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Books on Film PDF Print E-mail
Written by D. Eric Franks   
Thursday, 02 October 2008 11:55

There are about a bajillion books about filmmaking and I have not even seen a fraction of them. So this list is really just a personal favorites list of books that I found not only informative and useful, but fun to read as well.

In the Blink of an Eye. Walter Murch, 2001.
Short, philosophical and a really enjoyable read. And a great re-read, too!

The Conversations: Walter Murch and the Art of Editing Film. Michael Ondaatje, 2002.
Long, philosophical and a really enjoyable read. This is a summer vacation-class book that is ideal for the beach.

The Five C's of Cinematography: Motion Picture Filming Techniques. Joseph V. Mascelli, 1998. cover-mc2.jpg
250 pages of this solidly pragmatic book go into a good deal of detail making this a sort of "shooter's workbook." More technical than narrative, but still very readable. 

Hitchcock on Hitchcock. Edited by Sidney Gottlieb, 1995.
Selected essays and interviews with the man himself. Not every essay here is all that great, but there are gems and it is a pleasant enough read. Plus, you can skip around and read what you like, since there isn't an overall narrative structure to the book.

Making Comics: Storytelling Secrets of Comics, Manga and Graphic Novels. Scott McCloud, 2006.
This isn't just a book about making comics, it's a meta-book: A comic book about making comic books! This is really a wonderful, visual demonstration of storytelling with pictures, which is what we do with video! Granted, there are sections on drawing and actor expressions that are irrelevant, but in terms of framing, continuity, storyboarding, shot selection, time and even editing, you can really learn a lot from this book. And it's fun, too. Wil Eisner's classic Comics & Sequential Art  is also an excellent read. Movies are, after all, just sequential art, right?

Painting with Light. John Altman, 1949.
Stylistically a bit dated, but still a very straight-forward technical book that really concentrates on individual lights and their effect. Very accessible and interesting, especially if you are into moody noir-style lighting.

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