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Making Movies
by Sidney Lumet
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How is a movie made and what exactly does a director do? This book attempts to illuminate every circumstance, internal and external, emotional and technical, involved in the arduous process that culminates in what we see on the big screen.;Only the director knows the background to the scenes, behind every passing frame of film, and the complex series of details and decisions involved, from budget considerations to divine inspiration, from the earliest rehearsal to the final screening. Sidney Lumet's knowledge of the art and craft of directing is considerable, and here he discusses everything from art direction and wardrobe, shooting and editing, the verbal and mechanical soundtracks, to the distribution and marketing of a film and the role of the studio.
Recommended by
"Darren Aronofsky: I read it when I was in film school—when it first came out. I had a hardcover copy, which was a big investment when I was a film student (and broke). I remember just devouring it over a weekend, eating up those stories about Dog Day Afternoon and 12 Angry Men . It’s an incredibly clear, honest, and precise discussion of the films Lumet made over the course of his career. There are many pearls of wisdom about directing and filmmaking in the book. It breaks down the different problems Lumet had in making films, and tells how he solved them. Even though I had only done a bunch of short student films at that point, I could sort of identify with some of the challenges that he dealt with and wrote about. And I eventually got to put some of the stuff to use. Generally, hearing how Lumet navigated the struggles I was running into myself—that was very encouraging."
"The late, great Sidney Lumet takes you by the elbow and tells you how he did it. Another great tour of the creative process by one of our greatest directors."