(Part 3) Top products from r/WeAreTheFilmMakers

These might help, especially the first one:

• What I Really Want To Do On A Set In Hollywood
  
  
• Film Production Management 101
  
  
• The Guerilla Film Makers Handbook
  
  
• The Complete Film Production Handbook
  
  From my own personal experience:
  
  First Assistant Director
  
  
• The directors right hand, the producers left
  
  
• Breaks the script down into what is needed, props, cast, etc
  
  
• Creates the schedule from the broken down script
  
  
• Hires the 2nd AD, 2nd 2nd AD and 3rd AD if neccesary (I've only worked on sets that had a 1st and 2nd, I did work on one TV Show that had a 2nd 2nd but they were more a field producer)
  
  
• Calls for the 2nd AD to bring the talent to the set when they are needed
  
  
• Tells the rest of the crew the planned shot after the director has blocked it
  
  
• Is responsible for keeping the production on time and moving, any overtime is on their shoulders (well, them and the production manager)
  
  
• Oversee's what the 2nd AD is doing
  
  
• Quiets the set down, lets everyone know when the director is going for a take
  
  
• Calls out the rolls (Roll camera, roll sound), sometimes repeats Action from the director, and calls cut after him (but louder).. you need to be loud to be an AD
  
  
• Makes sure the director got everything he had planned, every setup and shot
  
  
• Checks to make sure the director is happy after a take, if he is he calls "Moving on" and begins motion to move everyone to the next shot. Releasing the actors to their trailers, calling the DP into a meeting with the director to plan the next shot. It's like a huddle, everyone comes in, makes a plan, breaks and then it is the AD who is responsible for making sure everything happens.. and happens quickly.
  
  2nd AD:
  
  
• Makes call sheets
  
  
• Calls talent and crew for updated call times
  
  
• Uses PA's to pass out call sheets
  
  
• Shuttles the talent from their dressing room/trailers to the set and back as needed
  
  
• Typically in charge of the set PA's
  
  Plus there's a lot of paperwork involved, filling out time sheets, crew sheets for payroll, daily breakdowns, etc.
  
  [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Assistant_director](This wiki page) has a lot of good information on what the entire assistant directing team does. As well as the book that ou mentioned "The Film Director's Team" is also very valid.
  
  The hierarchy on set, if something goes wrong, is something like this:
  
  
• Producer > Production Manager (sometimes called UPM) > 1st AD and Production Coordinator > 2nd AD and Assistant Production Coordinator > PAs
  
  If you've been a non-union AD on four films, you are probably in pretty good shape. It also sounds like you might have enough days to apply to be a 2nd AD in the union, you may not need to go through the DGA Trainee program.
  
  You need 400 days worked non-union (with proof (call sheets) and pay (pay stubs) as a 1st AD to get in. Or if you have 400 days between working as a 1st AD, 2nd AD or UPM, you can apply to be a 2nd AD.
  
  Also, check out Sheli The AD on Twitter, send her a tweet and she should respond. She's really responsive and helpful and just an all around good person.
  
  Good luck, and if you are still non-union in the future drop (and based in LA) me an email to [email protected]. A good AD is hard to find, I've been with way too many bad ones.

The Rebel's Guide to Filmmaking is a pretty good introduction to cheap filmmaking - although more geared towards hollywood-like filmmaking.

Good tips on how to do things on the cheap though.

Mind you: if you're just getting into filmmaking you're looking at at least 3-6 years of short film/music video production, before you can even consider going into business. There is also the hassle of applying for money from different grants. This alone is just as important as your talent...And you'll probably spend lot's more than what you are going to earn. You also have to keep at it all day, every day - which means you can't have a normal job on the side... You can teach yourself anything, but a film making school might be a better alternative in terms of learning stuff fast and with the least amount of hassle: mentors, crew and equipment all available for free.

As far as the next big art movement I'm not sure what you really mean. But great leaps in art history is usually produced by accident by a small group of talented people working together. Where the next big thing in film will come from (and when) is anybody's guess: New York, Brussels, Paris, London, Tokyo, Sidney or Seoul...

Make sure this is really what you want though! Are you a good storyteller? Verbally? In my opinion most directors started out with the desire just to get the status that comes with calling themself a director. There are, however, some exceptions!

Good luck though!

Pretty much all of the books in this series are great. I had to use the InDesign version for one of my classes, and it was helpful so I decided to get others for helping me with film editing. I bought one for Premiere CS5 (which is wonderful) and After Effects CS5 (which I haven't started yet.)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0321704495/ref=pd_lpo_k2_dp_sr_1?pf_rd_p=486539851&pf_rd_s=lpo-top-stripe-1&pf_rd_t=201&pf_rd_i=0321385497&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1Y7GRWR98NVA7GAGAYFD

I'm actually in the middle of reading this (http://www.amazon.com/Eyes-Wide-Open-Stanley-Kubrick/dp/0345437764) right now, and while it's not a biography and probably not exactly what you're looking for, it's pretty interesting.

It was written by Frederic Raphael, the screenwriter of Eyes Wide Shut. It's as much about the adaptation process on Raphael's side as it is Kubrick himself, but you get an interesting look into his creative process and how he viewed film.

If you are shooting with a dslr this is the best book I've ever purchased. It covers all the mundane aspects of filmmaking at the beginning that I am sure you already know all about but once you get into it gives some fantastic advice!

http://www.amazon.com/The-DSLR-Filmmakers-Handbook-Real-World/dp/0470876603/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1332334359&sr=8-2

My favorite has always been Grammar of The Film Langauge. But you might also want The Filmmakers Handbook and Understanding Movies. All 3 are great books.

I'm of the firm belief that story is the single most critical and crucial aspect of every movie. Ackerman's Write Screenplays That Sell has been the best book I've read in terms of story architecture. IMHO story is more important than sound quality, which is more important than the quality of the actors, which is more important than the cinematography, and so on down the line...

I'm a big fan of On Film-making by Alexander Mackendrick (Sweet Smell of Success). It collects the materials Mackendrick used while teaching at the California Institute of the Arts and covers writing and film grammer. It's a great read for advice on film-making and for Mackendrick's stories of working in the film industry.

I'll recommend von Hurkman's Color Correction Handbook, which is exceptionally helpful. And thorough.

Stanley Kubrick: A Narrative and Stylistic Analysis

One of the most academic looks at his movies in terms of narrative flow, his use of time and space etc.

If your intrested in these then you'll love Rob Ager's Anaylsis.

Best After Effects book ever. Taught myself AE using an older edition of the book. Still use it as a reference after almost 10 years.

http://www.amazon.com/Creating-Motion-Graphics-After-Effects/dp/0240814150/ref=pd_sim_b_6

Notes on the Cinematographer, by Robert Bresson

Bresson talks about the problems filmmakers face when trying to accomplish seemingly easy (but actually impossible) tasks, like talking to actors, deciding how to shoot a scene and reading a script.

I read this one in film school and really liked it.

Independent Feature Film Production by Gregory Goodell
http://www.amazon.com/Independent-Feature-Film-Production-Distribution/dp/0312181175

Also, Michael Caine's Acting In Film is worth reading as well.

Here's a few:

Kubrick: The Definitive Edition

Stanley Kubrick, Director: A Visual Analysis

Stanley Kubrick: The Complete Films

The Battle For Brazil

Make Your Own Damn Movie by Lloyd Kaufmann

The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film, by Michael Ondaatje, is a nice addition to that one.



Here is a paragraph that i found interesting:

"O: Was Apocalypse Now a project the two of them thought up?" (Coppola and John Millius)

"M: No. Originally George Lucas was going to direct, so it was a project that George and John developed for Zoetrope. That was back in 1969. Then when Warner Bros. cancelled the financing for Zoetrope, the project was abandoned for a while. After the success of American Graffiti in 1973, George wanted to revive it, but it was still too hot a topic, the war was still on, and nobody wanted to finance something like that. So George considered his options: What did he really want to say in Apocalypse Now? The message boiled down to the ability of a small group of people to defeat a gigantic power simply by the force of their convictions. And he decided, All right, if it's politically too hot as a contemporary subject, I'll put the essence of the story in outer space and make it happen in a galaxy long ago and far away. The rebel group were the North Vietnamese, and the Empire was the United States. And if you have the force, no matter how small you are, you can defeat the overwhelmingly big power. Star Wars is George's transubstantiated version of Apocalypse Now."