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...Your Own Damn Movie!
Direct Your Own Damn Movie!
The Independent Directing Bible that will fit in your back pocket!
(If you have an extremely large pocket...)
Have you always wanted to direct a movie, but don't know how to start?
Want to know how to get your first directing job?
What do directors even do, anyway?
Legendary director Lloyd Kaufman, creator of The Toxic Avenger, reveals 40 years worth of maverick cinematic know-how! Direct Your Own Damn Movie! will be your step-by-step roadmap on the journey
* Scriptwriting
* Pre-production
* Casting
* Managing your set
* Post-production
* Distribution
Master the art of directing the easy way! There is no better way to become a director than by following the instruction and wisdom of an actual successful film director, not someone who just talks about it.
Featuring expert advice
Eli Roth ( Grindhouse , Hostel )
Jenna Fischer ( LolliLove )
Stan Lee (co-writer Spider-Man, Fantastic Four )
Ron Jeremy (credits cannot be printed here)
Stuart Gordon ( Re-Animator )
James Gunn ( Dawn of the Dead, Slither )
...and many more!
WARNING!
Do not read this book if you suffer from motion sickness, or are about to operate heavy machinery. This book is not for the faint of heart, the good of taste, or those who might be pregnant.
(If you have an extremely large pocket...)
Have you always wanted to direct a movie, but don't know how to start?
Want to know how to get your first directing job?
What do directors even do, anyway?
Legendary director Lloyd Kaufman, creator of The Toxic Avenger, reveals 40 years worth of maverick cinematic know-how! Direct Your Own Damn Movie! will be your step-by-step roadmap on the journey
* Scriptwriting
* Pre-production
* Casting
* Managing your set
* Post-production
* Distribution
Master the art of directing the easy way! There is no better way to become a director than by following the instruction and wisdom of an actual successful film director, not someone who just talks about it.
Featuring expert advice
Eli Roth ( Grindhouse , Hostel )
Jenna Fischer ( LolliLove )
Stan Lee (co-writer Spider-Man, Fantastic Four )
Ron Jeremy (credits cannot be printed here)
Stuart Gordon ( Re-Animator )
James Gunn ( Dawn of the Dead, Slither )
...and many more!
WARNING!
Do not read this book if you suffer from motion sickness, or are about to operate heavy machinery. This book is not for the faint of heart, the good of taste, or those who might be pregnant.
- GenresBusinessNonfiction
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2008
8 people are currently reading
107 people want to read
About the author
Lloyd Kaufman
59 books44 followersLloyd Kaufman is a popular American film director, producer, screenwriter and occasional actor. With producer Michael Herz, he is the co-founder of Troma Entertainment film studio, and the director of many of their feature films, including The Toxic Avenger and Tromeo and Juliet. Kaufman also serves as chairman of the Independent Film & Television Alliance.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 30, 2025
Lloyd you will always be in my heart.
May 2, 2011
When I was fourteen years old, my then boyfriend and I used his grandmother's video store membership to rent `Tromeo & Juliet', a Troma film directed by Lloyd Kaufman. We ended up watching that movie at least twice a day for an entire summer... we never returned the tape (his grandmother is still on the run from Captain Video's goon squad). Risking his grandmother's name and good credit was worth it because until that point, I had never seen anything like `Tromeo & Juliet' and to this day, no other movie has had such a profound effect in the way that I came to think about movies. In the 15 + years that have passed since the first time I saw that film, I have watched lots of other Troma products, and there is one thing I have learned: Troma movies aren't always good movies, but they are always movies! And that is exactly why I have come to trust Mr. Kaufman and his "Make Your Own Damn Movie" ethic. Despite what you may think of Troma's films, there is no denying the fact that they are in this business for no other reason than an unadulterated love of film-making.
With "Direct Your Own Damn Movie" Mr. Kaufman offers a look into his creative process - warts, vomit, and all - in addition, he also collects wisdom from other visionary film makers, such as James Gunn (`Slither'), George Romero (`Night of the Living Dead'), Penelope Spheeris (`Wayne's World) and Eli Roth (well, they can't all be winners...). Kaufman's hilarious and off-beat humor make the book a quick and fun read, but do not be fooled, he is actually offering great advice for any independent film-maker wanna-be considering picking up the camera for the first time. There are a lot of key lessons to be learned from `Direct Your Own Damn Movie' and many are presented with real life anecdotes from Kaufman's own on-set experiences - sometimes chronicling how he may have been better off if he had in fact followed some of these rules. He covers all the important aspects of making a movie, beginning with the screenplay, hiring crew, casting, filming, and finally post-production - Mr. Kaufman doesn't just want to prepare you to "direct" your own damn movie, but to be a part of every aspect of what it takes (which for independent, low/no budget filmmakers is a necessity). But, perhaps the most important lesson that Uncle Lloydie expresses through his books is the encouragement to get out there and just... well... "MAKE YOUR OWN DAMN MOVIE"!!!
Lloyd Kaufman, president of Troma Entertainment, has been creating and helping to create and distribute and promote truly independent cinema for over 35 years! This book comes from a place of love - love of movies and the movie making process. Lloyd Kaufman, chairperson of the Independent Film & Television Alliance, knows that huge media conglomerates dictate what we can see on screen and television, and that truly the only way to stop it is to support and encourage independent film makers struggling to make their movies outside the Hollywood system. You can be that struggling film maker! Buy `Direct Your Own Damn Movie' and get started today! BUY TROMA!
With "Direct Your Own Damn Movie" Mr. Kaufman offers a look into his creative process - warts, vomit, and all - in addition, he also collects wisdom from other visionary film makers, such as James Gunn (`Slither'), George Romero (`Night of the Living Dead'), Penelope Spheeris (`Wayne's World) and Eli Roth (well, they can't all be winners...). Kaufman's hilarious and off-beat humor make the book a quick and fun read, but do not be fooled, he is actually offering great advice for any independent film-maker wanna-be considering picking up the camera for the first time. There are a lot of key lessons to be learned from `Direct Your Own Damn Movie' and many are presented with real life anecdotes from Kaufman's own on-set experiences - sometimes chronicling how he may have been better off if he had in fact followed some of these rules. He covers all the important aspects of making a movie, beginning with the screenplay, hiring crew, casting, filming, and finally post-production - Mr. Kaufman doesn't just want to prepare you to "direct" your own damn movie, but to be a part of every aspect of what it takes (which for independent, low/no budget filmmakers is a necessity). But, perhaps the most important lesson that Uncle Lloydie expresses through his books is the encouragement to get out there and just... well... "MAKE YOUR OWN DAMN MOVIE"!!!
Lloyd Kaufman, president of Troma Entertainment, has been creating and helping to create and distribute and promote truly independent cinema for over 35 years! This book comes from a place of love - love of movies and the movie making process. Lloyd Kaufman, chairperson of the Independent Film & Television Alliance, knows that huge media conglomerates dictate what we can see on screen and television, and that truly the only way to stop it is to support and encourage independent film makers struggling to make their movies outside the Hollywood system. You can be that struggling film maker! Buy `Direct Your Own Damn Movie' and get started today! BUY TROMA!
March 6, 2009
This book starts out strong with an amazing anecdote that, loosely, lets young directors know what they might be in for or, at the very least, gives you something to tell your friends about. There are a lot of good anecdotes about "Uncle Lloyd's" latest opus, Poultrygiest (a very fun movie) and some interesting insights into the every day life of one of the few people out there making a living with independent films. Outside of that, however, the book is very thin with some of the best tips coming from the guest contributors. Lloyd has a thoroughly self-deprecating sense of humor that you catch onto by page 10. By page 100, however, you realize that his "jokes" about being repetitive, padding the book with unrelated subjects in order to make an arbitrary page count set by the publisher and, oh yeah, being repetitive and padding, are more of a veiled apology for selling you this book so he can finance his movies.
January 11, 2014
A wonderful read, and a great companion to his other books, All I Need to Know About Filmmaking I Learned From the Toxic Avenger, and Make Your Own Damn Movie!.
September 2, 2012
Motivating
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews