in an engrossing way that really wraps you up in the tale. I was familiar with W.C. Fields, Errol Flynn, John Carradine, John Barrymore, Ben Hecht and Gene Fowler but I did not know much about John Decker and Sadakichi Hartmann but reading about their exploits and insanity was funny and fascinating (W.C. Fields as Queen Victoria? And who in their right mind would ever think of a perfume concert?!?)

The book is a very enjoyable read, it grabs you with each persons story and pulls the group together as it tells the tale. Organized by decades, the book is lavishly illustrated and although most of the cast of characters had a lot of sadness in their lives, the book does not get morbid, it more looks at the absurdity and fun these people brought each other, and through their work they brought each of us.

These guys personified perfection in their chosen fields, were perfectly decadent in their private lives and the way "Hollywood's Hellfire Club" is presented makes for a perfectly fascinating story.

This is a really different kind of memoir. It's personal, yet gripping as a novel would be (part of it is memior, part is fiction). It's also thoughtful and analytical without falling into the trapof being dry or over-intellectualized. I learned as much about myself as I did about the author. The blurb on the back cover is right - once I started it, I couldn't put it down.

This is an intimately written and insightful work. Anyone interested in women, film, or issues surrounding lesbianism will enjoy the work. Beautifully formatted.

In "Home Movies..." Citron uses an interplay of fact and fiction to guide the reader on a journey of secrets. We are never quite sure of who is speaking and yet always sure it is the author's voice we hear. Citron has crafted her written words with the same sense of artistry evident in her films. This book is powerful and artfully written. It is as much about understanding the well-buried and fragmented narratives we each conceal as it is about the story of Citron's individual exploration of her own stories. Communicated through simple language inflected with subtle nuances, the truths among these pages explore the juncture of life and art. Interacting with this text is quite an experience.

This is a really different kind of memoir. It's personal, yet gripping as a novel would be (part of it is memoir, part is fiction). It's also thoughtful and analytical without falling into the trap of being dry or over-intellectualized. I learned as much about myself as I did about the author. The blurb on the back cover is right - once I started it, I couldn't put it down.

"Horror of the 20th Century" is a superb literary history of the horror fantasy genre in every media format the 20th century had to offer, including pulp magazine, paperbacks, hardcover novels, comics, radio, television, and the movies (from the early, primitive silent films to the modern, special-effects-laden, big-screen epics of today). The entire spectrum is represented for the short story, the novelette, and the novel. Robert Weinberg's informative, fascinating text is profusely illustrated on every page with full color photographs of wonderful magazine, book, and movie poster art. All of the major authors are represented along with a wealth of biographical information on them and their particular contributions. "Horror of the 20th Century" is a "must" for all horror fantasy buffs, pulp magazine and book collectors, and is a very highly recommended addition to academic and community library collections.

I've read all of Robert Weinberg's books. He is THE master of horror and fantasy! If you're into old horror, new horror, or anything in between, you gotta get this latest book by Weinberg. It is absolutely fantastic! You'll see magazine and book covers never before seen by man or beast! You'll see paintings unearthed maybe from tombs!

This is a top quality hardcover book. The information in it is priceless; it is like rediscovering an old friend with whom you have lost touch over the years. The history is recounted at a leisurely and always enjoyable pace, with the narrative caressing the illustrations encouragingly. And it is the lavish illustrations that make this the book that it is. They are superb. The reader, serious or casual browser - both are treated courteously - is treated to page after page of covers and artwork - from books, magazines and periodicals through the ages, from early in the century to the present day. The publishers have done a marvellous job and they and the authors are to be commended highly.

While Robert Weinberg's prose may be somewhat informative, it rarely aspires to be anything more than wooden in its delivery, and it doesn't give you any further information that a diehard horror fan wouldn't already know. The problem, and the only problem, with this book is that it is not very well written. However, the full-page, full-color photographs from movies, magazine and book covers, and comic books are gloriously printed. This book is huge, too, and well worth the $60 cover price. If only the writing didn't make you feel like you'd just taken a handful of valium!

The title says it all: not only does this book tell you what a movie technically is made of (differences between film stocks, sound recording techniques, etc), it also tells you how the movie is shot (lighting, lenses, special effects, etc) but finally it also tells the deeper meaning of certain shots or sequences. Especially that last part is very interesting: with examples from Citizen Kane, Close Encounters Of The Third Kind and many others, the author explains how the composition of the picture, movements and sound can communicate concepts like mood, emotion and relationships.

How Movies Work is an excellent introduction to the process and techniques of filmmaking. For any aspiring filmmaker or movie buff, it will introduce all of the intricacies from pre-production to post-production. Usually, the author's style is clear and comprehensible for the layman; however, there are moments when the text is burdened by the minutiae of the trade: trying to comprehend the definitions of film developing and editing practices is nearly impossible. Nevertheless, these moments are few and far between, and any dutiful reader will leave the book with a valuable wealth of knowledge regarding filmmaking.

What is disappointing, however, is that the book deliberately sidelines even a cursory overview of what the author terms "film theory." Admittedly, Kawin does not disguise the fact that he presents a bare-bones overview of the specific, concrete details regarding filmmaking, but a few pages on the psychological and abstract components of film theory would surely have supplemented the book nicely. Kawin argues that the most in depth analysis of film construction cannot be accomplished without a thorough knowledge of the production process, which is certainly true. While his book elaborately details the production process, it may not satisfy those who are interested in the theoretical constructs that deconstruct cinema.

As a final note, the illustrations are almost always beneficial. The text is, however, considerably dated. Films before 1986 are not included. The text discusses nothing about digital photography and very little about computer-generated imagery. Personally, however, in the age of DVD extra features, there is already a superfluity of this information easily located in the world of cinema, and the text does not suffer considerably from its absence.

You must buy this book if you want to find out how movies work, i.e., how they enrich our cultural experience and how they are made. Kawin's textbook is pleasantly readable by anyone interested in the cinema. It contains a wealth of information from film appreciation to film production (including explanations of various special effects!) to film studies. Every aspect of the cinema is clearly explained and illustrated with examples, and the book contains many still photographs, 96 of which are in color.

I think this is exactly how a "how-to" book should be written. I only wish it had been updated to reflect advances in the 1990s -- this book was first published in 1987 and reprinted in 1992.

Kawin is by far one of the brightest minds in film literature and theory today. His text brings the background of film to light and stresses the importance of all aspects of the cinema. This text is an excellent resource for any student of the cinema.

The original version of this book was the first book I ever read about the business of acting. It is a truly great resource for actors, and I highly recommend beginners read it.

This book is a film and television actors Bible. It will help you immensely whether you have been acting for years or if only for a day. If you are an actor buy this book, read it, take notes, and read it again. This book will mean the difference between getting or not getting the job.

Mr Logan's book is the most succinct and thorough guide for beginning actors that I've come across. The recommendations and advice given in the book is based on 30 years experience as a WORKING director in Hollywood. Unlike most acting coaches who are has-beens or never-will-bes and who give outdated or inacurate instruction, Mr Logan gives current and reliable advice collected methodically and tested over decades.

Mr Logan's writing style makes the book a quick and enjoyable read. I highly recommend this book to any beginning actor or anyone who is unhappy with their career development. And if you're lucky enough to have Mr Logan give a workshop in your town, don't miss it!

A friend purchase this book for me. And I just love it!!
This book by Producer Tom Logan is an eye opener to any actor trying to find work in the industry. I am recommending this book to all my actor friends. This is a must have. This is the best book I have read so far about show business.

Easy to understand, funny and straight forward.... And to the point! People understand better when you get down to there level. And Mr. Logan can do just that in this book! I can keep praising this book all day! But I want you to read it and find out for yourself! You will be glad you did!

Mr. Logan if you read this. God bless you!

The videos are excellent, it's as if a friend was showing you how to do the business and be successful. Even if you are not planning to do a BBQ concession this package will show you "tricks of the trade" on marketing, operations and using ready-made products with your own twist.
Thanks to the author I learned a lot.

To address some of the questions that the reader might have:

* This course is very easy to digest but will take about 4-5 hours of your time.
* It covers a great deal of many different subjects related to concession sales.
* Previous experience in this field is not necessary.
* The Dvd's give several good menu suggestions next to full instructions on preparing a variety of barbecue meals.
* Mr. Robertson shows a lot of experience and enthusiasm in his field.
* There is an Index of links as well as recipes towards the end of the book.

The author did an excellent job at describing ways how to get started in your own concession vending business. I have been operating a ball game concessions stand for over 8 years, next to my day job as a teacher and I have become quite experienced in this field. I know that there is a lot of money to be made with food sales. At sports events, the food and drinks are an essential part of the whole fun, no matter how pricey they are. The only drawbacks are the ever increasing concession fees to set up at the games. This is yet another reason, why owning a business as an independent operator makes a lot of sense.

After reviewing this course, I was able to learn a great deal more about concession sales. If you are thinking about starting out in this field, I can highly recommend it!

I originally bought this for my husband and ended up watching the DVD's with him. They are really packed with a lot of information and with valuable tips from a real professional.

Now BBQ became our first choice of foods to sell. The recipes in the film are truly wonderful and turned out well the first time we tried them. We also will focus on Tex-Mex foods that are very popular in our area.

The book gave us lots of good ideas that we will use in our own business. The author is right: cooking for fun is one thing- cooking for money is another! It was good to watch someone else do it first. Probably saved me from making lots of mistakes!

Overall, I am extremely happy with this purchase and I am glad I found it!

This was by far the best purchase I made on amazon this year. I enjoyed watching the DVD's that covered far more than I expected.

I have always wanted to have my own restaurant, but never have been able to get it together. The trailer food business is more my thing, as I can leave it parked in my backyard when I don't want to sell. I had trouble finding information on the subject of mobile food vending and I wish I would have seen this course earlier. It has taught me a lot about this business. The film showed interesting background info and a lot of food being prepared for resale. The ribs looked delicious and I now always cook my ribs this way. Watching the procedure is like being there and much better than just reading about it...

The book is easy to follow and covers pretty much everything I needed to know. I am not much of a chef, but people were all impressed by the food I prepared the way it is described in the book. I fed over 300 people in one day by myself at our block party and made good money doing it. This guide was very helpful to me in my rural area. It also made me feel like I can actually put a business like this together in my spare time.

Very good service, compared to the delivery date book, there was no inconvenience. It is also a very interesting book for the development of ideas for your good content and graphics samples

This is a pretty good book. I would of named the book, The Animated Short - A blueprint for creating your own animated short. As that is what this book is.

I have spent the last few years studying this material on my own. Buying writing books, going to seminars, buying directing / acting / filmmaking books, all to learn the various topics necessary to begin creating a 3d animated short.

This book would of saved me quite some time, before I talk more about what this book is, I think it is important to say what it is not.

This book covers no 3d package. It does not show how to model for animation, the best rigs for different situations, what type of render works best, workflows on setting up a small render farm to render out your animation. Guidelines on what resolution your render should be, ideas for light placement, etc. This book does not cover the 3d aspect of this.

In a way that is a good thing, if it did, the book would be dated, and isolate many people who are interested in this topic. It is unfortunate that the topics are not mentioned, as it would be interesting to hear different approaches, but what it does cover is fantastic, and I will share my insights with you.

The main format of the book is this:
Introduce a topic (acting)
Tell the audience some tips on how it relates to your 3d short, give you some good ideas to impelement on your own current shorts, give a background.
Then recommend (usually 5) books on the subject (and these are really good books that are recommended, I have most of them, and can attest to their usefulness)
Followed by an interview after a summary with a person working in the field (really good material here as well)


What this book covers is the following:

Chapter 1 - Story background and theory. Here they give ideas on creating a story, and some pretty useful advice. As with all chapters in here, the topics covered are only to whet your appetite, you do need more information, and the books chosen here (and the dvd) are quite good.

Chapter 2 - Building better context - tips and ideas to consider while still in the design stage of your project

Chapter 3 - Acting - how you need to learn acting, the basics, and more

Chapter 4 - Building character and Location - ideas for designing your characters

Chapter 5 - Building Story - Tools and tips on making a better story

Chapter 6 - The Purpose of Dialogue - I think you can figure this one out

Chapter 7 - Storyboarding - Thoughts on making storyboards - this is a pretty good chapter, and covers a huge amount of this topic

Chapter 8 - Staging - Really good stuff, but a tad to short.


So, am I glad I got the book? Yes. I wish it would of come out years ago, as it would of saved me from buying some books that did not help at all.

Is this everything you need to know? No. The book does not cover creating scripts, it doesn't introduce simple formats or formulas, It does not cover ideal times for animations (though it does say 3-5 minutes) It would of been great for some kind of generic structure for this kind of time frame. 5 minutes does not allow much story to be told. Most scriptwriting is 1 page per minute. I was really hoping for more information on this, but this book does not cover it in enough detail for me.

This book would of been "MUST HAVE" material, if it had followed the making of a 3d animated short, even leaving off the 3d aspects. From story development, from the concept art phase, all the way to setting up the shots, then showing the final piece (as that is how the book is structured). One sample, all the way, would of made this book 10x better.

This book does not cover voice acting. I really thought this would get mentioned, it did not. You should research this yourself, as it is important.

Sound design is another topic missing from this. It does not discuss this in any length. We need advice on creating ambient music, sound effects, scoring your film, and again changing voices.

The book is a pretty short book. At around 250 pages, it is a very quick read (It will take you around 2-3 days, as the topics are interesting, and the book is well written (save several glaring editing problems). I enjoyed reading the book, I was hoping for more, but I cannot knock the book because of it.

I think this is a book anyone interested in this topic should have. I also think anyone considering buying this book should know, it will only lead to you buying more books. As you need more books. You are making a film, it is supposed to be very difficult, and it is. But with the help you get from this book, it will make your R&D Much quicker.

I really hope more authors will tackle this topic, and hopefully in more depth. I wish they would of mentioned some 3d topics (Ideas on set design, poly counts, rigs, lighting) but you can get this information other places.


I hope this review was helpful for you. I have bought many new books the day they came out, and usually the ones with no reviews scare me (especially the ones with "fake" reviews, which you can always tell). That is why I made this review so long. I want people to really know about this book prior to making a decision. The main thing being, this book is a blueprint, with a small lecture on each topic. It will save you tremendous time, but it is not the only book you need. It is the map to take along your journey.

I also want people to know that the book does not cover your normal 3d topics. This book is more of a project overview, and assumes you know how to model, animate, texture and rig. I think this book has the making of the type of book to build a course off of in college.

The bonus dvd includes "MANY" useful features. An acting video, many shorts, among other things. It is a great all around package, and should help your formulate some great ideas. This is why I give the book 5 out of 5, even though it does not cover all the topics (nor does it claim too), I am glad I own the book, and I think most others will be too.

I'm an animation student who found the registration deadline had passed, I got this book so that I could continue learning even though I am not enrolled in classes.
what I got was much more than I had expected and I am learning so much. though the book doesn't cover everything it mentions in great depth, it does give you enough information to get by, as well as references if you want to learn more.
because of this book I have found myself coming up with ideas for short animated films, and beginning the production process. I am eager to use the material taught in the book. the content on the included DVD is very helpful as the book uses the DVD for examples frequently, making learning much easier.

great book for someone who wants to learn about the animated short.

I'm not an artist but I found this book "Ideas for the Animated Short" by Karen Sullivan, Gary Schumer and Kate Alexander, a fascinating read. I am involved with theatre and so really loved chapter 3, entitled "Acting: Exploring the Human Condition". I never would have believed how vitally important this process is for a good animated film. Having the tools of good acting at your finger tips, being given examples of how to transform these tools in a very real fashion and then applying them to the drawing board. Realizing that "images create emotion" is a powerful starting point in which to reflect truth. Naming and describing the essential elements for a scene; incorporating the psycho/physical technique and being able to portray "iconic moments" all contribute to a film that although animated is real. This book is amazing!

This book is a text book for an upcoming class I am taking. I have read most f it already, and I find it to be VERY informative. I have been in the film industry for almost 10 years now and I am impressed to see how much information is in this manual.

They have pictures of a lot of the forms, contracts and legal documents you will need to get stuff done. You can easily emulate them on Microsoft Word. The only thing that would make this book better would be to include photocopyable versions of these documents.

The producers who wrote this book produced SWINGERS and KISSING JESSICA STEIN. If you haven't seen them recently or ever, I suggest you pick them up as supplemental material.

This was my textbook for a film production class I took at UCLA. It has so much information and is essential for anyone looking to produce their on films. It takes you through every step of the process.

I'd like to thank the authors from the bottom of my heart for taking the time to put their hard won experience into a book. It is chock full of great information and will help so many aspiring filmmakers.

If you are a big fan of the movie Swingers, this book provides some interesting behind the scenes information, including a couple letters that Jon Favreau's grandmother wrote thanking the producers for helping her be a part of the movie. You can use Amazon's "search inside the book" feature to search on the word "swingers" to see what I mean.

One small problem: the videos on the DVD only work with Apple Quicktime. That's no problem for Windows users - you'll need to download it and install it from the Apple website. All the other media players make the videos run at double speed.

Now in an updated and expanded second edition and nicely enhanced with an accompanying CD-ROM, the IFP/Los Angeles Independent Filmmaker's Manual is the collaborative work of independent film producer Eden Wurmfeld and Nicole Shay Laloggia (Professor of Production at the North Carolina School of the Arts). As "user friendly" as it is comprehensive, the Independent Filmmaker's Manual covers every aspect of film production including preparations, the script, financing, breaking down a script for shooting, scheduling, budgeting, pre-production, production, post-production, film festivals, and film distribution. With it's Resource Guide appendix, glossary, and index, the Independent Filmmaker's Manual is a complete and comprehensive "how to" instructional text and a highly recommended addition to film school reference collections and aspiring independent film producer reading lists.