05/20/2002 Entry:
"Making Movies - Sidney Lumet"

As I've been thinking about what my next project is going to be (or perhaps reviving the first one) I've been reading some books on the filmmaking process. Its a tall pile - Making Movies, My First Movie, Rebel Without A Crew, Feature Filmmaking At Used Car Prices (a super old edition) - and it keeps growing. I'm not really looking for stylistic stuff here, I have my own ideas and I want to work creatively very loose and fast. If I wanted more I would go to film school. What I'm really looking for is technical and practical knowledge, two things I am sorely lacking. How does a film camera really work? What goes happens on a set from day to day? What approaches have various filmmakers used to go at their subjects?

Sidney Lumet's Making Movies is certainly the most "high end" of all these. Lumet talks about the process he uses in making big Hollywood features. Its a very interesting and helpful book. Lumet divides the book into chapters covering each step of the process - the script, the actors, the camera, shooting, editing, etc. In every section he emphasizes that the script you're making and the story you're telling should drive the style, not the other way around. Makes good sense to me, and it has obviously served Lumet well over the years. He spends a lot of time describing why he chose to do various things in his films - why some have soundtracks and some don't, why use certain lenses in certain scenes, etc. This information is not really what I was after, but it was interesting.

To me, the cooler stuff is when Lumet describes his days on the set and off, especially when he goes into some detail. For instance, just seeing an actual call sheet was extremely interesting. Much of his information on post-production was very helpful, especially discussion of getting an answer print and color timing. This the kind of technical, day to day info I really feel I lack and its great getting sonmeone's approach to it. Its an easy read too, Lumet has a great conversational style filled with fun anecdotes and stories. One nice thing about this book is it really stresses colaboration with people, and the importance of surrounding yourself with the right people for the job. Lumet obviously highly respects the people he hires for his films and wants them involved. Why would he hire them otherwise? Its a great attitude and refreshing to see.