(Part 2) Top products from r/movies

Note: Obviously this list is incomplete, if anyone has suggestions please add to this. Also this list is not specifically for kevleemur, but for anyone looking to learn about movie stuffs

Online material is nice, but there are many great and more reliable resources that come in these old fashioned book things.

General

Shot by Shot

MasterShots

The Visual Story


Directing

On Screen Directing
(may be hard to find)

On Directing Film by David Manet

Cinematography/ Lighting/ Camera/ On Set Learning

The ASC Manual (some earlier editions come in one volume which is nice)

Creative Control by Michael Hofstein

The Set Lighting Technicians Handbook

Painting With Light (John Alton's book. A little outdated but still a good read).

Reflections

The Bare Bones Camera Course for Film and Video by Tom Schroeppel (very simple, a good start)

The Grip Book

The Camera Assistant's Manual

Cinematography: Theory and Practice



Producing

Creative Producing From A to Z by Myrl A Schreibman

Scheduling and Budgeting Your Film by Paula Landry

Editing

In the Blink of an Eye by Walter Murch (Sound designer and editor from Apocalypse Now----EXCELLENT)



Screenwriting

Story

Screenplay the Foundations of Screenwriting






ONLINE RESOURCES:


http://www.rondexter.com/

http://cinematography.net/

http://www.rogerdeakins.com/

http://www.arri.com/

http://www.mole.com/

http://www.panavision.com/home

http://www.filmtools.com/

Aside from familiarizing yourself with knowledge and technique the best you can without being involved on set, one of the best things you can do is read up and become as knowledgeable as you can with gear that you will eventually encounter, which is why I listed the last four links. Even if you do plan on going into producing or directing, it is always helpful to understand lighting and camera and why the people working with you need the things they do.


GO LEARN THINGS!

House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski.

I read this book years ago and it still haunts me. I love it but I still don't have it all figured out.I would really love to see a film adaptation, as difficult as that sounds, because of how nontraditional the narrative/film would be. In the right hands it could be pulled off really well (like say, Fincher, Aronofsky or maybe Lynch could really turn up the horrific/suspenseful elements). I wish someone would adapt it because it is such an intense mindfuck of a story.

I would also really love to see Haunted by Chuck Palahnuik made into a movie.

As mentioned by /u/hereisatoptip , Prometheus, Avatar and LOTR are positively stuffed with goodies. The Alien Anthology and Star Wars complete saga box sets are amazing, although navigating the bonus material in both is a bit of a PITA. The Star Trek 'classic films' box set actually included some great bonus features, even though the remasters of the films themselves left a bit to be desired. Also, the Blade Runner five-disc Collector's Edition has pretty much everything a BR fanatic could want, including the original workprint and the tremendous 'Strange Days' documentary.

My favorite source of film appreciation reading is a print book called "1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die". It has a write-up of each movie it covers that succinctly explains why the movie is considered great and puts it all in context. Highly recommended.

http://www.amazon.com/dp/0764166131/ref=sr_ob_3

Also, all of Roger Ebert's "Great Movies" reviews do the same. These are all the movies that Ebert gave his highest rating of 4 stars.

http://www.rogerebert.com/great-movies

I wish I could take credit for writing this, but Mr. Adam Bertocci wrote this. The man is a genius. Mr. Bertocci actually commented on this post, and wanted me to tell everyone you can find a "Fully annotated, beautifully illustrated, revised text" of Two Gentlemans of Lebowski on amazon. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1451605811/adambertocci-20

I still happen to think this rough copy is brilliant.

I know this is an old topic, and this comment will probably never be seen, but this film was not a "flop" because there's really no such thing as a "flop" anymore.

Effectively no blockbuster movies that are made nowadays don't make back the money they cost. Many Hollywood films have broken even before they are even released. Hollywood financing is fascinating and incredibly elusive, and one thing you can be sure of is that the box office "figures" released are nothing but part of the marketing campaign.

If you're interested in the business side of big movie making, you absolutely must read The Hollywood Economist by Edward Epstein

The blu-ray collection is well worth the $30.
Great picture quality on each, theatrical and director cuts, tons of special features. I love horror movies and the alien movies are some of my favorites.
Amazon Link)

I'm replying to this because it's the top comment and I hope my comment is seen:

I'm the author of this piece.

You can buy the book at http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/1451605811/adambertocci-20

Fully annotated, beautifully illustrated, revised text. Much much better than this old version you're seeing here.

The TGOL Web site is http://www.runleiarun.com/lebowski

The Kid Stays in the Picture Saw the documentary and liked it. Haven't read the book.
The Man Who Heard Voices If you're a fan of Shyamalan, you may like it.
If you saw Natural Born Killers then read Killer Instinct. A great book by the producer Jane Hamsher.
While obtaining Amazon links I came across these titles, which I haven't read. You'll Never Eat Lunch in This Town Again and Easy Riders, Raging Bulls.

If you want fiction with a 'behind the scenes feel' I rec Time on My Hands and Wild Horses

edit: putting John Cater on my goodreads To Read list, thanks.

Serenity: The Shepherd's Tale is Book's backstory. I highly recommend it, thought it was a great read.

There's also Serenity: Those Left Behind and Serenity: Better Days. All written by or with involvement from Joss.

Yes, 100x yes. You can find it on Amazon right now for only $50.

http://www.amazon.com/Lord-Rings-Fellowship-Extended-Editions/dp/B0026L7H20/ref=pd_ts_zgc_mov_2958935011_1?ie=UTF8&s=movies-tv&pf_rd_p=1314173042&pf_rd_s=right-5&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_i=507846&pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_r=1WS03FJP1WD141NCA5YR

I'm a huge fan, one of those people that can quote almost every line. Watching it in BluRay is a whole new experience. Buy it now!

A book like this may be of help to you. It suggests the best films from nearly every year from 1902 onwards.
https://www.amazon.com/1001-Movies-You-Must-Before/dp/0764166131

> wasn't it that the lead creator was working at pixar, and left for dreamworks after getting frustrated with production?

Almost, not exactly. Jeffrey Katzenberg (who became the 'K' in Dreamworks SKG when he co-founded it along with Steven Spielberg and David Geffen) had been chairman of all of Walt Disney Pictures until 1994. He arguably was treated very unfairly by then-CEO of Disney Michael Eisner (see the book Disney War for lots of juicy details, but Katzenberg could have been treated better if Eisner didn't feel threatened by him because he was so successful that he might have later been viewed as a potential candidate for CEO.)

Anyway, Katzenberg knew what Pixar was working on in its productions that were co-funded and released by Disney, but left to start his own animation studio. He started Dreamworks as a 2D animation studio (making hand-drawn films like 'The Prince of Egypt' and 'The Road to El Dorado') and also found a 3D animation company (Pacific Data Images) to partner with the same way Disney partnered with Pixar, and challenged PDI to make him a bug movie and get it released before Pixar's planned 1998 film. PDI succeeded at that, and Antz was in theaters a few weeks before A Bug's Life. PDI was bought by Dreamworks and kept making hit movies (including Shrek) until that division of Dreamworks was shut down in 2015 (but by 2015 the main Dreamworks animation itself was dong all 3D films, plus they had Dreamworks Asia in China.)

Well If you can't tell The General apart from Keatons earlier work, and you don't recognize Leone's influence, I don't think anything I say may convince you. So as far as Easy Rider goes, I suggest you read this (a jolly good read):http://www.amazon.com/Riders-Raging-Bulls-Sex-Drugs-Rock/dp/0684857081/ref=cm_lmf_tit_5

This is getting out of hand considering this was just released 2 years ago. I think at this point, 10 years after the final movie in the trilogy was released, they shouldn't give a slap in the face to the true fans that try to support the franchise by buying everything only to have another $100 version come out 2 years later.

lol. the book is totally amazing if you want to learn more.

He won't get 20% of the box office. The studio gets only a little more than 50% (the percentage changes week to week, so the total depends on exactly how well it holds over its entire run). Additionally, "gross" is usually a number defined by the contract; there's no standard definition. The studio has baked into the contract that they make a certain amount of money first before revenue gets shared. See The Hollywood Economist for more details.

He's certainly going to make a ton of money, don't get me wrong. But it's more complicated than looking at Box Office Mojo and multiplying by 0.20.

Thank you for writing Two Gentlemen of Lebowski. I love that book!

Haven't watched this yet but just want to big up "In the blink of an eye", an amazing book about editing, by film editor Walter Murch (apocalypse now, godfather 1 and 2). https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1879505622/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_WnpnxbRNR3H0Y

If you haven't, I'd highly recommend checking out the book Disney War. Eisner, riding high, had invited the author to follow his doings for a year and write on what would presumably be the continuation of his Disney success. This turned out to be the year Eisner went off the deep end, and Roy mounted his Save Disney campaign. So Eisner's victory-lap corporate biography became a chronicling of his demise and the pettiness and insanity that ruled Disney back then. It's both chilling and tremendously fascinating.

Here's a fantastic book that I used for a film class. It's great and goes through all the periods and innovations of film, up until about 2010. It's a bit expensive, but I think it was worth it:

http://www.amazon.com/Film-History-Introduction-Kristin-Thompson/dp/0073386138/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1416711681&sr=8-5&keywords=history+on+film

The standard textbook is Film History: An Introduction. Pretty thorough and a good read.

And for viewing, let the Criterion collection guide you.

I work for the company that did the animation for Return to Oz. The Nome King clay puppet was on "display" in a dusty corner of the building for years. All the plasticine was coated with dust. It was pretty creepy.

Interestingly, this is the only feature directed by the famous film editor/sound designer Walter Murch, author of the seminal editing book ['In The Blink of an Eye'] (http://www.amazon.com/Blink-Eye-Revised-2nd-Edition/dp/1879505622) which is a must read for any film maker.

10 year theater veteran checking in...

You need both proper seasoning and a proper device to make it in.

To make the popcorn, you'll need a popcorn maker that agitates the kernels. Most have this as a manual function. That means that, yes, you have to actually turn that knob for like three minutes. However, you'll get a great batch. This is the most important piece. Every commercial movie theater popper operates that exact same way, albeit in an automated mechanical fashion.

The second thing you need is proper seasoning. You can get pretty good taste with standard salt, but for authentic flavor you'll need butter salt.

So, toss in a cup of kernels and about four tablespoons of canola oil. Then put in a spoonful of butter salt. Turn on high and agitate at a consistent speed. Once popping starts, keep agitating until there are around three to five seconds between pops. Remove from heat and place in a bowl. Enjoy.

Would highly recommend the book Disney War if you haven't already read it. It's a very detailed account of the Eisner era including what brought him in and what pushed him out. Hands down one of my favorite reads.

You can't go wrong with Bordwell and Thompson's Film History: An Introduction. It's not really concise but really easy to read and navigate through.

How about Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner?

Actually, although I'm not surprised, I would also nominate Rififi, on which John Huston's The Asphalt Jungle was supposedly based. Great double feature!

Usin the green mod hat just to highlight this comment more.

Book, for reference. I own one :)

Thompson and Bordwell wrote what I've heard is the quintessential history of film book called Film History: An Introduction. It's a textbook so it's textbook expensive but if you shop around you might be able to find a cheap copy. It is pretty readable and goes very in depth.

In the Heart of the Sea

You should read The Long Halloween. It is one of the best comics I have ever read, Batman or otherwise.

This book. It's great.

http://www.amazon.com/The-Hollywood-Economist-2-0-Financial/dp/1612190502

http://www.amazon.com/1001-Movies-You-Must-Before/dp/0764166131/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1398178320&sr=8-1&keywords=1000+movies+to+see+before+you+die

I got an older version of this for Christmas one year and I loved it.

It reminds me of a Jeff Burk novel called "Shatnerquake", where all the characters played by William Shatner are out to get the real William Shatner.

Link

Easily done. Coconut oil, quality corn, and a decent popcorn maker is all it takes.

Fresh and hot beats sitting under a heat lamp for hours, in popcorn as in all things.

Future Noir: the making of Blade Runner is a fantastic guide

http://www.amazon.com/Future-Noir-Making-Blade-Runner/dp/0061053147

I feel like Nolan's The Dark Knight takes more influence from Jeph Loeb's Batman: The Long Halloween than from any other published stories. In fact, if you buy this trade version of the book, you can read an introduction from Chris Nolan and David Goyer where they discuss the influence this book had on their writing and filmmaking, as well as the cinematic quality of the book itself.

No release date on Amazon, but it's priced at $83.99. Link I wonder how long that is going to last. If you pre-order it now they'll give you whatever the cheapest price is from when you pre-order to the day it comes out which is pretty sweet. I hate how they tease us like this though!

Or just read The Long Halloween. It was one of the inspirations for the Nolan Batman films. For more background on Bane, check out Batman vs Bane.

Amazon currently lists the Taschen book - pre-ordered - at $61.00.

The description suggests it's a new edition. Curious.

Get one of these and ensure you use this with it and it's exactly the same and much cheaper.

It takes about 5 minutes to make a large popcorn that's movie theater quality.

Haven't read it so can't speak to the quality but Chuck Palahniuk recently wrote a sequel to the novel in comic book form.

If you liked the Tower, I highly suggest you read House of Leaves. The Tower reminded me a lot of a claustrophobic version of the House.

I bought that same book around 10 years ago as well. My intention was to watch as many as I could, no matter how long it took, and to write a short note in the book on what I thought of the film and date the entry. Seemed like it would be a cool project to work on.

Unfortunately I got lazy and never got around to it. It is still sitting untouched on my bookshelf.

Here is a link to buy the book if anyone is interested.

It is a newer version than the one I have, which has Jack on the cover.

Here's a link, it's great. Haven't tried the other comics yet, but needed some closure on Book.

https://www.amazon.com/Serenity-3-Shepherds-Tale-Various/dp/1595825614

There is a graphic novel which explores exactly that.

There's a sequel graphic novel written by the same author

Here you go. It's a huge book detailing the project, with the screenplay and other production notes.

I think you hit the nail on the head. Aesthetically, I never liked the film. However, it changed Hollywood by shifting power in the direction of the auteur and paved the way for Scorcese, Coppola, Lucas, Spielberg.

Great book if you're interested in reading more.

LPT: Buy a Whirly Pop, buy kernels, most importantly, cook in coconut oil, smuggle in gallon sized ziplock bag or two in purse or backpack. Season with theater style popcorn saltMany monies saved while maintaining popcorn quality.

Based on the Novel:

In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex - Nathaniel Philbrick

Nope often times it's even more than double. You should give The Hollywood Economist a read. Great book and it covers why you're wrong.

http://www.amazon.com/Hollywood-Economist-2-0-Financial-Reality/dp/1612190502/ref=pd_sim_14_26?ie=UTF8&dpID=41Bllui2UbL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR110%2C160_&refRID=0PKEVMFMTNNW7V9VE4WC

There's a sequel, for what it's worth. The Driver survives in the book.

Eh, no. Mainstream Hollywood films in the '70s were markedly darker, more artistic, more mature, and more naturalistic than the kind of things coming out of Hollywood today. Directors were in more control in the '70s, and the new crop of directors were mostly young men from the first generation of American film schools who were greatly influenced by European and Japanese cinema. It's not just nostalgia, American filmmaking was different back then, and whether or not you agree that film was better, what he's talking about is a real difference in the way films were made not just a middle aged guy waxing nostalgic. There've even been books about it.

Same price on Amazon, get it there instead.

https://www.amazon.com/Lord-Rings-Fellowship-Extended-Editions/dp/B0026L7H20

This is the one you want. You can find it on sale at various places online fairly often.

Sounds kind of like a reverse Shatnerquake.

here's the book. I myself haven't gotten around to it:

http://www.amazon.com/In-Heart-Sea-Tragedy-Whaleship/dp/0141001828/ref=sr_1_sc_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1376622637&sr=8-1-spell&keywords=wahleship+essex

Don't you mean House of Leaves?

Read this book and watch all of the movies that are mentioned.

https://www.amazon.com/Driven-James-Sallis/dp/1464200114

here is the sequel, it takes place years after the first

If you're wondering if The Driver survives, then it should be known that the sequel (book) just came out on April 3rd.
Driven by James Sallis

https://www.amazon.com/Fight-Club-2-Graphic-Novel/dp/1616559454/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1474319307&sr=8-1&keywords=fight+club+2

Everything by Walter Murch. Start with this one. https://www.amazon.com/Blink-Eye-Perspective-Film-Editing/dp/1879505622

Why have just three when you can have every Shatner incarnation ever?

This has sorta kinda been done, only with characters and not with actors.

You should check this and this out.

This one is a bit more economically viable.

I'll see your airpopper and raise you one of these.

Trilogy for $150

IV for $80

V for $40

VI for $72

The VHSs weren't letterboxed. Source: I watched them.

http://www.amazon.com/Alien-Anthology-Blu-ray-Sigourney-Weaver/dp/B001AQO3QA/ref=sr_1_3_twi_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1420845385&sr=8-3&keywords=aliens

Not that I want a sequel but there is a sequel to the book

it's based on the real life shipwreck that inspired Moby Dick. Other posters point to the Nathaniel Philbrick non-fiction book [In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex] (http://www.amazon.com/In-Heart-Sea-Tragedy-Whaleship/dp/0141001828)

a bit like Shatnerquake in reverse.

After a reality bomb goes off at the first ever ShatnerCon, all of the characters ever played by William Shatner are suddenly sucked into our world. Their mission: hunt down and destroy the real William Shatner. Featuring: Captain Kirk, TJ Hooker, Denny Crane, Priceline Shatner, Cartoon Kirk, Rescue 9-1-1 Shatner, singer Shatner, and many more.

Batman: Year One is a fantastic way to begin. It introduces the major elements, tells a solid story, and the art work is fantastic.

The Long Halloween and Dark Victory are my next two suggestions. They're also my personal favorites (and Christian Bales!).

Others of note:

The Killing Joke

Arkham Asylum

Batman: Absolution

Batman: The Cult

A Death in the Family

Batman: Hush

I've got a few more but they're a bit scattered in terms of story line or canon. I'm also an outlier but I didn't care for "The Dark Knight Returns."

Fight Club 2 (Graphic Novel) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1616559454/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_wG3eAbKWNTVBZ

First of all, these are well known things to die hard Disney/Potter/Theme Park fans. My information comes from various sources over years of following Disney Parks and Potter World construction.

That being said, I highly recommend this book
Disney War - James B Stewart

And this article helps lend support to what I've written.
http://finance.yahoo.com/blogs/daily-ticker/universal-s-diagon-alley-opens-july-8-131552766.html

He also wrote a book about editing the madness of Apocalypse Now. It's required reading in film school, and Murch also directed an 80's classic; Return to Oz.

The originals still exist and you can buy them on DVD...

A New Hope

The Empire Strikes Back

Return of the Jedi

Easy Riders, Raging Bulls by Peter Biskind

IV for $12

V for $14

VI for $8!

> The VHSs weren't letterboxed. Source: I watched them.

If they weren't letterboxed, you are missing nearly half of the picture. You do realize that letterboxing shows you MORE picture, right?

• So You Want To Be A Producer by Larry Turman. Producer of The Thing and a whole bunch of other stuff explains, in simple terms, what producers do to make movies happen and how. Lots of anecdotes, lots of info, nothing too salty.
  
  
• Adventures In The Screen Trade by William Goldman. Screenwriter of All The President's Men, Butch Cassidy and Princess Bride doing the exact same thing Larry Turman did, only 20 years earlier.
  
  
• You'll Never Eat Lunch In this Town Again by Julia Philips. Oscar-winning producer of Close Encounters, The Sting and others chooses to go out with a bang, burning every bridge she has, and putting every person she's ever had a fight with in an index. The polar opposite of Turman's Book.
  
  
• Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner by Paul Sammon. A case study of one film, widely regarded as a classic, that was actually a train wreck from stem to stern. If you want to see how things come apart and then go back together again, this is the book.
  
  
• The Mailroom By David Rensin. How agencies work, by the people who built them. Anecdotes anecdotes anecdotes.
  
  That's a month's worth of reading, at least.

If you're only going to watch one version of it, I'd probably suggest the Final Cut, since it's reportedly the closest to what Scott wanted from the film to begin with, and it fixes some small mistakes.

If you're interested in watching more than one version over a period of a few days, I'd say start with the Theatrical Cut, then move on to the 1992 "Director's Cut", then watch the Final Cut. It'll give you a good idea on how the film evolved and let you form your own judgement on the changes.

If you want to really get "crazy", the 5-disc release also contains the Workprint version of the film first shown to test audiences, but I'd probably watch it last simply as a curiosity.

I also seriously suggest you read ["Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner"] (https://www.amazon.com/Future-Noir-Making-Blade-Runner/dp/0061053147) to get some insight and backstory, and maybe do a little outside research on how the different cuts of the film evolved, and why.

Is this William Shakespeare's Star Wars? You didn't specify but you said
> the production also includes five scenes from "The Big Lebowksi," also set in Elizabethan English.

which makes it sound like it is.

Edit: I'm guessing this is the Big Lebowski and this is the Star Wars one.

Walter Murch asserts in In the Blink of an Eye that 24 FPS film reminds us of dreaming, and that is one of the reasons it is so effective in storytelling. There are several confusing issues here. Many talk about interpolation on modern TVs and motion blur, but neither of these is directly relatable.

Motion blur is strictly a side effect of shutter speed (angle) and exposure. You can nearly eliminate motion blur in 24FPS by exposing each frame for less time. (Think of the beginning of 'Saving Private Ryan')

Interpolation isn't a good representation because it's unnatural- The nuances of motion are far more complex than simply adding an interpolated frame between two existing frames. You can't simulate the real-life physics of mass, inertia, and the dynamics of cloth and wind resistance by interpolation. This is not a good example either.

In my opinion, there are two good live action 3D movies: Avatar and Hugo. Both were designed as such, executed well, and therefore "work." If "The Hobbit" is executed the same way, it could very well be very close to "looking through a window"

The question-- and it's a huge one, is how do CUTS affect this effect? In Walter Murch's opinion, cuts mimic blinking, and if your brain feels your watching 'reality' this illusion might hold. However, if you're stuck somewhere between the dreamlike state of 24fps film and reality, cuts could be very jarring.

Predicting the success or failure of this tech without seeing it is silly. There's no way to approximate it accurately, and until you see 48fps 3D 'The Hobbit' you just can't know.

I'm fascinated, though, and am looking forward to finding out.

Grave encounters is really scary if you've ever read House of Leaves

Readers always mention the same books and though Snuff received bad Amazon Reviews I experienced a similar feeling to Fight Club after reading it.

Also, for those that aren't aware, if you are a fan, Fight Club 2, the graphic novel is being release in June and is available for preorder.