by: TJPARSONS

We are  proud to present to you THE TEN for the month of June. This month's 10 has to do with books on Filmmaking that no one should be without. That is to say resources that I feel give someone who is interested in film and making media a wide scoped eye into the process and inter- workings. Many people have a limited conception on what a complicated, interdisciplinary and collaborative process it is. This "ten" list is dedicated to those that ask themselves " I want to know more about filmmaking but don't know how to tackle the process from beginning to end." or possibly " I've started working on this film , now I've gotten this far... now what?" . This list by no means is inclusive of ALL good references and learning materials on how to make your Film. But it is, in fact a very good start. As a matter of fact I like the books on this list so much that I wish I could afford to give them as gifts for those that work with me in the studio. This list is chock full of books with ideas, that after you read them may turn into a chain reaction of Ah-ha moments resulting in a much better comprehensive understanding of the craft than lets say all the behind the scenes documentaries and Google results I've pursued  in my life. I've learned much from extras on Blue-rays and DVD's , but the things they do not tell you is the essentials that will be found in the books that follow.

	1) Sound Design - the expressive power of Music, Voice, and Sound Effects in Cinema By David Sonnenschein. This book emphasizes not just the "importance" of sound but how to apply it to your project in a way that defines the story, punctuates, emotionally involves the audience, and weaves depth and tonality.  Sound is about 1/4 of the whole process, so it stands to reason if you need a little insight to this area of this process - you need this book. There is really no other way to put it. The author gives great care in helping the reader understand the psychology and physics of sound while giving clues of how to apply that knowledge in terms of art and storytelling.
	2) Produced By... Balancing Art and Business in the Movie Industry By Paul N. Lazarus One of the hardest things to come to terms with is balancing your "art" and the business aspects of your production. This book  scopes things like understanding the studio system, the steps of development, financing (as well as types of financing for your film), Understanding the workflow from pre-production through production, the kinds of edits, touches on marketing, and advertisement. Many books cover these grounds, but what I like about this book is that it touches on points that beginning filmmakers either overlook or are too impatient to learn and give critical thought to. The chapters can be read as reference or in sequence.
	3) Setting Up Your Shots - Great camera moves every filmmaker should know By Jeremy Vineyard I can not even begin to explain to you the many years and hundreds of books that I looked through to find a unique reference like this. This book is useful for story boarding and also a good tool to have on set to leaf through when discussing on the fly changes with a camera operator. Essentially this is like a visual dictionary of story telling techniques of shots in the form of story board illustrations.  It explains what the shot is, how it is used, considering effect on audience, tone and practicality in reference to telling the story. Also one of the things I like is it illustrates popular shots from movies that a film enthusiast can recall from memory such as The Matrix, Blade Runner, Vertigo, The Graduate, Blue Velvet, and 2001: A Space Odessy. Treat yourself to this book without having to look for it as many years as I did.
	4) Film Directing Shot by Shot - Visualizing from concept to screen By Steven D. Katz This book came up just a few odd minutes ago while I was talking to one of my lead actors that wants to expand his horizons in the business of filmmaking. We were discussing the syntax of making and editing a storyflow and this book says it about right: "A complete catalougue visual techniques and their stylistic implications ". And trust me that byte says a lot. Being a visual learner myself I admire the way this book utilizes stills, storyboards and diagrams to explain conventions and concepts. Must for would be Directors and Director of Photography/Cameramen.
	5) Your State's Current Film Office Guide By Any state that wishes to have an influx of commerce Call your local Film office and have them send to you a copy of this directory, and for God's sake do so every year and keep it updated. The picture on the left is the 2004 South Carolina Production Guide, they all look different but if you are a state that does't have one and you recently passed a film related tax incentive to bring dollars and jobs to your state - please do yourself a favor and spring for amount of money it takes to print one of these things, it can't cost much more to produce than a ring bound recipe book. Your citizens will thank you. To the moderate to high budget Production Company (you already know what its for): its a directory for everyone and every resource you need to complete your film. For the low to no budget filmmaker its a way to call people in the industry and learn about rentals, and do cost analysis or make connections.
	6) Film Production Management 101 - The ultimate guide for film and television production management and coordination By  Debora S. Patz This book encapsulates the whole process from beginning to the end (no lie:even how to make sufficient credits). The other subjects touched upon in this book are setting up an office, how to avoid pitfalls, touches on some legal situations, gives multiple templates to get you started on breaking things down and organizing your production, as well as close to home anecdotes. If you think you know everything there is to know about making a movie because you watch tons of movies and extras, this book will show you that you could watch those extras for 20 years and still only skim the tip of the iceberg. 450 pages may sound like a lot, but the fact that Patz was able to make something quite so comprehensive in that margin is impressive. If I had the cash I would buy every crewmember interested in going to more complex projects with me one copy each - no questions asked.
	7) Media and Society - an introduction By Michael O'Shaughnessy and Jane Stadler Maybe a kind of "with great power comes great responsibility" read, but it touches on some things that many people do not consider when engineering their media for consumption.  Subjects touched upon in this book are:Understanding story conventions, significance of Campbell and Jung, evolving roles of gender and ethnicity in media, advertising (its roles and methods), levels of percieved realities, postmodernism, and understanding the mirror that we look into that both reflects ourselves and the society we fit into - blemishes and all. If you read this, you will no longer call something "just a movie".
	8) Your Favorite Published Screenplay - "Your favorite published screenplay", because it may be one in the same with one of your favorite movies that you've seen multiple times. I say have at least one published screen play around that you can, while you read recall specific instances in the movie that can help you to format your ideas visually into words. The screenplay at left is "From Dusk Till Dawn".  I find it is a genuinely good reference. Tarantino is a writer/director and YOU as a beginning filmmaker will be wearing many hats, its suffice to say that some of the techniques he uses in this screenplay involve more visuals, citation of action, camera shots/angles than a typical screenplay. Often screenplays tend not to be so presumptuous with camera angles and the like because when you are shopping a screenplay around you don't want to step on the toes of the possible director (they like these things to be their call). In a low budget independent production you will be doing yourself, you want to be as specific as possible so every understands your vision and what you are trying to achieve. Formatting properly helps you from running into critical snags down the road,eases pre-production and shows possible financiers and crew you are professional, serious, and organized with your ideas. I cannot stress how much easier it is to produce a correctly formatted screenplay than a list notes with dialogue. And many people do not realize how many drafts you can go through -
	9) 100 Simplified Tips and Tricks of Digital Photography by Rob Sheppard This is a somewhat simplified collection of photographic elements, concepts, and basic introductions to ideas that you can build on. One of the best things this book does for the reader is actually show them how to do things and gives visual examples and comparisons. It's my opinion that in order to be good with moving images, you must first understand expectations and limitations of still images. This book gives a lot of concepts in lamen's terms that can be used as reference later on, and it is organized in a way that when you are working with others - you can flip it open and point your finger to site examples - "it needs to look like this" or "we need an extra light over here". It lightly delves into psychology of the art and in spots helps the reader to understand how to guide the eye to focus where it needs to be, and the science and idealogy of why things look better in some ways than others and the reasons behind why that is.
	10) Teach Yourself Film Studies by Warren Buckland I realize that reviews on movies in this day and age are a dime a dozen, but in some repects I believe some reviews shine through more than others. "It was stupid" and "it sucked because" when im reading a review makes me cringe. There IS a way to critically watch movies and as a filmmaker or beginning filmmaker it can be an enriching experience to understand characters, genre's and conventions. What it touches upon is everything you need to understand the techniques and possible motives for choices in vein of good storytelling. If you are interested to know more about general film aesthetics, the structure of the story, understanding the autuer and genres - look no further. Did you know there where about 5 different types of documentaries? Are you curious what the word Mise-en-scene is that you keep hearing? It might be time to look into the pages of this book - it definately can't hurt. Above touching upon history of film, it is brave enough to help a reader understand the narrative chronology of Pulp Fiction, restricted narration in Taxi Driver and have enough momentum to tackle Lynch's Mullholand Drive.

This is by no means a complete list, but its a real good start for covering a lot of elements in the process. If you are trying to get your feet wet and teach yourself or If you are training a team of hands to help you with your movie, and your production team is willing to learn and not assuming that they know all there is no know "because they have watched movies their whole life" or fequently muttering "this is good enough for what we are trying to do  ..." there are things here that just may bring you to success.

Putting media or a Film together is hard work, not very glamourous, full of headaches if not organized and done correctly,  and the field is very competitive. There are many sleepless nights, late hours, and hand wringing situations- so its best to prepare yourself accordingly. And my thought is if you you spend of lot of your money, and utilize other people's time and energy (and perhaps other's money if you are one of the lucky ones), it's probably best to put the best foot forward in terms of professionalism and understanding of the process. Every Film is a risk but the risks decrease significantly when you have a full understanding of the process.

The technology to make movies is getting cheaper all the time, so give yourself an edge by actually focusing in on "the craft itself" and make a good product, I'll be behind you 100% and will be one of the first in line to watch it. Feel free to contact me

Hope you enjoy the books,
TJParsons

TJParsons and TJPARSONS.COM is proud to present to you an inaugural new and Improved "THE TEN" . This first new "the 10"  is a tribute to two of my favorite people. Oftentimes we sit and the topic comes up - and they ask me if there are any movies I think they should see or are there any I saw lately that I enjoyed. So  I made them their own personal list .Normally "The ten" list has a topic, subject or theme. But this is not an ordinary list. This list is for 2 important people that mean a lot to me. I do not mention a name here because I do not like to mention names of people without permission to publish them before hand, ( so I will call them P-squared ) and then describe them. Why are these two people so important? For starters they helped finance my education in its various stages.  They have continued to nurture my intellectual growth even today, as well as being givers of sage-like advice and even in some cases sage like questions to help me focus my ideas. They have given me a place to film 3 of my features and on certain occasions given me an oasis to get away recharge the brain battery and  induce mental clarity. In short - the content on this site may not be here - or be as inspired, and I most certainly would not have completed college and seen many of my ideas though without all their help. This list is for them and I want publicly thank them both for all they have done for me. And I'm sorry  I didn't get this up for your anniversary (which was the original intent). At one time when considering going back to school, I had some worry that it might be finishing too late in life - one of the P's said " A wizard is never late, nor is he early, he arrives precisely when he means to..", and hence ranks as one of the coolest usages of " Tolkien applied sciences " to real life. And they are blamed for getting me all wrapped up in Joseph Campbell. But man what a fun journey that was. So if a wizard is never late then this sentiment is on time right about .....now.... no.........now.......... just then.

P-Sqaured, this 10 list is for you.

Its hard sometimes to scope people and know what what type of movie they will like, sort of like fitting someone to their preferred Ben and Jerry's Ice cream flavor based on their personality. So I have comprised this list focusing on things that we may have discussed, a shared sense of humor, or perhaps ideas. This is not to say that others will not enjoy this list, I highly recommend that  others try a few features on this list, and perhaps tell me what you think, maybe even discuss some of the subjects,  themes, and  modus operandi.

There is no hierarchy to this list so anyone that wants can just enjoy them as they have time or they fit the mood they are in -  and as always I hope you enjoy the films.

TJParsons

The 10 Lists are never  the ten best, its just "10" of a kind.

CULT MUSICALS FOR BEGINNERS

1) Hedwig and the Angry Inch - Wham bam and glam. Gender-bending but heartfelt electrifying tunes. Wigs optional.

2) Phantom of the Paradise - De Palma made a musical? Classic Paul Williams. A musical I watched twice in the same day the first time I saw it. Curious? You should be. Give yourself a treat. Pick this one up for your collection.

3) Cannibal! The Musical - How the hell was this thing made with that budget? Shows how you can stretch a dollar when you have unrelenting musical talent. A.K.A a musical based on the travels of Alfred Packer from Trey Parker and Matt Stone starring Dian Bachar. The commentary on this DVD is one of the funniest in existence bar none.

4) Shock Treatment - What? There was a sequel to The Rocky Horror Picture Show? Well sure, it pretty much fortold the reality TV fad.

5) Moulin Rouge - I have a love hate relationship with this movie. It's pretty engaging to hear modern pop rock in the backdrop of the turn of the century. It's a bit too sappy and dramatic for me most of the time. But the sound and the visuals are worth it in the long run making this gem a vibrant cinematic absinthe induced hallucination.

6) Hair - Who would have guessed that the MPAA originally gave this a G rating. Put that in your pipe and smoke it....well poor choice of words given the subject matter. The tunes in this classic tale of  love, loss of innocence, the human spirit and war haunted me (in a good way) for most of my life. Since watching recently, you might realize the styles of clothing change but history tends to repeats itself. I'm sure you've heard references to it your whole life. Check out this classic. Put this one in your collection for documenting marks in history, not to mention the soundtrack is forever.  Age of Aquarius. 

7) The Blues Brothers - Some of the most iconic cinematic musical performances in recent history: Ray Charles, Cab Calloway, James Brown just to name a few. Not to mention Performances that defined comedy. One of the biggest car crash scenes in history. Having a bad day? I guarantee one veiwing of this movie will make you forget what you were feeling "blue" about. Now that's a powerful movie.

8) Little Shop of Horrors - Frank Oz really knows his musicals. Levi Stubbs, Steve Martin, Rick Morranis, Ellen Green. This musical is a good started for that friend that swears he can't stand musicals. It will covert them into a believer; Not to mention that references to this movie seem to pop up everywhere.

9) Tommy - You go, Anne Margret with your sexy self; sploshing around in a pool of beans.  I am a big fan of the rock opera and I can tell you many that have been made and are currently being made are striving to be as behemoth  as this one. Memorable character Tina Turner as the  "Acid Queen" commands a presence that can't be denied.

10) Pink Floyd - The Wall  - Superb mix of music, textures, montage and animation. There is not a brooding teenager alive that hasn't watched it a zillion times. What is amazing to me is that 80% of the youth today use a viewing of "The Wall" as a rite of passage.

11) Tenacious D in The Pick of Destiny (2 DVD Set) - Jack Black gets back to his roots with "hard rocking amigo" Kyle Gass. If you are at any level a fan of Tenacious D this is a must have. Special appearances by Dave Grohl.  I purchased the CD of the soundtrack before I moved, and on the entire 7 hour trip there was only 20 min I didn't have the soundtrack on repeat rocking out and singing at the top of my lungs.

*"this one goes to eleven" ( This Is Spinal Tap homage( This one should make it 12 I know but I have Spinal Tap on so many other good lists- it will get its time.)


thanks for stopping by,
tjparsons


movies discussed in this list were: