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Must have film related books

Old 06-27-12, 07:48 PM
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Re: Must have film related books

Originally Posted by TomOpus
Future Noir: The Making of Blade Runner


Yeah, that one is great! My only wish about it is for the author to put out a new edition to also cover the "The Final Cut" version.
Old 06-27-12, 10:01 PM
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Re: Must have film related books

Originally Posted by dhmac


Yeah, that one is great! My only wish about it is for the author to put out a new edition to also cover the "The Final Cut" version.
Oh yes. Completely forgot about this. Probably the best "Making Of" book of all time.
Old 06-28-12, 10:47 AM
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Re: Must have film related books

Okay here is the stuff for manuals and all the other online resources:

For Camera operation manuals:
Spoiler:

Go under "Film and Video" and all the cameras have manuals.

https://www.schneideroptics.com/

All the Red operations guides:

https://www.red.com/downloads


Assorted Guides for lots of things:

Spoiler:


A whole bunch of camera, display, projector brochures. Go to the products section, click on an individual item and go to the "downloads" section:

http://www.panasonic.com/business/pr...eo-_-AF100.asp

More assorted brochures:

http://tiffen.com/tiffen_product_literature.html




Brocures for Lighting Equipment:

Spoiler:

Brochures for lighting systems and stands:

http://lowel.com/instructions.html
Manuals for lighting systems:
http://kinoflo.com/

And if you're interested in very bright lights:

http://nila.com/




Interesting Stuff:
Spoiler:


Technical documents related to the DI process (the rest of the site has some interesting things as well):

http://efilm.com/techdocs/


This lighting business has a section for students. (I'll highlight the ones that I like in a minute):

http://barger-lite.com/students.htm

This site is cool to just look at all the products for various professionals:

http://www.filmtools.com/



Resources section has a ton of info:

http://www.abelcine.com/store/home.php

A buch of stuff in Spanish:

http://www.congofilms.tv/alquiler/epic.html




Other assorted brochures:
Spoiler:

Operations guides for editing systems (converters, etc):

http://www.aja.com/en/support/downloads/

Glidecam manuals (camera stabilizing equipment):

http://glidecam.com/support.php



This stuff down here is pretty awesome:

This is from the "Students" section from the link above. Pretty much every single link in this one is useful (also take a look at the publications tab):

http://motion.kodak.com/motion/Education/index.htm

And I think that about covers it. If you can also get the 2 PDFs in my earlier post those are cool too.

Just in case any of the Kodak stuff didn't cover this I will provide links below because these are cool:

Sensitometry:


Color Theory:
http://motion.kodak.com/motion/uploa...olorTheory.pdf

And going away from the technical side, here is a Final Draft user guide:

http://www.finaldraft.com/support/so...-8.php#manuals

And finally, if you want a free Blu-ray demonstrating the Tessive Time Filter, it is below. It's this device that aims to correct the weird backwards spinning motion that you see in 24 FPS, for like a car wheel or other similar things. I sent away for it and looked at the demos, but honestly I can't see the difference.

http://www.tessive.com/home/demo-footage

Okay, that should do it. Go nuts!
Old 06-28-12, 11:16 AM
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Re: Must have film related books

Jesus H. Fuck...this will take a bit of time to grasp.
Old 06-28-12, 12:52 PM
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Re: Must have film related books

Cinematic Storytelling by Jennifer Van Sijll

Nicole Kidman by David Thomson (there are no words to describe how truly bizarre and addictive it is)

Somewhere in the Night by Nicholas Christopher (great book on noir)

Anything by Pauline Kael (also the new-ish biography on her by Brian Kellow)
Old 07-07-12, 04:07 PM
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Re: Must have film related books

Old 12-23-12, 08:06 PM
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Re: Must have film related books

Pushing this up for more suggestions.
Old 02-16-13, 12:08 PM
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Re: Must have film related books

alright. Over time SINCE I made this thread I've gotten some of those books mentioned and some suggested by Ash Ketchum (via pm).

These are ones I've gotten, some are out of print so I was lucky to find some at the recycled book store here in town. How I fucking love living in this mini Austin that Denton is.

Spoiler:




Ash Ketchum:
"The Phantom Empire: Movies in the Mind of the 20th Century," by Geoffrey O'Brien, is a great journey through the history of moviegoing, especially from the perspective of genres and local theaters.






There are some that have been mentioned that I've already had before this thread as well:

Rebel Without a Crew (pretty much got this one after I saw Sin City and RR stamped himself as a filmmaker that I wanted to learn more about his methodology)
Making Movies by Sidney Lumet
On Directing Film by David Mamet
Something Like an Autobiography by Akira Kurosawa, which is really interesting and great while teasing as well. It ends where you don't want it to end but at the same time it doesn't hurt the book. The man was the master for sure.
Easy Riders, Raging Bulls
Hitchcock/Truffaut by Truffaut, HOLY FUCK. This book is almost too much. It's a masterpiece of information on the man. It's DEFINITIVE as fuck when it comes to Hitch. You'll find NOTHING as informative on the man as this. This is THE book for Hitch fans.
Cahiers du Cinema: The 1950s-Neo-Realism, Hollywood, New Wave is a collection of reviews/criticism from the people at CdC during that film journal's era. Great stuff.
Crime Movies: An Illustrated History by Carlos Clarens, rather detailed look at crime films and it's standing as a genre from the start up to 1979. Good book.
Originally Posted by dhmac




Yeah, that one is great! My only wish about it is for the author to put out a new edition to also cover the "The Final Cut" version.
From what I've read on some reviews on Amazon...seems like The Final Cut was added onto this. I REALLY want to get this but also some reviews suggest that it's kind of a mess as well. Could some of you guys get further into the nitty gritty of the book itself for me? Is it sloppily written or what? Too fanboyish on the author's part possibly? etc. etc.

Last edited by Solid Snake; 02-16-13 at 12:27 PM.
Old 02-16-13, 12:13 PM
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Re: Must have film related books

Originally Posted by Solid Snake PAC
From what I've read on some reviews on Amazon...seems like The Final Cut was added onto this. I REALLY want to get this but also some reviews suggest that it's kind of a mess as well. Could some of you guys get further into the nitty gritty of the book itself for me? Is it sloppily written or what? Too fanboyish on the author's part possibly? etc. etc.
Go ahead and grab it Snake. I just finished reading it and it's pretty great. Some of it is a little sloppy but it's not as bad as the Amazon reviews suggest.

It's pretty exhaustive and covers every aspect of making the flick. It goes into a ton of detail about the various versions and how they originated. This guy definitely knows his shit when it comes to Blade Runner.

If you love Blade Runner this book is a must-have.
Old 02-16-13, 12:27 PM
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Re: Must have film related books

Alright. I'll get it.
Old 02-16-13, 12:36 PM
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Re: Must have film related books



You won't regret it.
Old 02-16-13, 04:41 PM
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Re: Must have film related books

Thanks for the update. Will have to look at some (or all) of these books.
Old 02-16-13, 04:57 PM
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Re: Must have film related books

well the subject is so vast, here's some that are in my collection:


























Last edited by Giles; 02-16-13 at 05:13 PM.
Old 02-17-13, 01:29 PM
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Re: Must have film related books

While it's nice having the covers pictured, it may be a nice courtesy to also type out the titles and even a little bit about why they're recommended for both informational purposes and in case the image links don't work eventually.
Old 02-17-13, 03:35 PM
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Re: Must have film related books

I do kind of agree w/ you on this one. I do want to know WHY this or that is recommended. Some of them are very obvious while others we might need more info on to decide on it.

For example, I've looked at that John Landis book before on Amazon but why is important? How detailed is it? Can it give me something I can't find somewhere else etc etc.
Old 02-17-13, 11:02 PM
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Re: Must have film related books

yeah, sorry I'm the culprit ... I'll reedit my post and give some explanations ... later ...
Old 02-18-13, 09:44 PM
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Re: Must have film related books

If you're into kaiju eiga, I'd recommend Steve Ryfle's Japan's Favorite Mon-Star: The Unauthorized Biography of "The Big G" and DVD Talk's own Stuart Galbriath IV's Monsters Are Attacking Tokyo: The Incredible World of Japanese Fantasy Films. Unfortunately, they're both out of print now and as obscenely expensive as Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters: Defending the Earth with Ultraman and Godzilla and The Outer Limits Companion. Seriously, it's ridiculous how much they cost.
Old 02-19-13, 01:07 PM
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Re: Must have film related books

I am a sucker for review guides and own about 150 of them, but a couple of film-theory books I like are "Planks of Reason", a fascinating collection of essays about the Horror genre, and "Hollywood from Vietnam to Reagan" by Robin Wood, a superb writer. Deceased now, he was a local professor, and he was retired when he gave a lecture in a film class I took over a decade ago. Interesting guy, but somewhat strange.




My favourite review guides, in no particular order (spoilerized so they don't take up too much space):
Spoiler:

Time Out Film Guide (annual). I don't know why this year's edition hasn't appeared:


The Critics' Film Guide by Christopher Tookey. This book is just immensely enjoyable, probably more so than any other review book. The author took the unique approach of compiling ratings for hundreds of films from as many different review sources as he could find. For each film he averaged the score and converted it into a 1-10 scale. Next to that he put his own rating. He reviewed each film included, and below his review are review quotes from multiple sources, some "pro", some "mixed', some "anti".


Bloomsbury Foreign Film Guide by Ronald Bergen and Robyn Karney. An indispensible guide to foreign films. I wish it would be updated:


A Century of Canadian Cinema by Gerald Pratley. Effectively the only review guide for Canadian cinema that is worth a damn, this covers over 2000 films. The reviews aren't outstanding, but the book's expansiveness hasn't and won't come close to being matched:


Guide for the Film Fanatic by Danny Peary. Compulsively readable and re-readable:


The Aurum/Overlook Horror Encyclopedia by Phil Hardy. Probably the best review guide for Horror films.


Terror on Tape by James O'Neill. Not as erudite as Aurum's book, but a fun, informative read.


Creature Features Movie Guide Strikes Again by John Stanley. A cheaply designed book, but it covers almost every Horror film ever made, with a few notable exceptions. More than 5,500 entries.


Cinebooks's The Horror Film. No cover available. Culled from the massive Cinebooks volumes.

The Official Splatter Movie Guide, Vol. 1 and 2, by John McCarty. Fun reading.


Ten Years of Terror: British Horror Films of the 1970s by Harvey Fenton and David Flint. A gorgeously designed, high-quality book with a well-written collection of reviews. Narrow subject matter, though.


TLA Film, Video, and DVD Guide by David Bleiler.


TV Guide Film & Video Companion. Selections from the Cinebooks volumes, which TV Guide now owns.


Radio Times Guide to Films. Another huge, worthwhile review volume for film lovers.


TV Times Film and Video Guide by David Quinlan.


Elliot's Guide to Home Entertainment by John Elliot.


5001 Nights at the Movies by Pauline Kael.


Movies on TV and Videocassette by Steven Scheuer. Very similar to Maltin's annual, but I preferred Scheuer's guide because it contained more foreign films and TV films. Too bad he stopped producing it in '94.


DVD & Video Guide by Mick Martin and Marsha Porter. Another huge annual. The long-time publisher unfortunately dumped it in '07.


Blockbuster Guide to Movies and Videos. Despite the hated brand, I actually found this a good, quite exhaustive complement to the other main annuals. It has been out of circulation since '99.


Asian Cult Cinema and Japanese Cinema: Essential Handbook by Thomas Weisser. I enjoy both of these.


The Hong Kong Filmography, 1977-1997 by John Charles.

Old 02-19-13, 01:59 PM
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Re: Must have film related books

Went to the same recycled bookstore I frequent found a couple of books.

One was Spaghetti Westerns: Cowboys and Europeans from Karl May to Sergio Leone by Sir Christopher Frayling, which was suggested. This one is from 1998, there is a 2006 edition that just added an additional preface by Frayling. I LOVE Frayling. The man can talk about Leone all day and I'd still go nuts about the info he's got.

The other book was Notes by Eleanor Coppola. Essentially her notes on the whole production of Apocalypse Now. I was just browsing the same film book aisle and I saw ELEANOR Coppola instead of the usual FFC one would see. It's from 1979, got it for 5 bucks. This is probably a good companion piece to probably the greatest documentary on the production of a film, Eleanor Coppola's Hearts of Darkness. Looking at the cover I saw the palm trees that AN has in it. I knew exactly wtf the notes were on. Goddamn is that film such an interesting thing on the production alone. The production to me is more interesting than the film and I fucking LOVE the film. Great BD, you guys should pick up the one w/ the documentary. Great set.

Now if only I could get a dream book about Sorcerer or a damn fine feature length documentary on it. That film is an amazing directorial achievement and totally deserves to have it's production told w/ the finest of detail. On paper or on film.

Last edited by Solid Snake; 02-19-13 at 02:13 PM.
Old 02-19-13, 02:18 PM
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Re: Must have film related books

Phenomenal read on the personality and career of James Cameron. I tore through the book in one sitting.



http://www.amazon.com/The-Futurist-F.../dp/B005ZO8D00
Old 02-19-13, 02:38 PM
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Re: Must have film related books

Originally Posted by hanshotfirst113
If you're into kaiju eiga, I'd recommend Steve Ryfle's Japan's Favorite Mon-Star: The Unauthorized Biography of "The Big G" and DVD Talk's own Stuart Galbriath IV's Monsters Are Attacking Tokyo: The Incredible World of Japanese Fantasy Films. Unfortunately, they're both out of print now and as obscenely expensive as Eiji Tsuburaya: Master of Monsters: Defending the Earth with Ultraman and Godzilla and The Outer Limits Companion. Seriously, it's ridiculous how much they cost.
I have three of the four you mention (minus The Outer Limits Companion) and I'm lucky I got them before they went out of print.
Old 02-19-13, 03:01 PM
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Re: Must have film related books

Yeah...that Tsuburaya one cost $400+ from what I could find. Goddamn. How good was that book?
Old 02-19-13, 03:31 PM
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Re: Must have film related books

Originally Posted by Solid Snake PAC
Yeah...that Tsuburaya one cost $400+ from what I could find. Goddamn. How good was that book?
It's great if you want lots and lots of pictures, but the text is very erratic, with detailed plot synopses of things that never got made and little useful info about things that DID get made. It needed a shrewd editor.
Old 02-20-13, 05:05 AM
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Re: Must have film related books

I'd recommend all of Timothy Zahn's "Star Wars" books, especially those dealing with Grand Admiral Thrawn. James Luceno's "Labyrinth of Evil" and "The Rise of Darth Vader" are good bookends for Episode III, too.
Old 02-20-13, 10:33 AM
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Re: Must have film related books

Sarcasm?

If not:
....no. I don't think you understood what this thread is about.

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