Filmmaking Stuff

I recently was asked to read a new book out on filmmaking and as you know I’m notorious for being straight ahead, fair and honest. 

So ready? It’s called How to Make, Market and Sell your Movie Without the Middleman. And a sub-title called Filmmaking Stuff.

That’s a mouthful right there. Maybe two.

My first thought went back to a similar book from 1971 called Breaking Through, Selling Out, Dropping Dead.  Breaking Through was arguably the first book to use a casual “say it like it is” talking style rather than a formal instruction book and was the guide for low budget films for those of us working in 16mm way back when.

But we’re not in 16mm anymore.

My first thought was another Tony Robbins sell and the first few chapters deal with the writer, Jason Brubaker, and his early experiences and his successes and failures. But his advice on how to find money is filled with ideas and stories that should inspire anybody.

The book begins to shape itself and becomes both informative and entertaining. The early chapters are almost exclusively for beginners. He gives them a realistic take on the “business” and I particularly liked the real issues that he brings to the table. Being a writer and director with a reasonably impressive imdb, I lived much of what he talks about and it all is real.

The biggest difference in this book is the amount of information that comes not from theories and seminars, but rather from his own experience. Nothing like having failed to make you stronger. He begins with setting goals and takes the reader through everything from finding money, picking a team, branding yourself, picking your genre, creating websites, using production software,  and tons of other good subjects.

This is a book for the digital age and has more bits and pieces that are mostly left out in magazines and other books to make it worthwhile for even a seasoned pro like myself.

But what I really liked were the marketing chapters towards the end and they are in themselves a reward that even I highlighted sections. In short, his simplified explanation on marketing is probably the best I’ve ever read without having to pay a lawyer or investment specialist.

He brings in every new idea and what it takes to start, make and market a film including the crowd-funding choice and even an update on where presently is. The chapters on how to reach an audience for Video on Demand is amazing.Yes, he has links and connections to various websites and he does offer them, but at the same time he always gives the reader choices that make it even-handed.

I’d recommend this book to its obvious aspiring filmmaker market but also to the pros because they’ll find out things they never knew.