Making Movies

Arrived on time in a very good condition! Loved the contents the author describes in the book. A great book for young, aspiring entertainers in the movie making industry.

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As has been abundantly stated by other reviewers, this is an interesting book for both movie lovers & movie makers. It is eminently readable, in a flowing, non-technical style that is surprisingly effective at delivering practical information about Lumet's filmmaking choices & philosophy through the decades of a legendary career. Many how-to manuals seem to put the cart before the horse. Refreshingly, rather than providing instruction in equipment-driven decision making [here's how you use this particular lens, camera, fill light, etc.], Lumet talks about his story-telling goals then how he worked with his team to identify the proper technology to achieve them, resulting in such stylistically varied successes as the hyper-real video & dialog quality of "Dog Day Afternoon" & the Rembrandt-esque look of "The Verdict". This book has a fly-on-the-wall quality that almost makes you feel like you are participating in a long dinner conversation where the filmmaker discusses his day, reliving his experiences, revisiting his ideas & choices, evaluating whether they worked or not, even racking on the unprofessional Teamster who made him late to rehearsal, then pillaged the craft services cart. Something that hasn't been stated by other reviewers is how remarkably humble the author comes off. Far from validating the "auteur" status that many would grant him, Lumet appears to have a sincere appreciation for the complex team effort that results in a major motion picture, rather than an inflated perception of the supremacy of the director's role. He is extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of the filmmaking process & manages to share that knowledge clearly & concisely. He has profound respect for the contributions of the players who typically get nothing but abuse: the studio execs, writers, post-production, the stars. Lumet even seems honestly enraptured by the emergent qualities that blossom from a group effort where "everyone is making the same movie", & he takes his responsibilities for vision, coordination & budgeting very seriously. This guy just comes off as the consummate professional & his book is a joy to read.

El servicio de Amazon cumplio con el envio, llego como siempre muy rapido. Por lo que es del contenido del libro lo recomiendo 100%. El autor tiene una manera de escribir muy agradable que hace que los detalles mas tecnicos siguen siendo muy accessible. Siempre usa sus propias pelis para ilustrar de que esta hablando y es muy completo.

Sidney Lumet comes in with decades of experience directing films: "12 Angry Men " (1957) and directed a new film or more every year even up to "Before the Devil Knows You're Dead" (2007). Lumet's experience includes working with such acclaimed award-winning actors as Katharine Hepburn, Paul Newman, Marion Brando, and Al Pacino to name a few. I'm mining a filmmaking 'rare earth's minerals' in this book. Steven Spielberg has a flattering review of this book at the back of the book. About the Book: Lumet offers a lived, humane, end-to-end account of directing as a moral, technical, and relational craft. This is cinema from pre-production to final mix—grounded in decades of practice. My Thrust: I immediateky fast-forwarded to my juiciest interests: chapter 7: Shooting the Movie: At Last - to the end chapter 13- The Studio: Was It All For This? I'll then return to pp.1-104 after chapters 7-13. I'm a trained economist. Venturing into filmmaking.