My 7 Favorite Books for Filmmakers
There's no irony in a book helping you make a movie. Sometimes you have to ‘read’ before you can ‘do.’ Today’s episode of Ben on Film is digging into my seven favorite books I’ve ever read about filmmaking. I just need you to promise me one thing: don’t let these books be your excuse to not go out and start making films. There’s a lot you can learn from the greats, but it should accent and enhance what you learn from on-the-job experience, even if you’re just making it up as you go.
There's no irony in a book helping you make a movie. Sometimes you have to ‘read’ before you can ‘do.’ Today’s episode of Ben on Film is digging into my seven favorite books I’ve ever read about filmmaking. I just need you to promise me one thing: don’t let these books be your excuse to not go out and start making films. There’s a lot you can learn from the greats, but it should accent and enhance what you learn from on-the-job experience, even if you’re just making it up as you go.
If you can promise me that, let’s talk about these books! Okay? Okay.
I’m breaking these books into four categories: books on screenwriting, books on directing and cinematography, books on acting, and books on the business side of the industry.
Disclaimer: We participate in affiliate programs where we could make commission for recommending products. By purchasing these products, you are supporting us and our ability to continue to provide great content.
The best books on screenwriting
Let’s start with screenwriting. And this section comes with a caveat: these two books are wildly controversial, not because of their content, but because of their authors. My first truly viral TikTok video went nuts because of how opinionated people were, in the comment section, about these two books. The source of the drama is that the books, although great, were written by people with less-than-stellar careers as screenwriters. And the books take polar opposite approaches to the same problem, which has left these two authors, and therefore these two awesome pieces of guidance, eternally chained to the hip until the end of time. And I recommend both of them because I think you need to experience both sides, take it with a grain of salt relative to both authors’ careers, and chart your own path forward.
Blake Snyder’s Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need
Save the Cat!: The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need
Meet the first author, his resume, and his book:
Blake Snyder was considered Hollywood’s most successful spec screenwriter before his death in 2009. The keyword there is “spec,” because he successfully sold many-a-script, but only three were ever produced, two into feature-length films, all for a children audience, and only one you may have heard of: 1994’s Disney oddity (and I mean ‘oddity,’ not to be confused with ‘odyssey’) called Blank Check. A movie wherein a money-obsessed 12-year-old commits check fraud and falls just short of sexual predator-like behavior with a grown-ass woman. Don’t believe me? Go re-watch it.
All of that said, the first book is a legend in the industry: Save the Cat! The Last Book on Screenwriting You'll Ever Need. It simplifies (some would say ‘oversimplifies’) screenwriting down into digestible ‘hero’s journey’-style beats.
Positives are that the system makes screenwriting incredibly simple and digestible for newbies who don’t know where to start.
Negatives are that it puts screenwriting into a box of reproducible templates, limiting creativity, and that Snyder’s resume is neither inspiring nor aspiring.
This book is for you if you don’t know where to start.
Paul Guyot’s Kill the Dog: The First Book on Screenwriting to Tell You the Truth
Kill the Dog: The First Book on Screenwriting to Tell You the Truth
On the flipside, there’s Kill the Dog: The First Book on Screenwriting to Tell You the Truth. The book that tells you not to trust anything Snyder writes, tosses out templates and limitations on your creativity, and tells you how to write and how to write well. Kill the Dog props itself up as “the first book on screenwriting written by an actual working professional screenwriter.” That’s a quote.
This fiery tome was penned by screenwriter Paul Guyot, who absolutely has more and better credits to his name, but doesn’t come out of this uncriticized. He’s credited with writing 71 episodes of small, moderate, and major TV shows ranging from the JJ Abrams and Matt Reeves-helmed Felicity and Scott Bakula-pillared NCIS: New Orleans to the fantasy jank that was The Librarians. That, in itself, is a valid career. Only one film, though, and it was 2017’s Gerard Butler sci-fi disaster (in more than one way) Geostorm, which one could argue was probably bastardized from Paul Guyot’s version by director and co-writer Dean Devlin.
Alas! I think you should read both of these books and chart your own path forward. They both hone in on a really important core message: in order to be a great screenwriter, you have to WRITE.
The Best Books on Cinematography and Directing
Moving on to my two favorite books on directing and cinematography.
Joseph V. Mascelli’s The Five C's of Cinematography: Motion Picture Filming Techniques
Five C's of Cinematography: Motion Picture Filming Techniques
The first is The Five C's of Cinematography: Motion Picture Filming Techniques, by Joseph V. Mascelli. It goes way back, originally being published in 1965. Mascellim, who died in 1981, had one directorial and five DP credits to his name. I’m going to list these, but the likelihood you’ve heard of them is…middling at best.
1962’s Wild Guitar
1963’s Monstrosity
1964’s
Yeah, I told you you probably haven’t heard of them. That doesn’t detract from the book, though, which takes a very pragmatic and well-structured approach to the system behind cinematography. It uses hundreds of diagrams and visuals to help break down and educate about how to balance the art with the science of cinema visuals. The fact that this makes this list, even at this age, says something about how well Mascelli approached such a complex topic. It’s the bible of cinematographer. No ifs, ands, or buts.
Sidney Lumet’s Making Movies
Make it stand out
My absolute favorite book on directing is from the legendary Sidney Lumet, titled Making Movies. Lumet directed 74 movies before his death in 2011. I tried to narrow the list of examples of his work down more than this, but I just couldn’t do it. Lumet was behind:
12 Angry Men (1957) with Henry Fonda
Fail Safe (1964) with Henry Fonda and Walter Matthau
Serpico (1973) starring Al Pacino
Murder on the Orient Express (1974) based on the book by Agatha Christie and with a mid-James Bond Sean Connery
Dog Day Afternoon (1975) with Al Pacino
Network (1976) with Faye Dunaway and Robert Duvall
The Wiz (1978) with Diana Ross, Michael Jackson, and Richard Pryor
A Stranger Among Us (1992) with Melanie Griffith
Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead (2007) w/Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke
Even if the book was bad, you’d want to listen to what Lumet had to say. But it’s not. It’s amazing. It looks at everything from how directors choose scripts to how they direct actors. It touches on logistics of giant productions in busy areas, juggling the egos of studio executives, and once-in-a-lifetime anecdotal experiences you can’t get from anyone else. If you can trust anyone, it’s someone who worked with the likes of Katharine Hepburn, Paul Newman, Marlon Brando, and Al Pacino, right?
The Best Book on Acting
Now, let’s talk about acting. Some of you may be thinking, “why would a list of books for filmmakers include a book on acting? I have literally zero interest in acting.” Okay, but you should at least learn how to speak and think like an actor if you want to coax phenomenal performances out of them. And, the real reason I’m including this book on my list, is because I’m a scrappy filmmaker. One of the best ways to save money on a micro-budget or no-budget indie film is to use friends, family, and largely, yourself, as on-camera talent. All of these are great reasons to make sure you have at least a rudimentary-to-moderate understanding of acting and acting techniques.
In the world of acting, there are many schools of thought. I’m sure you’ve heard of the often-misunderstood “method” acting. Some of the most popular schools of thought have grown out of some of the most successful acting teachers in the history of the industry: Stanislavski, Meisner, Laban, Chekhov, Spolin, Strasberg, and Adler.
Sanford Meisner’s Sanford Meisner on Acting
Sanford Meisner on Acting
This is just a personal opinion, but I’m partial to Sanford Meisner, and I think the best book on the Meisner Technique is by Meisner himself: Sanford Meisner on Acting. The book follows a class of actors through a fifteen month course and documents what they learn, how they apply it, and all the ups, downs, and sharp turns of the experience.
Meisner’s big thing is making sure an actor’s response to the experiences around them are authentic and emotionally-true. Truthful under imaginary circumstances. That’s pretty true, regardless of the nuances to the other acting techniques.
So, Sanford Meisner on Acting. That’s number five.
Best Books for Beginner Filmmakers
The last two books on the list are great “fierce generalist” books that help you navigate filmmaking in the modern era. Modern-ish. One was published in 2009. But these are fierce because of the no-BS attitudes of the authors, along with being focused entirely on scrappy independent creators. That makes them right up my alley, along with hopefully being right up your alley.
Kelley Baker’s The Angry Filmmaker Survival Guide: Part One, Making the Extreme No-Budget Film
The Angry Filmmaker Survival Guide: Part One, Making the Extreme No-Budget Film
The first book is The Angry Filmmaker Survival Guide: Part One, Making the Extreme No-Budget Film, by Kelley Baker.
A lot of Kelley’s career has been spent on the sound side of things: he has 29 audio-adjacent credits as everything from Sound Designer and Sound Mixer to Sound Editor and Post Sound Supervisor. He’s also produced eight films and directed seven. You’d probably most-recognize him for his work on Finding Forrester and Good Will Hunting, unless you’re a huge fan of Starquest II.
The Angry Filmmaker Survival Guide is focused almost entirely on navigating the politics of the industry and helping you build a foundation of scrappy skills that just flat-out gets things done in the face of the long list of excuses indie filmmakers could use to NOT do things. Technically, I listened to this book, which was super digestible in less than 7 hours, but it’s still a very enjoyable experience.
Alex Ferrari’s Rise of the Filmtrepreneur: How to Turn Your Independent Film Into a Profitable Business
Rise of the Filmtrepreneur: How to Turn Your Indie Film into a Profitable Business
My last book is certainly not the least book. And it’s from a name you’ve probably heard if you’re on social media and watching videos about filmmaking: Alex Ferrari. His list of credits is nearing triple digits, and his podcast and show have become easy go-tos for industry knowledge.
The book is Rise of the Filmtrepreneur: How to Turn Your Independent Film Into a Profitable Business. The reason I recommend it is that many filmmakers don’t struggle with motivation to MAKE something, they struggle with what to do with a project after it’s completed. What Alex does in his book is provide insight into how to be as great a businessperson as you are a filmmaker and content creator. The fact that the book was published in 2019 means it also contains valuable insights into the world of streaming and how it impacts your film’s go-to-market strategy. The business has changed incredibly fast in the last couple of years, and as of right now, Rise of the Filmtrepreneur is the most modern book on the topic.
Wrapping It Up
I know y’all have something to say about Save the Cat vs Kill the Dog, but what else do you think? What should be on the list and didn’t make it? Let me know in the comments.
There are thousands of books out there on filmmaking, and you can learn something from every single one of them. Even the worst ones. Remember that, what’s most important, is that you remain dedicated to your craft, that you feel comfortable experimenting, that you keep your mind open and remain flexible to learning opportunities, and that you make films with a style and approach YOU’D watch. You’re not an audience of one: if you like something, the odds are very good there’s another person out there who would love it too. Books are a means to an end, but the most important way to become a filmmaker is to get out there, make mistakes, and learn from them.