Filmmaking books `

[Chance1234]

just diggin out a old link, but

http://5ylac.s5.com/FilmMakingBook.html

[twister!]

Yep, that Katz book is good.

Another I'd recommend is David Mamet's 'On DIrecting Film' - this is very concise and easy to read. He mainly explains and demonstrates the montage theory, also as you'd expect from Mamet, some good bits on acting and performance.

On ediiting a great little book is Walter Murch's 'In the blink of an eye'

One that has just come out and I'm reading it at the moment which is BRILLIANT is Alexander Mackendrick's 'On Film-making: An introduction to the craft of the director' - Mackendrick was a director (Ladykillers, man in the white suit, Sweet smell of success) who decided directing had become to much about 'deal-making' so quit fairly young in order to pursue a career teaching film-making at Cal-Arts. The book is very in-depth about all aspects of the process from dramatic construction, character, POV, condensing screen time, subtext, working with actors, getting performances etc etc. It really is SUPERB and the best I've read by quite some way!

[Spunkey1pestic]

American Cinematographer Manual

This is the filmaker's bible! [img]cool.gif[/img]

[eidde]

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/...130262-9224400

[Nigel]

The ASC book really only has DOF charts...A kelly wheel is better for those anyway.

If I see a kid on a set with an ASC book I know that they are either A) In film school B) Don't know any better

Good Luck

[peter_g]

I don't like a Kelly wheel or charts. Instead I use a palm pilot. I have a piece of software that calculates depth of field perfectly and is not at all cumbersome. The best film making books, from a European perspective at least is the guerrilla film makers hand book series. They are packed with practical, current advice. I'd recommend them to anyone.

[Nigel]

The problem with a Palm-Pilot is that it's electronic...When you are in the middle of nowhere a Kelly-Wheel will always work.

Yes, there are all sorts of little things you can download for a lap-top or Palm using BlueTooth this or wireless that. Yet, they never seem to save anytime and when it is crunch time the batteries are dead.

Good Luck

[peter_g]

When you enter the lens, subject distance and f stop into that palm pilot software, it applies all this into some kind of mathematical formula from which it derives a depth of field. On the other hand with charts or a Kelly wheel there is often a certain amount of guestimation going on. What if one uses an irregular lens (e.g. 23mm)? The depth of field will be slightly different to that of a 25mm lens. Yet, if you use a Kelly wheel or depth of field charts you will just work off the figures for a 25mm lens. I prefer to have the exact right figures. It won't matter most of the time, but I like to maximise my margin of error whenever possible. Naturally I have a Kelly wheel standing by in case my palm pilot batteries die.