I begin this blog after reading Spike Lee’s excellent book Spike Lee’s Gotta Have It, which explores the making of Lee’s first feature, She’s Gotta Have It.

I’m a big fan of books where directors detail their process during the making of a film. Anything that talks about the making of a film are something that I try to get my hands on to read.

The Book

The book details the trials and tribulations of Lee’s journey to get the film made – from the initial seed of an idea, through the writing of the screenplay and the eventual shoot and post-production work. But that’s just where the real fun starts, as a large part of the book is devoted to distribution and securing funding for the film.

Here’s a great quote from Spike’s book:

“Don’t think that because you haven’t heard from me for a while that I went to sleep. I am still here, like a spirit roaming the night. Thirsty, hungry, seldom stopping to rest.” Spike Lee

Other Filmmaking Books

There are, of course, lots of other filmmaking books out there. There are also plenty of non-filmmaking books that might help our filmmaking.

Here are some books by filmmakers that talk about the making of their films:

Rebel Without a CauseRobert Rodriquez

Lynch on LynchDavid Lynch

Moviemakers’ Master Class: Private Lessons From The World’s Foremost DirectorsLaurent Tirard

Something Like An AutobiographyAkira Kurosawa

Notes on the CinematographerRobert Bresson

The Architecture of Vision: Writings and Interviews on CinemaMichelangelo Antonioni 

On Directing FilmDavid Mamet

Making MoviesSidney Lumet

   

The Magic Lantern: An AutobiographyIngmar Bergman

The Films in My LifeFrancois Truffaut

Let me know below in the comments if you think I’ve missed out any great filmmakers on filmmaking books. Thanks for reading!
 

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