Book Shelf

First-Time Filmmaker F*#>-Ups: Navigating the Pitfalls to Making a Great Movie
By Daryl Bob Goldberg
Focal Press
Boston
2012

NYU Film School graduate and award-winning producer-director of everything from feature films to music videos and nationally televised commercials, Daryl Bob Goldberg has written a book that is both pragmatic and informative for first-time filmmakers. The book’s irreverent tone makes you feel like your learning about the process from somebody who is “street-smart” and has been there and done that.

The book is divided into eleven parts and has identified each chapter as a “f*#.-up” with the requisite 69 as the climaxing, cumulative number to assimilate.

Ø      Part 1 covers “Getting Started” with five important caveats such as explaining the necessity of collaboration and why a diligent producer is essential to your success.

Ø      Part 2 explains the always tricky tactics to take for “Getting the Money”.

Ø      Part 3 “Pre-Production” with casting tips that can make or break your project even before you start “lensing”.

Ø      Part 4 “Scheduling” and why strip boards are essential to the process.

Ø       Part 5 “Budgeting” and why a contingency in the budget is essential.

Ø      Part 6 “Acting” and why continuity trumps performance.

Ø      Part 7 “Crew” deals with hiring competent personnel to make sure your project achieves the production value necessary to be taken seriously.

Ø      Part 8 “Life on the Set” and why a call-sheet is an absolute necessity.

Ø       Part 9 “Editing” and why it’s a lot more than mastering software.

Ø      Part 10 “More Post Production” deals with sound, music choices, looping and effects” s

Ø      Part 11 “Life After Post Production” including strategies for successfully getting your film out there.

If you plan to make a feature film you can not afford to miss the important life lessons that Mr. Goldberg shares in this indispensable book. The book humanizes the complex film process and provides common sense solutions to a first time filmmaker’s questions.  It is a must-buy!

FFT Webmaster

The FFT Webmaster use displays whenever an article has multiple authors. It also pops up on articles from old versions of Film Festival Today. The original author byline might be missing! In that case, if you are the author of such an article and see this bio instead of your own, please send us an email. Some of our contributors that might be missing bylines are: Brad Balfour, Laura Blum, and Sandy Mandelberger, among others.