Now in that review, I didn’t go into specifics on what I thought of the technical filmmaking aspects. I don’t really have much to comment on, except to say that the movie is gorgeous, though I did think that there was a bit too much shaky camera for my taste. It might have helped if the theater had been projecting the film correctly.

I really enjoyed the way the few fight scenes were shot. I had been disappointed with how far removed the camera is from the action in the first two movies. For this film, the camera gets right into the action and moves around, giving the exciting parts a lot more energy.

The script is really the weakest part. It suffers from a bit too much telling and not enough showing, as did the previous two Narnia films. Hopefully, The Silver Chair will be made and won’t make the same mistakes.

I had read glowing reviews of this film for months before the DVD release, some even going so far as to say that Pixar has been equaled or surpassed in the animated film field. My family saw it last night and one thing really stuck out to me:

The characters talk too much. Rather than showing us the story beats, the filmmakers were giving us action-accented dialogue scenes to tell us the next beat (Referred to in Save the Cat as the “Pope in the Pool” technique. And well-used here. The first time, that is.)

Which, of course, is a direct contradiction of the golden rule of screenwriting of show, don’t tell. Contrast a scene from How to Train Your Dragon with one from Pixar’s Up:

Dragon:

Character 1: Yakyakyakyakyakyakyakyakyakyak.

Character 2: Blahblahblahblahblahblahblah.

Character 1: Wow, really?

Audience: He’ll use that piece of information in the next scene, I’m sure.

Up:

Character 1: (Silence)

Character 2: (Silence)

Audience: *sniffle*

Show, don’t tell. There are other things to nitpick about, such as the rather cliché storyline, the pacing of the opening scene not matching the rest of the film, and how all the grownups have Scottish accents while the teens talk like Americans, but the absence of showing is the sore thumb to me.

Don’t get me wrong. I enjoyed How to Train Your Dragon and I’d certainly see it again. The cinematography is brilliant (wish I’d seen it in 3D), the soundtrack is spectacular (one of my favorites), and the movie does shine in the few areas where the filmmakers remembered that golden rule.

But it’s not the Pixar-killer the critics have labeled it.

Save the Cat! Strikes Back: More Trouble for Screenwriters to Get into … and Out of (Paperback)
by Blake Snyder
ISBN: 0984157603

Price: USD 13.57
49 used & new available from USD 12.24

Summary

The cat comes back for a sequel with more tips and tricks for screenwriters, expanding on the original Blake Snyder Beat Sheet to help you write your screenplay.

The Good

Lots of good stuff in here. If you liked the original Save the Cat!, you’ll find much to appreciate here.

We get several new tools, like the five-point Finale beat and the excellent chapter on straightening your story’s spine. The chapter on rewriting is also good, giving tips on what to do when the critique you get tells you that your darling scene needs to go. And how to interpret vague critique notes, too.

The Bad

As with the original, Save the Cat! Strikes Back has a smattering of bad language. The author also pretty much assumes you’ve seen all the movies he references.

The eighth chapter is very much a self-help chapter and didn’t do much for me.

Overall

Save the Cat! Strikes Back is very helpful to those who have already read Save the Cat! and are having screenwriting trouble. This might be the cure. I’ve been having trouble with my latest screenplay and now, with this book, Blake Snyder has me raring to go again.

Filmmaking for Teens: Pulling Off Your Shorts (Paperback)
by Troy Lanier, Clay Nichols
ISBN: 1932907688

Price: USD 12.06
68 used & new available from USD 7.94

Summary

This book will take you step-by-step through the process of making a five-minute short film and getting it noticed.

The Good

As I read this book, I kept thinking about how helpful it would have been if I’d read it before I’d already made a bunch of films. It assumes nothing and therefore covers everything, which is great if you’re a beginner.

At the same time, it only gives you enough information to get you going. They leave the rest up to your imagination, letting you figure out things that aren’t as important.

Also great is a list of crew positions that you’ll want to find people for, and job descriptions for each. I have not seen many books that spell out precisely what each person should do, so this one was a pleasant surprise.

It’s a very quick read, too. Because of that, you can read the whole book in a few hours and then be on to planning your movie right away. Always a plus.

The Bad

Unfortunately, there’s an exercise in the book where the authors suggest you rent a movie from a list they provide and watch it to see how the pros do their camerawork. All well and good, except that most of the films listed were, ahem, rated R. Not a good idea, considering the book’s target audience is underaged teens.

Most of the book is designed to make your movie look good without stressing the story too much. To remedy that situation, I’m recommending that you grab any Pixar movie with a bonus disc and watch the extras on story.

In an attempt to be hip, parts of the book are a little disrespectful, though nothing monumentally so.

There’s not really anything in the book to tell you what to do if you want to make another movie. Do we follow the book’s formula again? Or do we shoot for something bigger?

Overall

If you’ve already read some other filmmaking books and made some films of your own, you’ll probably find most of this book to be review. However, I learned a few things that were never covered in some of my other books.

This book is excellent for any teen wanting to try filmmaking for the first time. You’ll learn tons of stuff in a few hours and if you follow the steps and rules in the book, you’ll have a nice short film that people will actually want to see.

Crafty Screenwriting: Writing Movies That Get Made (Paperback)
by Alex Epstein
ISBN: 0805069925

Price: USD 11.55
66 used & new available from USD 4.43

Summary

A book on how to write crafty screenplays. Crafty as in “screenwriting is my craft.”

The Good

Lots of examples. The only screenwriting book I’ve read that covers the why of proper formatting, as well as how to write adaptations of books. Good stuff.

The first screenwriting book I’ve read that doesn’t assume you’ve seen all the films in the examples.

Includes advice on how to sell your screenplay, if you’re so inclined.

The Bad

Mild language throughout, with a few spots where some saltier words show up.

Cynicism about Hollywood is funny the first two times, but gets annoying as the book goes on.

Overall

Worth a read for the formatting section. Also, the author disagrees which much of the arguments concerning the importance of structure that were so prominent in Save the Cat.

Read this book to get an alternate angle or theory and become a more well-rounded screenwriter. Or just get more confused as you seek to reconcile the two methods.

The Five C’s of Cinematography: Motion Picture Filming Techniques (Paperback)
by Joseph V. Mascelli
ISBN: 187950541X

Price: USD 18.64
95 used & new available from USD 9.99

Summary

A veteran cinematographer tells you practically everything you need to know about cinematography.

The Good

The text is very clear, with lots of photos to demonstrate almost every technique. Very in-depth.

The book covers not only theatrical filmmaking, but also applies the techniques to off-the-cuff documentary shooting.

Great overhead diagrams show how camera placement works.

The Bad

Not much to complain about. This is easily the most polite filmmaking book I’ve ever read.

The book was written in the 1960s, so some of the technology referenced is a bit outdated. (I got a kick out of the discussion of TVs being too small for good theatrical work and speculation about color television in the future.)

Black and white photos make the sections about color somewhat difficult to comprehend.

Overall

I want to have The Five C’s of Cinematography always close at hand to reference whenever I’m in doubt about how something should be done.

Save The Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You’ll Ever Need (Paperback)
by Blake Snyder
ISBN: 1932907009

Price: USD 13.41
86 used & new available from USD 10.00

Summary

A successful screenwriter gives eight chapters of important pointers for writing your screenplay. The book is written from the perspective of marketing your script to a producer from page one.

The Good

Starting with the first chapter, where the reader defines the important “what is it?” about their script, the bulk of the book is designed to help you fix your story before you write FADE IN:

One chapter deals entirely with common screenwriter errors and how to fix them. The final chapter gives some brief pointers on selling your script to Hollywood when you’ve finished writing it.

Very clear and easy to read. Real-world analogies make more abstract concepts simple to grasp. And the last section of the book is a glossary of frequently used Hollywood slang surrounding screenwriting, which is useful for deciphering other materials later.

The Bad

A smattering of language. A few mildly inappropriate examples.

The author also seems to assume that you have viewed every movie he talks about.

Overall

Save the Cat is subtitled, “The last book on screenwriting you’ll ever need.” True? Not quite. While the book has certainly helped me to see where my current project could improve, it could have gone more in-depth on a few issues. The author himself mentions several important screenwriting books in the introduction. But for a good look at screenwriting from a marketing perspective, this is a keeper.

The DV Rebel’s Guide: An All-Digital Approach to Making Killer Action Movies on the Cheap (Paperback)
by Stu Maschwitz
ISBN: 0321413644

Price: USD 25.49
83 used & new available from USD 16.50

Summary

A guide to doing things with your indie film that all other books tell you not to do. You will learn the basics of color correction, the basics of safely using guns, the basics of story, more than the basics of production value, and much more.

The Good

The DV Rebel’s Guide is very easy to read. There’s a lot here and you will likely put the book down with a plan to try almost everything in it.

Editing is introduced well, as is cinematography. I learned some new things about editing, something I tend to read books on and go, “I knew that already.”

This is the only book I’ve read that goes into production value in any depth. The entire first chapter (and the rest of the book) is devoted to this subject. Get that and story down, and you have the “killer action movie” specified on the cover.

The Bad

Occasional mild language. The section about faking a shooting is rather gory, as is the brief bit on blood. Tons of action movies I’d never seen (I likely will never see most of them) are referenced to explain effects.

I walked away from the section on squibs with plans to up the amount of objects destroyed in my next film. Guess that should be in The Good, since that sort of thing is the book’s mission.

Parts I Couldn’t Review

The book is supposed to include a DVD with bonus chapters, After Effects files, Excel spreadsheet calculators, and other stuff. I got the book from the library and they didn’t have the DVD.

Overall

As stated above, the book fulfilled its mission. I’ve been thinking about production value a lot more lately, and I’m excited about the possibilities of effects I had previously ruled out.

Making a Good Script Great (Paperback)
by Linda Seger
ISBN: 0573699216

Price: $0.01
126 used & new available from USD 0.10

Summary

Dr. Linda Seger, a professional script consultant, breaks down the three act structure. She tells you how to rewrite your good script and make it great. The first few chapters help you write the first draft.

The Good

Making a Good Script Great is very clear. There are lots of examples from real scripts, including large quotes from major blockbusters. If you haven’t seen them, you’ve probably heard of them.

Reading about rewriting your script gives you a good idea of what to watch for when writing to begin with. It was extremely helpful to me to know what problems I could avoid now with a little extra thought.

The Bad

Some of the scripts and movie story-lines quoted are not the cleanest in the world. Just be aware that you will encounter some language and a few non-graphic, non-detailed references to inappropriate “romance” scenes.

Overall

After I finished Making a Good Script Great, I looked at the story I’ve been working with and saw all sorts of new possibilities. Highly recommended.