The Creative Process

1. Mastery, by Robert Greene

   An excellent book that traces the process of achieving mastery in a field through the examination of the lives of several contemporary masters.

2. The War of Art: Break Through the Blocks and Win Your Creative Battles, by Steven Pressfield

   The best book for overcoming procrastination, fear and resistance to our creative paths in life.

3. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, by Haruki Murakami

   This is ostensibly a book about running, but is just as much about the discipline and difficulty involved in choosing a creative life.

Managing Your Life

1. Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity, by David Allen

   The classic guide to getting organized and accomplishing what you need to do.

2. Your Money or Your Life: Nine Steps to Transforming Your Relationship with Money and Achieving Financial Independence, by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez

   An essential book on financial planning and management.

3. Nine Things Successful People Do Differently, by Heidi Grant Halverston

   An excellent, very brief read on how successful people define and accomplish their goals.

The History of the Film Industry

See “Learn The History,” pp. 63–64 for a detailed discussion of these books.

1. The Big Screen: The Story of the Movies, by David Thomson
2. Easy Riders, Raging Bulls, by Peter Biskind
3. The Mailroom: Hollywood History from the Bottom Up, by David Rensin
4. Down and Dirty Pictures, by Peter Biskind
5. City of Nets: A Portrait of Hollywood in the 1940s, by Otto Friedrich
6. Sleepless in Hollywood; Tales from the New Abnormal in the Movie Business, by Lynda Obst
7. The Revolution Was Televised: The Cops, Crooks, Slingers and Slayers Who Changed TV Drama Forever, by Alan Sepinwall

Screenwriting

1. Poetics, by Aristotle

   Perhaps the most influential book in the history of dramatic theory; Aristotle muses on what makes for great dramatic writing.

2. The Elements of Style, by E. B. White

   The ultimate guidebook to proper English composition.

3. Screenwriting 101, by Film Crit Hulk

   Most screenwriting books are full of fantasies about the perfect technique to create a million-dollar screenplay. This book is different: a practical, realistic discussion of storytelling strategies from one of the world’s best contemporary writers on film and television.

4. On Filmmaking, by Alexander Mackendrick

   Legendary filmmaker and screenwriter Alexander Mackendrick (The Sweet Smell of Success) also had the benefit of a multi-decade teaching career. The result is one of the most sage, helpful books on storytelling ever.

Directing Actors

1. A Sense of Direction, by William Ball

   A beautiful, practical meditation on the role of the director. This book is based on the author’s experience as a theater director, but much of what he says is directly applicable to directing actors in film.

2. Notes on Directing, by Frank Hauser

   Perhaps the most succinct, practical, intelligent, engaging book on being a director I’ve ever read. Also on theater, but almost entirely applicable to film.

Cinematography

1. The Filmmaker’s Eye, by Gustavo Mercado

   A very good contemporary look at shot sizes and their use in visual storytelling.

2. The Visual Story, by Bruce Block

Editing

1. In the Blink of an Eye, by Walter Murch

   The definitive book on editing, from one of the world’s master editors.

2. When the Shooting Stops, the Cutting Begins, by Ralph Rosenblum

   Ralph Rosenblum is perhaps most famous for editing Woody Allen’s iconic Annie Hall. This book tells the process behind the making of that film and many others. You guessed it, they were made in the editing room.

Producing

1. Shooting to Kill, by Christine Vachon

   A smart, clever look at the life and work of the indie producer by one of the leading voices in the field.

2. The Complete Film Production Handbook, by Eve Light Honthaner
3. Hope for Film: From the Frontline of the Independent Cinema Revolutions, by Ted Hope

Networking/Professionalism/The Industry

1. Letters to Young Filmmakers, by Howard Suber

   A series of common questions asked by students about every imaginable subject related to the film industry, answered by a member of UCLA’s faculty who’s taught for over 50 years.

2. Good in a Room, by Stephanie Palmer

   An excellent little primer on meetings, pitches, developing your network and more.

Living a Good Life (Creating Values and Being Happy)

1. How Will You Measure Your Life? by Clayton M. Christensen

   A simple book about the choices we make in life and what they mean.

2. A Guide to the Good Life: The Ancient Art of Stoic Joy, by William B. Irvine

   An excellent introduction to Stoic principles, which can be a great arsenal against the chaos and joy of a creative life.

3. Letters to a Young Poet, by Rainer Maria Rilke

   The advice of a famous poet to an emerging one; beautiful little letters on creativity and perseverance.

4. Self-Reliance, by Ralph Waldo Emerson

   Some thoughts on defining your own values and destiny by the first and foremost American philosopher.

5. The Tao of Pooh, by Benjamin Hoff. A great philosophy explained by a great philosopher.