A priceless examination of the filmmaker's craft, from the renowned director of Sweet Smell of Success After more than twenty years in the film industry as a screenwriter, storyboard editor, and director of memorable films such as The Ladykillers , Alexander Mackendrick turned his back on Hollywood and began a new career as the Dean of one of the country's most demanding and influential film schools. His absolute devotion to the craft of filmmaking served as a powerful impetus to students at the California Institute ...
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A priceless examination of the filmmaker's craft, from the renowned director of Sweet Smell of Success After more than twenty years in the film industry as a screenwriter, storyboard editor, and director of memorable films such as The Ladykillers , Alexander Mackendrick turned his back on Hollywood and began a new career as the Dean of one of the country's most demanding and influential film schools. His absolute devotion to the craft of filmmaking served as a powerful impetus to students at the California Institute for the Arts for almost twenty five years, with a teaching style that included prodigious notes, neatly crafted storyboards, and handouts containing excerpts of works by Kierkegaard, Aristotle, and others. At the core of Mackendrick's lessons lay a deceptively simple goal: to teach aspiring filmmakers how to structure and write the stories they want to tell, while using the devices particular to the medium of film to tell their stories effectively. In this impressive volume, edited by Paul Cronin, the myriad materials that made Mackendrick's reputation as an instructor are collected for the first time, offering a chance for professionals as well as students to discover a methodology of filmmaking that is challenging yet refreshing in its clarity. Meticulously illustrated and drawing on examples from such classic films as North by Northwest , Citizen Kane , and Touch of Evil, Mackendrick's elegant lessons are sure to provide inspiration for a new generation of filmmakers.
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This book contains fantastic information about story structure for film, and an analysis of two versions of Sweet Smell of Success that should be read by anyone who wants to write screenplays.
If what you really want to do is direct, this is also the book for you. Deep, wide knowledge, well explained.
Far better than filmmaking/screenwriting gurus, this book is up there with Egri's text on dramatic story structure.
