Rebel without a Deal: or, How a 30-year-old filmmaker with $11,000 almost became a Hollywood player Review

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(More customer reviews)Actually I think this is the most useful book for indie filmmakers EVER written. And with the addition of an interview with Kevin Smith broken up throughout the book, it always kept things entertaining.
As my daughters karate teacher once said, "It's a wise person that learns from others". So if you ever plan to shoot and sell your own movie, I think it would be wise to read this book first. This book gives a blow by blow description of what it took to write, shoot and sell an independently made movie. Written by a smart, funny, hardworking, determined, and insightful guy, that never gave up on his dream.
Absolutely an indie filmmakers bible. A must read for independent filmmakers, but a great read for anyone even slightly interested in independent filmmaking. Or if you just love Kevin Smith.
I highly recommend that you go buy this book.

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Rebel without a Deal chronicles how a High School dropout made his first movie in five days for $11,000 and got it distributed through Warner Bros. where it went on to gross over a million dollars.

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Filmmaking: Direct Your Movie from Script to Screen Using Proven Hollywood Techniques Review

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(More customer reviews)The illustration on the cover of this book is very apropos. As someone who jumped in to the industry with both feet and not a first clue about what I was getting into, I can say that I WISH that I had had "Filmmaking: Direct Your Movie from Script to Screen Using Proven Hollywood Techniques" by Jason Tomaric back then! It is just packed with just about every single detail that any aspiriing, or even established independent filmmaker can have a question about.
The one thing that really thrilled me about this book is that it goes beyond techniques and how to film scenes, three point lighting, cameras, etc. This book also effectively delves into the nitty-gritty of the business side. This is the one area, in all honesty, what so many film students or would-be filmmakers painfully lack. Filmmaking is a business, and Tomaric brings that reality home. Jason Tomaric shows step-by-step on scheduling, casting, dealing with the various unions and organizations, as well as keeping things nice and organized during the all-too-important post-production and distribution stages.
If you want to make movies, and you don't necessarily have the time and inclination to go to film school, there is no better book that I have found than this one that covers it all in one volume. It simply is a must-own!

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Filmmaking, the definitive resource for filmmakers, blows the doors off the secretive film industry and shows you how to adapt the Hollywood system for your production. Full of thousands of tips, tricks, and techniques from Emmy-winning director Jason Tomaric, Filmmaking systematically takes you through every step of how to produce a successful movie - from developing a marketable idea through selling your completed movie. Whether you're on a budget of $500 or $50 million, Filmmaking reveals some of Hollywood's best-kept secrets. Make your movie and do it right.

The companion site includes:


Over30 minutes of high-quality video tutorials featuring over a dozen working Hollywood professionals

Industry-standard forms and contracts you can use for your production

Sample scripts, storyboards, schedules, call sheets, contracts, letters from the producer, camera logs, and press kits

45-minute video that takes you inside the movie that launched Jason's career. 3,000 extras, 48 locations, 650 visual effects-all made from his parent's basement for $25,000.

The companion site includes:


Over 30-minutes of high-quality video tutorials featuring over a dozen working Hollywood professionals

Industry-standard forms and contracts you can use for your production

Sample scripts, storyboards, schedules, call sheets, contracts, letters from the producer, camera logs and press kits

45-minute video that takes you inside the movie that launched Jason's career. 3,000 extras, 48 locations, 650 visual effects, and all made from his parent's basement for $25,000.

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Rebel without a Crew: Or How a 23-Year-Old Filmmaker With $7,000 Became a Hollywood Player Review

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(More customer reviews)Not because he's a great writer or director, but because with every single project he makes me feel like I can DO this. I can make good movies that people will enjoy watching. And you can, too.
This is one of the most inspiring books on filmmaking I've ever read--it depicts, in detail, all the ups and downs that went into making and selling EL MARIACHI, the $7000 sensation that opened doors for Rodriguez.
A lot of filmmakers argue that EL MARIACHI isn't a great film, that the story's kind of silly, that the version that most of us saw had $500,000 worth of post-production work added, and on and on.
But they're talking about it. It's 2003 and people are still talking about the amazing feat Rodriguez pulled off with this film. For $7000 of his own money, plus a whole lot of blood, sweat and tears, he got himself noticed and made a career out of his hobby. "Do what you love, then find someone who will pay you to do it."
This is a how-to manual for the basement movie-maker, written by a man who is excited about using movies to tell his stories: in this book, in the commentary tracks for his movies, in his Ten-Minute Film School installments, I have never once felt like Robert Rodriguez was bored with either his work or his achievements. The guy has fun, and his personality gets its fingerprints all over his work--if you can't enjoy yourself while watching a Rodriguez movie, you're expecting too much and thinking too hard.
This guy is not changing the face of American cinema: he wants all of US to change the face of American cinema, and this book is an open invitation to do just that.
Devour Rodriguez. Consume this book and engorge yourself on his DVDs. Chow down on special features on how he did it that also show YOU how to do it. If, after a week-long diet of Robert Rodriguez, you DON'T want to make your own movie IMMEDIATELY, seek a different destiny: making movies is not for you.

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In Rebel Without a Crew, screenwriter and director Robert Rodriguez discloses all the unique strategies and original techniques he used to make his remarkable debut film, El Mariachi, on a shoestring budget. This is both one man's remarkable story and an essential guide for anyone who has a celluloid story to tell and the dreams and determination to see it through.

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I'll Be in My Trailer: The Creative Wars Between Directors and Actors Review

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(More customer reviews)Actors... can't live with them, can't fire them. Of course, actors are very special people. And of course, the main key to dealing with them is communication. However, finding the RIGHT way to communicate is often very difficult, because the way a director, writer or a producer thinks is very different from how the mind of an actor sees the creative process. (they also differ greatly from each other, but that's a whole different ballgame)
John Badham, director of some huge hits (Saturday Night Fever, Stakeout, War Games) tries to build bridges in this book, even though the title leads one to believe the tone will be fairly belligerent. On the contrary, while there are some stories about extremely bad behaviour here, Badham is being very constructive. In many cases, he puts the blame for an incident squarely on his own shoulders, even when an objective observer would think he did nothing wrong. His main goal is to facilitate the communication between director and actor, by explaining how to give direction in a way that actors can actually use. Badham himself uses the `as if'-technique (i.e. play this scene as if you got to catch the last train) to put actors in the right frame of mind. However, this approach isn't right for everyone (some actors DO want result-oriented direction), and Badham duly notes alternative approaches.
The book also provides a ton of helpful hints for almost all of the problems that can crop up on a set, acting-wise and actor-wise. When dealing with an addict, the only option is tough love. When some actors misbehave just for the fun of it or to flaunt their own power, a swift and just retribution is in order - except when you're dealing with real stars, who are beyond anyone's power to control.
The book also contains lots of interviews with actors, directors and producers who provide insights from all sides of the `war'. There's a lot of on-set anecdotes about Travolta (Saturday Night Fever) and Richard Dreyfuss, among others, and the interviewees include both huge stars, television directors, well-known actors who never made it to the A-list, and producers. The book is completely succesful at what it sets out to do, though of course the problems will remain. But now at least, there's some real help out there for directors struggling to get their cast under control.

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