Book Description
Myrl Schreibman has written a straighfoward, insightful, and articulate account of what it takes to make a successful feature film.
Customer Reviews:
I recommend it.......2007-07-05
I bought this book for my cousin who wants to start out in the film business. This book helped me break down the who's who in the industry and the breakdown and samples are easy to understand.
MUST READ FOR ALL PRODUCERS.......2007-04-27
I just completed a feature length screenplay that will soon become a feature length film. To prepare for production I decided to purchase two books: Creative Producing A to Z, and, A Film Director Prepares, both by Myrl Schreibman. Having just finished reading them, I now know I could not have made two better choices. Buy them both, read them both, then read them both again! I promise, your film career will be well served.
A STAPLE FOR ANY FILMMAKER.......2006-04-18
This book is the producer's version of Gray's "Anatomy of the Human Body." Without a doubt, Schreibman's text is the blueprint for any successful indie film and should be read and thoroughly consulted by every creative producer - experienced or otherwise. Furthermore, this book that can be extremely useful to directors and screenwriters because it provides a real understanding of what the producer does and how the other creative entities can best collaborate with the producer for creative and practical synergy. In short, this book is a must for anyone who wants to make movies.
No-nonsense bullet-proof advice.......2004-07-17
I recently finished producing my own independent film and found this book right at the beginning of my post-production period.
I wish I had found it earlier. It is full of no-nonsense advice and information that is practically bullet-proof, and I ended up agreeing with about all of it. Schreibman, who apparently has a long history of producing films for t.v. and theatrical market, has paid his dues, done his homework, and knows another "feel-good" you-can-do-it book isn't necessary.
He tells you like it is, doesn't pull any punches, and helps you avoid the most common mistakes, both legally and aesthetically. Writing and directing are generally the more "arty" positions in film production - the Producer is supposed to keep the ship moving forward and avoiding any fatal mistakes. This book directs you in the right direction.
My film was a "micro-budget" film, and this book may ultimately be more useful for "larger" independent features, including ones with SAG deals, distribution in place, and budgets closer to 7 figures. While all the advice here applies to everyone making a movie, it's the attitude Myrl conveys that I really appreciated and believed in, more than some of his nuts-and-bolts info. The contract samples at the end were also very helpful when I went out and began looking for more help finding money to finish my film (which I eventually did).
Now I'm dreaming of using the rest of the info here for my next film!
A practical, no holds barred look at the production process.......2004-04-23
If you are looking for a practical, REALISTIC book on how to begin and finish the production process, this is the book for you. I began my very extensive hunt for a book that would spell out the production process from A-Z. This book delivered on what it said. Very often in this industry it can be smoke and mirrors...not here my friend. Myrl speaks from experience and gives it to you straight. You WILL understand the production process from start to finish after reading this book.
As an added note, I was so impressed with the book that I contacted Myrl to consult with me on a recent project. He delivered on his promises and helped me guide my project to a successful finish. A five-star book and a five-star person.
Average customer rating:
- Make Deals with the Dreammakers
- A MUST for anyone, anywhere in ShowBiz.
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Producers 2001 (Hollywood Creative Directory)
Hollywood Creative Directory Staff
Manufacturer: Hollywood Creative Directory
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
 Direction & Production
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Reference
| Movies
| Entertainment
| Subjects
| Books
Directories
| Catalogs & Directories
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Reference
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: 1928936148 |
Customer Reviews:
Make Deals with the Dreammakers.......2000-05-07
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.
A MUST for anyone, anywhere in ShowBiz........1999-08-05
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.
Book Description
This inspiring volume gathers the wisdom and groundbreaking techniques of 56 visionary artists, producers, programmers, provocateurs, instrument designers, label executives and industry leaders. Hear firsthand how the masters wield technology to create their amazing music - the enclosed DVD features highlights from each interview. You'll learn studio setup tips, secrets of sampling, creative quantization, ringtone tricks, production strategies, insights from video-game composers, insane distortion recipes, how to squeeze expression from loops, how to overcome software option anxiety, how to exploit happy accidents, and much more. Derived from a year's worth of in-depth interviews, this book is a richly detailed journey into the heart of computer-aided creativity. Contributors include Glen Ballard, BT, LTJ Bukem, The Crystal Method, Chuck D, Thomas Dolby, Herbie Hancock, Jimmy Jam, Alan Parsons, Phil Ramone, Todd Rundgren, Don Was, and many more. The bonus DVD also includes: over 25 complete songs * live-performance videos * interactive Flash movies * royalty-free samples and loops by the artists * behind-the-scenes photos * and more.
Customer Reviews:
Creative Insights are the Big Value.......2006-10-19
I liked this book quite a bit; not because it gave me step-by-step instructions on how to create music using digital technology, but more to the point because it didn't. Any book on music technology can become dated quite quickly, but when one concentrates instead on hearing a very wide variety of artists, producers, technologists and industry executives talk about how they *think*, then you have something that if not timeless is at least fresh and interesting for some time. Knowing how Todd Rundgren approaches producing or songwriting is way more valuable than knowing which button in ProTools does pitch correction.
Feels "dated" an no longer relevant to me...........2006-08-24
Honestly I'm surprised by most of the reviews I see here giving this book 5 stars. Most of the people in the book, I personally don't hold in the highest regard. They all seem "past their prime" and many sound like they are remeniscing on how it used to be. In terms of the books title "Insider reveal their creative secrets." .. I find this laughable. I've read through the entire book, and there are very few concrete, CLEAR ideas on how to improve your musical craft. If you're a person that likes to learn through explicit instruction, then this book is definitely not for you. If you simply want to read interviews from some semi-relevant people that were in the music biz at one time, then this book may be for you. I would highly recommend going to your local bookstore and scanning through a few pages before spending your money.
Timely Insights in the bold, brave digital music space........2006-03-31
Kelli Richards and David Battino have done a tremendous job bringing in the masters of this space to reveal where we are and we are going in this revoloutionary time.
On a personal level, and as an artist/producer in this space, I found great take aways from people I have studied, admired and in some cases, worked directly with over the years including Herbie Hancock, Todd Rundgren, Don Was, Thomas Dolby and Brian Eno.
I highly recommend this insightful and inspired writing. 5 stars!!
Accelerated Journey into the World of Music Making..........2006-02-04
Kelli Richard's and David Battino's The Art of Digital Music is a journey into the minds of great artists and experts in the field of digital music. The information presented is very concentrated representing years of industry and creative experience. It offers insight into the evolution of music trends, the technologies that support them and an understanding about the mindset required to be successful in this challenging industry.
Learn how it is to work with Madonna or Britney Spears or what it takes to think like Herbie Hancock! Realize making music is an art facilitated by new technologies that can enhance an artist's ability to express their talent to the world without depending on a major label.
Once started you cannot put this book down as you discover each unique story within. It is amazing how much you can learn about digital music from just reading the interviews!
The Art of Digital Music is a great resource to have at home whether you actively produce music or not and makes a splendid gift for those who aspire to enter the music industry. If you ever had a song playing in your mind that you would like to bring into the world but you don't know how - this book is for you!
How grateful I am that this book has been written by people who KNOW what they are talking about!.......2005-12-24
Each and every word of this book was necessary for me to read. The information could not have been written more clearly. I use it daily. Thank you, Kelli Richards and all for writing such a great one.
Product Description
Legendary British producer and early recording pioneer Joe Meek was known, among other things, for pushing the creative and technical audio envelope in the 1950s and '60s. In this exciting new title - the first ever to delve into the techniques employed by Meek - you'll learn practical tips and advice based on the information contained in interviews with people who worked extensively with Meek until his untimely death in 1967. Learn how he got, and how you can get, the best performances out of artists, plus his creative micing techniques, and use of effects processors and unusual 'instruments' to get new sounds. A great guide to thinking outside the lines while recording! Includes an exciting audio CD of Meek's legendary album I Hear a New World!
Customer Reviews:
Interesting insight into this original producer.......2006-06-29
This book shares some of the tricks and techniques of this legendary producer and shows how all pop recording and record production since has been influenced by them. The included recording and notes are especially helpful.
Wonderful work on an obscure topic.......2005-12-21
To anyone who is old enough to remember hearing the original 'Telstar' on the radio, this is a wonderfully researched bio on the life and work of a vastly underappreciated godfather of audio engineering. Also being a huge Deep Purple fan, I was surprised to learn that the great Ritchie Blackmore, was a first call session player for Joe (as a member of the Outlaws) and that there are some enticing recordings he made that I now have to spend the rest of my life searching for!
Great stuff. The equipment & discography are very well researched, in addition to the personal stuff. And you just can't beat the included disc of studio experiments, on the bizarre factor.
Well Done.......2005-11-13
Extremely interesting book about Joe Meek, the innovative English recording engineer and producer who made hit records in his flat. Has lots of detail and pictures of Joe's recording gear and recording techniques. Discusses how Joe Meek pushed the recording gear to it's limits while creating new sounds. Highly recommended.
A Great Read for Anybody Interested in Sixties Pop & Rock.......2002-06-05
I am very impressed by Barry Cleveland's book. He provides a great deal of specific information about Joe Meek's recording techniques and equipment. However, be not afraid, this is not done in a pedantic technical manner; it's very readable for the non-technical.
Being well familiar with most of Meek's recorded output, I especially enjoyed Cleveland's detailed commentaries on certain of Meek's recordings. For my taste, Cleveland could have gone on for many more pages on the same subject with different tracks.
I perceive Cleveland to be outside of the intense (mostly English) Meek cult which brings some fresh perspective on his work.
What more can I say? This was a good read that I raced through and will no doubt revisit frequently. The CD of "I Hear a New World" is a great bonus. It's surprisingly different from the RPM release. It makes me appreciate the work Roger Dopson and his associates did to bring out the RPM version.
An inspiration for all home recordists..........2002-03-08
The British record producer Joe Meek has attained posthumous cult status and rightly so: his innovative work broke the highly conservative mould of studios where engineers sported white coats as though they were in a science laboratory and everything was done "by the book".
In Meek's case the circumstances of his life - and more to the point his death - have created a lot of urban myth. After all, Spector may have discharged revolvers at ceilings, but Meek ended his own life - and that of his landlady - with a large shotgun and all on the anniversary of Buddy Holly's death!
With those factors in mind, it's refreshing to discover a book which traces Joe Meek's life, not for the sake of cheap scandal, but through the music he made through his innovative recordings and equipment creations/modifications. Barry Cleveland has achieved the near impossible by delivering a book which is both an enjoyable work for the non-technical reader and highly satisfying for the studio "anorak" who wants to know the fine details of Meek's home studio in London's Holloway Road. Cleveland has tracked down the closest surviving sources who bring to life a picture of the cluttered apartment where Joe Meek took on the mighty forces of EMI, Decca and the like and won - for a while at least - with hits like Telstar, Johnny Remember Me and Have I The Right.
If the words are top class, the layout is every bit the match for them, with many photos I've never seen before (and believe me, I've seen a lot of Meek-related photos!) and a full discography. I can't reccomend this book enough... how about 6 stars out of 5?!
Book Description
Now You Have a Friend in the Industry!
So you want to get into show business? In Hollywood, it's not what you know, but who you know that counts. Whether your dream is to become a Hollywood writer or find the perfect producer to buy your script, at your fingertips are the insider hints and secrets you need to get discovered and succeed in this ultracompetitive industry. Hollywood guru and screenwriter Skip Press introduces you to hundreds of producers, directors, and agents and tells you how to reach them—by mail, phone, fax, or e-mail. You'll learn how to:
·Market screenplays, novels, or short stories to the right people
·Tailor your proposal to the preferences of each producer, director, or agent
·Understand the real Hollywood and everything show business
·Find the best agent or manager
"Thoughtfully written, clearly laid out, and of great value to beginners and old-timers alike. This book combines fearless opinions and invaluable hard facts—both of which are hard to find in Hollywood."
—Gareth Wigan, co-vice chairman, Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group
"An entertaining and valuable tool for anyone interested in show business."
—Paul Mason Sr., vice president of production, Viacom
"An invaluable resource for breaking into the movie and television business."
—Barbara Anne Hiser, Emmy-winning cable and network television producer
"An insightful guide to the intricate Hollywood network."
—Oliver Eberle, founder and CEO, ShowBIZData.com
"The bonus for readers of this book is that Skip Press is a good writer—accessible, clear, persuasive, motivating, and easy to understand."
—Jerry B. Jenkins, coauthor, the Left Behind series
Customer Reviews:
Should be better.......2004-04-29
There is some decent info, but the worst part is how outdated the numbers and addresses are! You go to call a company and they're gone! Same with addresses--I had many queries returned to me because the company was no longer there. So then, what's the point of the book if you can't get ahold of the people?
More "advice" from someone with no record........2003-10-19
The truth is that if you want to make it in Hollywood, you have to come to Hollywood. You can't phone it in, and producers don't have the time or the inclination to track down scripts... they are sent 100 a week to choose from. This book is worse advice than you would get in one night of hanging out at any bar in LA that real, credited writers go to. I mean, look at the other credits this writer has... "your modeling career"... what the heck sort of background does this give so that the writer can speak to script writing, being that he has no script sales (verified by using Studio System, the entertainment industry database) or movies to his credit? The advice in here is plain, common sense, not insightful... and what the other poster said about telling Black writers where to get the best fried chicken in LA is just the sort of stuff you get. He spends three pages detailing how many brads to bind scripts with... and if you actaully talk to any agent, the truth is they don't care. In short, this book is worthless, written by someone with no experience in the subject.
much ado about nothing.......2002-10-20
This book is mostly hype and little delivery. The "inside" information can largely be found on the net and/or in better-written books by screenwriters of prominence. The agent and producer listings are vague and of little help. The book tells you almost nothing about "what they want" and virtually nothing about "how to win them over." All in all, it's poorly written and verbose and could have been cut down to a third of its length. Some of it is shockingly inappropriate, such as recommending to African-American writers where they can get good fried chicken in LA. In sum, it's yet another add-water-and-stir screenwriting book by somebody long on self-aggrandizement and short on Hollywood experience. I also find it quite suspicious that twelve five-star reviews here on ... were posted within a three-day period. Yeah, right.
A terrific resource!.......2002-04-05
I love this book! Mr. Press has done a terrific job. I strongly recommend this book to anyone wanting to make a career as a screenwriter!
A Friend in the Industry.......2002-03-26
As a professional writer in South Africa on an award winning sitcom, amongst others, I have endured constant battles to even have my feature scripts read in Hollywood - to a large degree because of Tinsel Town's blinkered approach to writers who are not based in LA. It really is a business where WHO you know, far outweighs WHAT, and in this respect alone, Skip's book is an invaluable resource. Not only does it provide a wealth of interesting and useful information about the movie industry, it also includes a substantial list of contacts for those who feel they have, to the best of their abilities, mastered the craft of scriptwriting and are ready to start querying producers, agents and managers. Thanks to Skip's book, and his monthly newsletters, I am now repped by a WGA signatory agent and receive regular readings of scripts that before no-one would bother with. While I still haven't sold anything in Hollywood, my confidence has risen since purchasing this book and when I do sell, it'll be to a large degree due to Skip's assistance.
Amazon.com
Author Skip Press has assembled an eminently useful one-stop compendium of agent and producer listings (directors are subsumed in the producer section) for neophyte screen scribes. It includes fairly informative essays ("Maybe You Should Write a Book" as a faster way to break in), up-to-date stuff on the Internet, and listservs of interest to wordslingers. This is a good place to start for a screenwriting overview before deciding whether to proceed to more specialized volumes--or straight to a film career.
Book Description
In Hollywood, it's not just what you know, it's who you know that counts! With
Writer's Guide to Hollywood Producers, Directors, and Screenwriter's Agents you have the friend you need to succeed in this very competitive industry. In this insider's guide, Hollywood screenwriter Skip Press tells you who's who, what they're looking for, and, most important, how to reach them—by mail, phone, fax, even e-mail. Also included:
• Essential information on submission protocols and preferences for hundreds of agencies and production companies
• Extensive interviews with key people
• How Hollywood works: An A-Z tour
• Books, CD-ROMs, and other back doors to Hollywood
• And much, much more!
"Skip Press has written a book that combines fearless opinions and invaluable hard facts, both of which are hard to find in Hollywood. This book is thoughtfully written, clearly laid out, and of great value to beginners and old-timers alike."
—Gareth Wigan, co-vice chairman, Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group
"An invaluable resource for breaking into the movie and television business."
—Barbara Anne Hiser, Emmy-winning cable and network television producer
"[This book is] not only entertaining but a valuable tool for anyone interested in show business."
—Paul Mason, Sr., vice president of Production, Viacom
"The bonus for any reader of this book is that Skip Press is just a good writer—accessible, clear, persuasive, motivating, and easy-to-understand."
—Jerry B. Jenkins, author of the Left Behind series and 'Twas the Night Before
"An insightful guide to the intricate Hollywood network."
—Oliver Eberle, founder and CEO, ShowBIZ Data.com
About the Author
Skip Press, a novelist, screenwriter, and producer, is the author of How to Write What You Want and Sell What You Write and dozens of other titles, as well as hundreds of entertainment articles and short stories. He lives in the Los Angeles area.
Customer Reviews:
Incompetent author.......2004-10-30
It is my habit to keep silent when I read a very bad book--- I prefer letting the book speak for itself. As a writer myself, I dislike "lay" readers' criticism (though I seek and accept informed, knowledgable criticism). I was asked to read this book and give my opinion, based upon my dozen years writing and selling manuscripts.
Here is my opinion: IGNORE THIS BOOK. It was obsolete when it was published, and the "advice" within it is very poor. A writer who follows the advice is not, in my opinion, likely to sell much, if anything.
For example, publishers *LOATHE* writers who send them manuscripts unsolicited; they *DETEST* writers who telephone them without given leave to do so. When I was co-editor of a popular nature recreation magazine for nine months, it was common practice to put the senders of unsolicited material on the "ignore this person" list--- we do not have time, nor the inclination, to read every manuscript sent. As a writer, I learned a decade ago that sending unsolicited material will put the writer in the trash can, unread.
Publishers expect, and most demand, query letters these days.
My advice, as a successful and well-published author: reject this book, and run and and purchase a copy of "Writer's Market." Read the first five chapters--- it will tell you exactly what you need to know about breaking into the fields. "Writer's Market" costs $30 and is updated every year: it will give you an excellent idea on who is buying, what is selling, and how to join that market successfully. "Skip Press'" book does not.
Invaluable tool for anyone wanting to break into Hollywood!.......2002-03-23
Skip's book, The Writer's Guide, has become the book that I carry around with me! I refer to it for everything, including lessons on etiquette when contacting agents or production companies. The response I have received for all of my scripts after heeding his advice in this book is overwhelming. Eight out of ten production companies have requested my screenplays, and I am certain this would have never happened without his book! He tailors each agent or producers needs specifically, so a writer can pin-point exactly who is right for a particular project. Anyone who wants to make contacts in this industry should not only read this book, but keep it with them throughout their career!
This Book Is Outdated.......2000-08-05
...
There are plenty of other books on Amazon that are muchmore useful than this one (and they're written by someone who has actually sold a screenplay). Pass on this paper weight book.
DO NOT BUY THIS BOOK-IT'S OLD.......2000-07-19
I queried several of the agencies and companies listed in this book, and guess what? The post office returned many of the letters because the addresses were either wrong, outdated, or the recipient was no longer there. AMAZON SHOULD TAKE THIS BOOK OFF THE SITE; IT IS A RIP-OFF!
This book Really HELPED me 100%.......2000-04-11
I'm from South America, and when I went to Los Angeles to try to find an agent for my project to be able to sell it, I decided to buy this book "just for the attracting cover", but then it became the best book I could ever bought for finding that agent. I didn't know where to start, and after reading almost half of it in one night, I wake up next day knowing exactly which 20 agents (my personal choose, on his recommendations)I had to visit, and what kind of letters to take them. I finally visited 14, and left my project info in all of them. I got calls from 4 of them, and finally signed up with CAA. You can't believed it?, Well it's true, and (thank you very much, Skip), you can check it out directly with him, 'cause after returning to my country, I finally got in touch with him, and he even help me more by email. Actually he became a friend. Thanks. P.S. Anyway, it also help a lot to have a good project to sell, isn't it.. ;-)
Amazon.com
Dan Auiler is undoubtedly the luckiest Alfred Hitchcock devotee alive. With the permission of the director's family, he sifted through the Hitchcock archives at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to create a multifaceted portrait of the artist at work. If this book has a fault, it's that the sheer mass of information makes it a little hard to digest; but taken in small doses, its richness becomes a virtue, offering unique insights into the complicated processes that led to some of the greatest movies ever made.
Auiler divides the creative act into three parts: "Building the Screenplay," "Preparing the Visual," and "Putting It All Together." In each section he provides documents, including memos, script excerpts, sketches, and storyboards from a selection of films. Most interesting are those relating to Kaleidoscope a project from the late '60s that, Auiler contends, would have been a groundbreaking film had the studio not forced Hitchcock to abandon it. This collection also gives full credit to Alma Reville, the director's wife and lifelong collaborator, and her influence on the development of Hitchcock's style is evident throughout. Other gems include a transcript of discussions between Hitchcock and Tippi Hedren about her character in The Birds and a set of production stills from an early, lost movie, The Mountain Eagle.
There's an enormous amount to take in, but what quickly emerges is a sense of Hitchcock's meticulous approach to crafting a film. He frequently sent script treatments to other writers and filmmakers, asking for their critical comments, and Auiler reproduces several of these correspondences, including François Truffaut's detailed analysis of Kaleidoscope. At the other end of the creative journey the book closes with the script for an unproduced Spellbound trailer in which Hitchcock playfully evokes the magic of movies: "That screen up there is like a mind ... we here in Hollywood can make anything happen there." Hitchcock's Notebooks is a testament to the powerful vision and sheer hard work that lay behind that magic. --Simon Leake
Book Description
From a couple racing across the top of Mount Rushmore to a woman's final shower at an isolated motel, no other filmmaker has given movie fans more unforgettable images or heart-pounding thrills than Alfred Hitchcock. Now for the first time, you can finally share in the Master of Suspense's inspiration and development -- his entire creative process -- in Hitchcock's Notebooks.
With the complete cooperation of the Hitchcock estate and unprecedented access to the director's notes, files, and archives, Dan Auiler takes you from the very beginnings of story creation to the master's final touches during post-production. Actual production notes from Hitchcock's masterpieces join detailed interviews with key production personnel, including writers, actors and actresses, and his personal assistant of more than thirty years.
Mirroring the director's working methods to give you the actual feel of his process, the book explores the production files of Shadow Of A Doubt, Strangers On A Train, North By Northwest, and others, as well as the legendary lost works: The Mountain Eagle and the unfinished film Kaleidoscope. Highlighted by nearly one hundred photographs and illustrations, chapters focus on finding and constructing the right story (featuring interviews with such renowned screenwriters as Charles Bennett, Samuel Taylor, and Ernest Lehman); envisioning the film (from storyboards to set design); the filming (spotlighting Hitchcock's innovations and trick shots); music; and much more.
No fan or film student should be without this definitive guide to the renowned filmaker's art.
Customer Reviews:
Interesting.......2007-06-02
There were many interesting elements in this book, but at a whole not as informative or useful as I might have hoped. Maybe a good book for a Hitchcock collector who is trying to find everything out about Hitchcock...
Sadly useless..........2003-05-28
Spoto has his successor to writing useless dribble on the master of pure cinema! Auiler has once again (after his Vertigo, The Making of a Hitchcock Classic) produced a useless book, this time including many pages of reproduced notes on the making of selected Hitchcock movies. Obviously lacking the talent to provide an analysis, Auiler includes pages and pages and pages of notes, screenplay drafts and whatnot to not better any understanding, let alone enjoyment and experience of Hitchcock's work. What a waste!
What Was Hitch Thinking?...This Book Will Tell You...........2003-03-30
This review refers to "Hitchcock's Notebooks..An Authorized and Illustrated Look Inside the Creative Mind Of Alfred Hitchcock" by Dan Auiler....
The title of this book says it all. It is exactly that. A look into the creative mind of "The Master"..Alfred Hitchcock.
Although geared largely toward the aspiring film maker, it is also a wonderful treasure for film buffs and huge fans(like myself).
Each chapter gives detailed information and documents on Hitch's genius at the making of his films. Not just the blockbusters, but all of them.(Even the ones that never saw an audience.) From the First chapter, "Beginnings", where you may see many photographs of the young director working on the set of his earliest completed work "The Mountain Eagle" which has disappeared and is one of the world's most sought after films, through the last chapter "Fade Out". which describes his marketing techniques(i.e. not letting anyone in the theatre after "Psycho" had started) once the films were wrapped up, you will find that Mr.Auiler has done extensive research and enlightens us on Hitch's methods.
Very detailed accounts of scripts from "Rebecca", "The Paradine Case" and Suspicion" may be found in the chapter entitled "Building The Screenplay", correspondance, notes, and letters in Hitch's own handwriting in refrence to "Shadow of a Doubt" may also be found here. This is a very technical chapter, but Auiler gives an easy understanding of the production processes used.
In "Preparing the Visual" you'll find lots of sketches, drawings, and Hitch's famous story boards for movies like "Lifeboat", "North by Northwest" and "Vertigo" are shown as well. In "Production Gallery" there are many stills of Hitch and the actors on the sets of works going as far back as "The Farmer's Wife" and "Number 17"(an experimental film, which was never completed), the "Thirty Nine Steps", Sabatoge","Strangers on a Train" and much more.
Auiler fills this 559 page book with fascinating facts and memorabia that any Film buff would love. There are even taped conversations(in which Hitch does almost all the talking), one with Tippy Hedron on exactly how he wants her to act in "The Birds" among them.
I loved it and could not put it down!.....enjoy....Laurie
Sorry, Brian from NYC - I have to differ!.......2002-07-10
It's obvious HE didn't appreciate the reality of this book. Sure, there are a lot of memos, telegrams, and transcripts of conversations - but it gives an inside look into the life of Hitchcock. Life and character are made up and discovered through little things like this. Sure, I agree that some of the side-by-side script and plot comparisons were a bit dull. But I read this entire book, so it can't have been THAT bad. The writing concerning Shadow of a Doubt is a bit hard to decipher, but who wants to read if there's no challenge to it? That chickenscratch masks some excellent writing.
As for the films discussed not being the classics Brian from NYC referred to, I get tired of hearing about Rear Window, Psycho, Vertigo exclusively. There is a wealth of information and books on those films - and I want to know about them all. So I was glad that this book dealt more with the less-discussed films. And I am a great fan of Marnie, so I read and re-read all that was said about Marnie.
This book isn't for someone looking for a fast-moving read. "The Art of Alfred Hitchcock" by Donald Spoto is an excellent one to begin with - not "Hitchcock's Notebooks". Save this one until you know you like Hitchcock enough to appreciate it.
Misleading and, frankly, kinda dull.......2002-05-20
EDIT: I guess this deserves two stars rather than one; after all you can't get this stuff anywhere else. I was feeling a bit shirty when I gave it one star. Now, on with the review! - - -
First of all let it be known that the so-called "notebooks" of the title are a fiction. The title implies that during the making of his greatest films Sir Alfred sat down, licked the end of his pencil, and committed to paper all his magic in black and white for the indy filmmakers of posterity to read and emulate.
Well, sadly, there are no long lost secret "notebooks". The creative genius of Hitchcock, much like the plans in The 39 Steps, resided in that little man's head.
What we have instead is distressingly prosaic, and not very educational at all. We get memos, telegrams, more memos, lengthy side by side script draft comparisons, transcripts of conversations, still more memos, and a few storyboards that can be found elsewhere.
And if, upon hearing the name Hitchcock, you think of titles like Psycho, Vertigo, Rear Window, Rebecca, Notorious, and North by Northwest, then prepare to be disappointed. They aren't discussed. Instead we're referred to the author's other books for the first two films and the Criterion laserdisks for the rest. (Laserdisks! Do they even make those anymore? Thanks for nothing, guys.)
We do get a gobsmackingly large amount of stuff about Marnie, though.
But wait, there's more:
We get a thrilling exchange of telegrams discussing whether or not Suspicion is a boring title for a film. (Hitch says yes, his producer says no, then Hitch says yes again, and his producer repeats no. How's that for a look into the mind of a genius?)
We get lengthy memos from people like Hume Cronyn talking about how scene 423 of a second draft of a script that we never have seen nor never will see needs to be revised in some unspecified way.
We learn that the character development in The Birds was a little below par. There's a series of four or five lengthy letters, all saying the same thing, and capped off with this brilliant editorial comment from our learned author: "Of course, the consistent complaint here is the weakness in the character development, something that was never worked out." Thanks, Professor.
We get fuzzy reproductions of the blueprints for the bookshop in Vertigo, should you want to build one of your own.
We get twenty pages of reproduced letters in Hitchcock's illegible handwriting discussing whether or not 3-D is a good idea. At least that's all I could make out.
We get the first draft treatment of Shadow of a Doubt in Thornton Wilder's handwriting. Alas, it too is illegible.
We get pages and pages and pages and pages of material about Marnie. It seems that half the damn book is about Marnie.
We get not one, not two, but three letters from some guy named Otis Guernsey telling Hitch he's welcome to use his germ of an idea for North By Northwest.
We get not just the film-related parts of letters, but the whole blessed thing: paragraph after paragraph of "How's Alma?" and "Drop by the next time you're in town" and letterheads for the Herald Tribune, all taking up valuable space.
We read a memo asking that the dialogue for The Birds needs to be punched up "on pages 6-10, 27-29, 37, 40, 48, 49, 50, 53, 54, 65, 74, 132, 188, and 194."
And so on. Basically, the book seems to have been assembled by dipping at random into Hitchcock's old file cabinets, running every other scrap of paper through a scanner, then presenting the whole pile sans comment. There's a definite rummage sale vibe about the whole thing - the very occasional gem amid lots and lots and LOTS of hooey.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, this one's for the completist.
Anyone who would like to get an insight into the creative thought processes of Hitchcock would be best served by the Truffaut interview book.
As for the rest of you, well, I hope you liked Marnie.
Book Description
For decades, film director Dixon Greenwood has lived the Hollywood life â the studio intrigues, the abrupt rise and fall of careers, grand aspirations come and gone. Dix's own fame rests on his one great work, SUMMER, 1921, an antiwar classic that has become a cult film. Now he believes he has lost his imagination and genius for reading the times. His audience has vanished. So, on a kind of personal rescue mission, he embarks on a three-month journey to Germany, the birthplace, as he sees it, of the twentieth century.
In postwar, post-Wall Berlin, Dix finds the winter skies gray and the cultural climate turbulent. While fellow artists debate politics and art, he discovers that a nostalgic Prussian costume drama is the most popular program on German television. With decidedly mixed feelings, he agrees to direct an episode â a fateful decision that unexpectedly reunites him with an actress who disappeared from the set of SUMMER, 1921 thirty years before. Their final collaboration takes Dix into the heart of the German century and back to his own imagination.
THE WEATHER IN BERLIN showcases Ward Just's unmatched eye for restless Americans abroad. Imbued with the glitter and darkness of both old Hollywood and the new Europe, it is a terrifically atmospheric novel by "one of the most astute writers of American fiction" (New York Times Book Review).
Customer Reviews:
Another engrossing read .......2007-06-19
Ward Just's leading men are likely to be middle-aged to elderly gents of some renown who favor Borsalino hats -- hats under which some intriguing ruminations are to be found. "The Weather in Berlin" finds our man to be an accomplished Hollywood movie director in Berlin to spend time at an institute. His renown is based largely on a film he shot in Germany several years earlier, and this gains him acceptance into a group of filmmakers shooting episodes of a highly popular sort of period soap opera in a house near the institute. The book has to do with this relationship, which occasions a discussion of the shooting of his notable film and other things of concern and interest to Germans and filmmakers.
The author writes so well that it's easy to forgive the improbably high quality of dialog some of his characters utter. What is presented as extemporaneous conversation often seems a bit too insightful and well edited. Notable is a scene in which a 15- or possibly 20-year-old village girl who claims little knowledge of films reels off a concise and astute summary and evaluation of Werner Herzog's "Aguirre, the Wrath of God" during a casual chitchat with our director protagonist. Of course, this is his recollection of a conversation from years earlier, which might excuse its literary quality.
Impressive.......2005-12-16
I'd almost given up hope. With so much fluff out there, I finally read a story about a middle-age adult who isn't wading in gore or reliving his adolescent sex fantasies. He actually has complex thoughts, a complex life, and moves in communities of people with opinions. A great book. How did he ever get it published?
Berlin and LA?.......2003-03-14
The Weather in Berlin offers a tight portrait of post-war(s) Germany and strangley, current day Hollywood. How are dreams realized and at what expense? How different is the psyche of a director or a dictator within their self-generated worlds of audiences/volk, leader and led?
Explore the subtle words and beauty of this fine novel. The Prussian past is really not that far from Hollywood and Vine.
Well worth the read and well worth the work.
A Fancy Pot Boiler.......2003-02-19
There's a big hole in the center of this book where the personality of the protagonist ought to be. It seems that the author, after having spent time in a German think-tank and needing to mine some gold out of it, hobbled together a novel from his impressions of Berlin, to which he added an incredibly thin plot revolving around the crisis of his 60ish film-making hero. The writing is very, very pretty, but not always clear. Sentences don't just run on but run amok. Everone talks alike. The action, what there is of it, is poorly motivated. There are numerous digressions, while seeming essentials are absent. The saving grace is what one learns about political and cultural thinking in today's re-unified East Germany.
An Interesting Trip.......2003-01-26
In this 305 page book the author gives an insightful look at the culture of the old East Germany as it has been changed after the reunification of Germany. Characters are presented representing the ones who enjoyed their old isolated lives under communist rule and are contrasted with persons who follow the capitalist ideologies. The time period of the book is the winter of 1999 and the scenes reflect that troubled time in the reunification process. This is a pleasure to read for those who have traveled in Germany in Berlin and the surrounding countryside. A familiarity with the locations and cultural atmosphere certainly enhances the pleasure. However, a map of Berlin and the surrounding area certainly would be a help to persons not very familiar with the locale. Another source of pleasure for me was the view into the mind of an American movie director, specifically how he has to be able to imagine all he ideally wants and then to try to reproduce that ideal with the fallible humans at hand. The narrative of the book wanders in and out of reveries by the principal character Dixon Greenwood as his imagination works with a story that he has to direct as part of a German television series.
Book Description
Conventional wisdom has it that women cant work in Hollywood unless theyre in front of the camera. And while its true that female studio heads and major directors are in short supply, its equally clear that some of the heaviest hitters in Tinseltown re women. Mollie Gregory has interviewed over 100 of these pioneers, whose stories make up a chronicle of the last three decades of the entertainment industry.o subject is off limits to these women who run the show: sexual harassment, the personal cost of success, the stranglehold the boys club can have on major projects.Featured are frank, revealing conversations with, among others: Julia Phillips, producer of The Sting and Taxi Driver; Gale Anne Hurd, producer of Terminator and Aliens; Mimi Leder, director of The Peacemaker; Barbra Streisand, director and producer of Yentl; Laura Ziskin, president of Fox 2000.
Customer Reviews:
Essential Reading of Important Hollywood History.......2004-09-17
I was fortunate enough to have grown up in the 1970's and I've been able to recall nearly every project mentioned in this book, from the movies to the TV series and "movies of the week." To get a look behind the projects and see how they played a part in the history of women in Hollywood gave them a whole new meaning all these years later.
Told in an open, casual style (the book literally feels like conversations with everyone involved), WOMEN WHO RUN THE SHOW is fun look back at Hollywood as well as an important document of how the ladies "stormed" the gates of tinsel town.
This should be essential reading for every woman with an interest in show business--or anyone curious about the way Hollywood works.
I love this inspiring, beautifully written book.......2002-10-09
I wonder if Mollie Gregory knew what she was going to reveal when she first started research for this book. It's an amazing book -- the journey taken by a group of courageous, talented women who didn't realize they were actually making history.
Absolutely terrific!
Women Who Run the Show.......2002-09-15
"When I started reading this book, I was amazed how controversial it was. I had no idea what women went through on the job in the 1970s through the 1990s, the period this book covers! I sent a copy to my mom in Chicago. She is 84 and has been in business all her life. She just called and told me that she has two of her friends over every afternoon, they pass the book around and read sections of it aloud, and laugh their heads off. She says that this book should be given to every retired woman because the women in this book are talking about what my mom and a million other senior women went through, too. What a great Christmas gift this book will be! (To the book editors of the Chicago Tribune, New York Times and L A Times--Wake up!)
Dave Henson, Chairman, International Foundation of Education and Performing Arts.
A Must Read Book!.......2002-09-12
Mollie Gregory's newest book is a terrific history of recent Hollywood, as well as a biography of many courageous women. It is also much, much more. It is a great read, written with the ease of a novelist and the detailed facts of a top journalist. It contains many cautionary tales about the 'biz' plus it is a great how-to manual for anyone who wants a career in the entertainment field. If you were part of Hollywood in the 70s, 80s, or 90s, as I was, the stories will resonate, validate and entertain. If you're new in town --or want to be -- this book should be required reading. You will find it a fascinating peak at the real Hollywood. Enjoy!
Women Who Run the Show.......2002-09-12
A great history of show business and of the women who broke down the barricades. It reads like a novel. It's a must for anyone interested in Hollywood or the women's movement.
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- Leonard Maltin's Movie Guide 2007 (Plume Paperback)
- LL Cool J's Platinum Workout: Sculpt Your Best Body Ever with Hollywood's Fittest Star
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