How to use this book

This book is going to work as a more flexible tool than standard reference books. You don’t have to start at the front and work your way through; you can access it anywhere and make the most of what it offers. There are two reasons why it has been arranged like this: first, you may be coming with certain skills already in place and can skip certain sections; second, your idea of what you want to make is different for everyone.

In this sense, it is non-linear, like a ready-access CD or DVD. And just like DVDs, you can make your ‘scene selection’ by looking at the first page of each section to find out how to skip parts and go straight to the chapter you need now. At the start of relevant chapters, a ‘quick start’ section has been included to help you determine what is applicable to you right now so that you can get started quickly. You can then go back and examine areas in more detail later, when you need to.

A film course

You can also use this book in a linear fashion, so that you encounter the stages that you would if you were at film school. A film course would often take you through understanding how films ‘work’ – the way all the elements of filmmaking interact – and then onto planning and writing, learning how to shoot, and finally onto editing. This book goes a couple of steps further by then proposing a clear way of making your way into filmmaking as a career. Later, at the end of the book, there is also a section on what the industry you are going to enter looks like, to help you find your way through it. Inevitably, that last section is no more than a snapshot of a shifting industry, but it does attempt to point towards the major direction it is heading, including threats and opportunities that are on the horizon.

Projects

One of the features of this book is the practical projects which run throughout it. The aim is to suggest ways of developing your skills and putting what is discussed into practice. The projects are designed to push certain skills and ideas, and allow you to make big steps forward quickly. For instance, in the section on scriptwriting there are projects that are going to help you get to grips with putting meanings into your stories. After the music promo chapter there is a project designed to get you making your own promo and avoid the pitfalls of other filmmakers.

The non-linear approach to the book described above carries on in the projects too, as each one can be expanded for those who want more of a challenge. If you find that a certain project was useful you may then want to go to the more difficult version and push yourself further.

Boxes

To break up the text and include extra information, there are boxes throughout the chapters which give more information. These are in five types:

• Film Views. These boxes describe films that would help you to investigate further what that chapter is about.
• Tips. These boxes offer advice about certain points, such as technical tips and shortcuts.
• Interviews. Many filmmakers were interviewed for this book and their comments help relate the ideas in it to the real world. Quotes from their interviews feature in the text to illustrate points and ideas.
• Did you know? These boxes contain facts and snippets of information on the various subjects discussed in the book.
• Weblinks. These are links to sites that will expand on points in the text or just offer up-to-date advice. They also help make the text address international differences – for instance, on finance or distribution.

Finally, all the projects have been road-tested on students and filmmakers. They have been developed as people have responded to them and made use of them.