Unless an aspiring filmmaker is blessed with tremendous luck or plain nepotism, the process of breaking into the industry, even with formal education, can be a mystery. The modern film industry has been revolutionized by digital technology that has both made it easier for the average person to make films but has also created a flood of content that’s made the industry more competitive than ever before.
If you’re trying to start out at point zero with an idea but little to no money, resources, knowledge, or crew, read ahead for our top picks on filmmaking essentials. These titles can help with the creation of your film or trying to sell it to independent film distributors or even documentary film buyers such as libraries and universities.
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The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell
This is stage one. Before studying technique, form, or style, the essential spirit of how and why we tell stories in the first place must be understood. Since its initial publishing in 1949, The Hero with a Thousand Faces has inspired countless filmmakers, including Stanley Kubrick and George Lucas, who notably used Campbell’s principles when writing Star Wars.
Campbell was a comparative mythologist who popularized the concept of monomyth, a seemingly time-and-space universal template for storytelling that emphasizes the journey and personal transformation of the protagonist. The presence of this structure in most commercially and critically successful films is well documented. No matter what role you’re hoping to land on a film set, this book will help you reconnect on the deepest level with what made you want to make films in the first place.
Purchase The Hero with a Thousand Faces here
The Writer’s Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers by Christopher Vogler
You’ll seldom get through a single screenwriting class without this book being brought up. Vogler builds upon Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces and in particular his writing on monomyth theory to develop a step-by-step guide for aspiring and experienced writers. This book will take you through each phase of the Hero’s journey, explaining exactly how each part of the structure works and drawing parallels between successful films that implement it. When in doubt during the writing process, it’s always helpful to refer back to “The Writer’s Journey” to help you find your way again.
Purchase The Writer's Journey: Mythic Structure for Writers here
The Pocket Lawyer for Filmmakers: A Legal Toolkit for Independent Producers by Thomas Cromwell
Do you know what legal ramifications there could be for having one of your onscreen characters quote Yoda? Or if you use a short snippet of a licensed Beyoncé song? Do you know what to do when an actor’s agent presents you with a contract with particular stipulations regarding nudity on camera, transportation, hotel stays, or provided meals? How about how to use state tax incentives to fund your film? How much do extras need to get paid, anyway? Do you know how to reach out to Hollywood agents and producers? If you answered no to any one of these questions, you’d greatly benefit from reading The Pocket Lawyer for Filmmakers, which breaks down all the complicated, unglamorous, and sometimes downright confusing bits of Film Law.
Purchase The Pocket Lawyer for Filmmakers here
101 Things I Learned in Film School by Matthew Frederick and Neil Landau
Short, sweet, and to the point. This is a relatively short, illustrated book that explains in 101 pages all the tips and pointers for writing, directing, pitching, producing, planning, budgeting, shooting, and editing that you’ll ever need to know. This book will help the reader understand how to deepen their understanding of film, create complex and emotionally compelling stories with interesting characters, and do so with reason and intention. This book also serves as a great reference point for educators.
Purchase 101 Things I Learned in Film School here
Rebel Without a Crew by Robert Rodriguez
Truly essential for aspiring filmmakers. What do you do when you have a strong vision and a passion for the work, but you lack funds, connections, and personnel? You make the film anyway, which is exactly what independent legend Robert Rodriguez did during the $7,000 production of his debut feature film, El Mariachi. Rebel Without a Crew is Rodriguez’s account of his experiences raising money for his project, filming an entire feature on virtually no budget, and then promoting El Mariachi, an endeavor that would lead to his prolific, multimillion-dollar career.
Purchase Rebel Without a Crew here
On Directing Film by David Mamet
The role of the director is glamorous and alluring, no doubt. The director makes or breaks the film, by all accounts…..but, how does one go about this role? Of course, you need to think visually and be creative, but you also need to be able to communicate that vision effectively, understand precisely what you’re doing and why you’re doing it, be a strong leader, take accountability, practice empathy towards your cast and crew, direct those around you, have sound judgment, and more. These are the skills that Mamet demystifies in On Directing Film, an essential book for aspiring directors, writers, and filmmakers alike.
Purchase On Directing Film here
Make Your Own Damn Movie! by Lloyd Kaufman, Adam Jahnke, and Trent Haaga
*(Don’t like reading? This book was also made into instructional video format under the same name!)
Much like Rebel Without A Crew, this book by Independent director and Troma studio founder Lloyd Kaufman is a look into how the man created a career for himself with shoestring budgets and limited crews. Each chapter tackles a different aspect of the process, from scriptwriting to raising funds, to coordinating stunts and special effects, to feeding your cast and crew, to covering your legal bases, to post-production for the technologically challenged. Kaufman even gives tips on how to “steal” shots in public spaces and how to thrift and dumpster dive for props. Truly a must-read for anyone willing to put a bit of wit and elbow grease into their production.
Purchase Make Your Own Damn Movie! here
Master Shots: 100 Advanced Camera Techniques to Get An Expensive Look on Your Low Budget Movie by Christopher Kenworthy
As they say, it’s not the camera that makes the shot, it’s the hand and eye behind the camera. Whether you’re shooting on an ARRI ALEXA or your friend’s iPhone, the fundamental principles of composition are the same. This book will walk you through all the different techniques for shooting beautiful and emotionally impactful images, with different chapters that tackle character introductions, physical intimacy, creating suspense, shooting fight scenes, shooting dialogue, establishing the story through cinematography, and more.
Hitchcock/Truffaut by Francois Truffaut
Once upon a time in 1962, somewhere at Universal Studios, Alfred Hitchcock and Francois Truffaut spent a week talking about films. Now, Hitchcock is without the doubt the most written about film director of all time, but the intimate conversations between himself and fellow visionary Francois Truffaut, one of the pioneers of the French New Wave after his tenure at Cahiers du Cinema, are priceless. This book of interview transcripts dives deep into all of Hitchcock’s films (to that point), his process, his methodology, and even his own life experiences that would shape him as a director.
Purchase Hitchcock/Truffaut here
Sculpting in Time by Andrei Tarkovsky
A bit unlike some of the books on this list that focus on method, process, and form, this book by Russian-Soviet director Tarkovsky is essentially his treatise on the philosophy of filmmaking and art in general, one which has a remarkably spiritual basis (which brings to mind The Hero with a Thousand Faces). Tarkovsky heavily focuses on the principles of time and rhythm in this book includes that essays, personal letters, lectures, poetry, and in-depth examinations of each of his films.