Nick's review
On Film-making: An Introduction to the Craft of the Director
by Alexander Mackendrick
Nick's review
On Film-making: An Introduction to the Craft of the Director by Alexander Mackendrick
Nick's review
rating:
The best book on the craft of filmmaking that I've read--and at this point, that's a lot of books.
Mackendrick tells it to you straight. He wasn't a theorist, he was a legitimately famous British filmmaker (who hasn't at least heard of "The Sweet Smell of Success?") who became a college professor for 20-odd years. This allows him both the knowledge of what makes a film good and also the ability to communicate this info to the reader.
The examples Mackendrick uses from personal experience are invaluable. For instance, he shows the script of "Sweet Smell of Success" before and after Clifford Odets helped him revise it, showing the improvements. On the other hand, I remember reading a book that analyzed the brilliance of "Annie Hall's" script and then subsequently reading another book by Allen's editor, Ralph Rosenblum, that talked about how the film was 9 hours long and had no story, and how Rosenblum basically created the film in the editing room. On...more
Mackendrick tells it to you straight. He wasn't a theorist, he was a legitimately famous British filmmaker (who hasn't at least heard of "The Sweet Smell of Success?") who became a college professor for 20-odd years. This allows him both the knowledge of what makes a film good and also the ability to communicate this info to the reader.
The examples Mackendrick uses from personal experience are invaluable. For instance, he shows the script of "Sweet Smell of Success" before and after Clifford Odets helped him revise it, showing the improvements. On the other hand, I remember reading a book that analyzed the brilliance of "Annie Hall's" script and then subsequently reading another book by Allen's editor, Ralph Rosenblum, that talked about how the film was 9 hours long and had no story, and how Rosenblum basically created the film in the editing room. On...more