The Mad Hot Adventures of an Unlikely Documentary Filmmaker

by Amy Sewell

Want to make a documentary

Meet Amy Sewell, a former stay-at-home mother of twins with no filmmaking experience, who fell in love with a story about ballroom dancing kids. She went on to make and sell one of the most successful documentaries of all time.

Is that possible? How did she do it? In this engaging and insightful book, Sewell, the writer and producer of Mad Hot Ballroom , takes readers through the process. She describes her struggles and shares what she learned, from refining an idea, to raising money, to hiring a crew, to the festival circuit, distribution, and beyond. Informed by charming personal anecdotes and her infectious enthusiasm and energy, this book is an essential and inspiring guide to filmmaking from someone who burst on the scene, made her own rules, and survived to tell the tale. The Mad Hot Adventures of an Unlikely Documentary Filmmaker is a must-read for all aspiring filmmakers.

192 pages, Paperback

First published April 24, 2007

Reviews

[Mel Luna]

Her informative, engaging style brings you along for the filmmaker's wild ride into documentary superstardom. A quick and entertaining read. Moral of the story: even when everything goes right, it's still a grueling labor of love.

[Inggita]

this is the diary of the maker of that rocking doc film "Mad Hot Ballroom" - rock on!!!