'Indispensable... This book should be within arm’s reach throughout the entire film making process'
Dan Myrick,- Director, 'The Blair Witch Project'
The Guerilla Film Makers Handbook
Since it’s first edition in the mid 90’s, The Guerilla Film Makers Handbook has become THE DEFINITIVE handbook used and referred to by both
emerging filmmakers and experienced filmmakers alike. It’s format is simple Q and A - the authors ask an expert in every field of film making process, from conception through to completion (and
beyond), the ten questions any bright new film maker would ask if they had half an hour to chat over a coffee. And as the authors are three times feature filmmakers and veterans of the business,
their questions are incisive, illuminating and to the point. There’s no film historian or lecture style discussion that could be irrelevant or distracting, just what a new filmmaker needs to
know, how to do it, how long it will take, how much it will cost, the variables, and what pitfalls they should avoid. Augmenting the experts are the filmmakers case studies, where filmmakers
explain just how they got their films made, what really happened (opposed to what the press said), and what they learned from their own journeys.
The book now contains over 150 expert interviews, runs for 768 pages and is near a million words of vital information. It’s lavishly illustrated from start to end, with diagrams, flow charts and
photos. Industry expert interviews are contrasted by The Guerilla Film Makers Box Out Hot Tips, where the authors distil what it all means to the new film maker, and add their own money and time
saving techniques. And of course HD and digital film making is now covered.
The authors also tell their story of how they made three low-budget feature films, worked with Oscar-nominated actors and Harrison Ford’s brother, received a royal audience at the Palace, became a target for Turkish terrorists and ended up in a police cell - yet lived to tell the tale!
The Guerilla Film Makers Handbook pulls no punches and is THE definitive guide - buy it and save yourself thousands of pounds.
Do you want to read some of the book for free? Click on the Downloads below and print it out.
Read sections for FREE!
So what's in the book?
The Guerilla Film Makers Handbook is broken up into several sections.
Anatomy of a Movie - A step-by-step guide to all aspects of production, from copyright law to casting agents, direction to distribution, cash sources to stunts. We ask the questions to which, YOU, the Producer, need to know the answers. It starts in with Training where we look at the avenues open to people who want a formal education (as well as informal training), followed by Concept where we look at the various types and reasons for making a film, and the possible outcome. Then there is Screenplay where we look at the different ways you can approach getting a screenplay, and working in that business. Finance follows, where the money is and how to manage the business. Next is Pre Production, followed by Production and then Post Production. Sales and Distribution are next, completed by the What Next section, where we look at how best to manage your project and career. Remember, it’s not just about THIS film, it’s about a lifetimes worth of films.
Case Studies - The authors tell the story of how they made three low-budget feature films, worked with Oscar-nominated actors and Harrison Ford's brother, received a royal audience at the Palace, became a target for Turkish terrorists and ended up in a police cell - yet lived to tell the tale. More recently they tell of their exploits in Hollywood following their latest movie success Urban Ghost Story.
Plus there are detailed studies of many other new film makers, from micro-budget to mega-budget, revealing how they did it. Including Ed Wright (Shaun Of The Dead), Neil Marshall (Dog Soldiers),
Julian Richards (The Last Horror Movie), Alan Niblo (Football Factory), Jake West (Evil Aliens), the guys who made Saw, the team behind Open Water, and many more...(see contents below).
Producers Toolkit - The legal documentation required to produce your own low-budget feature films, plus loads of forms such as call sheets, movement orders, sound report sheets
etc., and a complete budget breakdown. The legal contracts were compiled by media solicitor Helen Tulley whilst the forms were compiled and honed down during the production of several low budget
feature films. Plus guides to international sales, distribution and company formation etc.
Software Guide - Accompanying the book is a CD Rom with a powerful screenplay formatter that will free you to concentrate on the creative stuff whilst it deals with all the
boring formatting stuff. Works with MS Word for Windows (we are working on a Mac one) and can import scripts written in pretty much any other program. There's also all the legal contracts, typed
up for you, plus all the forms for you to fill in.
The Guerilla Film Makers Handbook pulls no punches. Heavily illustrated and written in lay terms with no bullshit, it is THE definitive guide - buy it and save yourself thousands of
pounds.
