Excellent
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I was exceptionally impressed with the author's style of writing which was jargon-free and, more importantly, without ego. Having read other material on the same subject, I have been disappointed and irritated by most authors' cynicism and frequent disdain for the new film maker. Aware as I am of the egomaniacal nature of the industry, Chris Jones's book was a breath of fresh air over and above its very practical nature. He achieves precisely what he should, a rare authoring skill.
The user-friendly yet detailed overview of the film maker's objectives and challenges is incredibly helpful. Coupled with a good sense of humour that doesn't undermine the subject to hand, I would strongly recommend this book for all industry new entrants who are serious about film making.
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This book gets your movie made!
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And I mean this literally: I produced my first film, a full-length feature, in the US with the help of the Blueprint which never left my or the director’s side. The book covers all any aspiring filmmaker needs to know to go out there and do it themselves. It prepares you for the traps and minefields that lurk at every level. I could never thank the Living Spirit crowd enough for this "Film school made simple". I for one have a great film to show for it. (You can take a look for yourself at www.blue-whaleproductions.com). This is truly an indispensable handbook!
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STAGGERING -
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I bought this book because there was stuff I knew I didn't know. What shocked me was the mountain of stuff I didn't know, I didn't know. I consumed this book in a weekend. I have made three short films so really thought I knew my stuff. Boy oh boy! Ignore the comments from the person below. The whole point of this book is to move past messing around with your camcorder with your mates, and into the real world of film making, with real actors, scripts and a real understanding of the journey from concept, to shoot, to premiere, to sales, and beyond. It covers everything and in some considerable depth. What makes this a stand out piece of work is the ease with which Mr Jones gets over extremely complicated concepts. And as far as I know, Mr Jones has made three indie features, one for under £10k! I suggest that does allow him to be considered a guerilla film maker! The other thing thats great about it is the way you get to 'feel' what its like. This is not a classroom concept book, this is a real world experience. Another aspect is the sheer depth. How each department is run, who runs it, how long it takes, how much it costs, what you can get away with, what you cannot etc. As for the reviewers (below) comments on Avid and Film etc., the book is completely Pro Choice and goes a great distance to stress this, but the essence of it is 'Best Practice', not cheapest, not personal favourite editing platform, not fastest etc., but BEST PRACTICE for someone with little or no money to bring a profesional movie to the marketplace and launch their carreer. Buy it. I promis you that you won't be disappointed.
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Good, but take it with a pinch of salt...
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There's no doubt about it, the information within this book is excellent. However, I'd remain sceptical about some of the recommendations given by Mr Jones and his sponsors for the Guerilla Filmmakers Blueprint. In all seriousness, it's hard to ignore Chris' advocation for shooting on film at all costs when his book is sponsored by Kodak, similarly his denouncing of all editing software as being inferior to Avid DV Xpress again raises questions when you notice that Avid too are a sponsor of this book (there's even an Avid tutorial near the back). In a book for budding filmmakers, I would have been expecting a more 'get out there and do it, by any means possible' philosophy be it on digital, 16mm, 35mm, Super 8 - anything to get your film made. Sadly, this book only covers the process of filmmaking which has been stuck to by the industry at large for the last 100 years or so and spends a lot of the time discussing unions, contracts, guilds, cameras and facilities that would be way out of the price range of the average indie filmmaker. Hardly 'Guerilla' filmmaking, which to my mind is all about breaking the rules, not following them. As I said before, it's excellent information, just not entirely relevant to us at the no-budget level. Perhaps the books by Rick Schmidt would be a better choice?
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Excellent and Concise
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I am new to film making and this book was my first purchase. I am currently nearing its end but I must say that this was money very well spent. This book takes the reader through all stages of Pre-Production, Production and all the way past Post-Production to Sales and Distribution. Each chapter is filled with relevant information as well as resources and describes concisely in an easily readable manner just what it takes to do a certain job on set and even what qualities someone doing this job should have so you know who to look for. Perfect start.
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