This is a Must See for all Film Making Students
933731
Mike Jitlove is a Genius who managed to do more with imagination, a lot of stop motion animation, and hand creating each frame of special effects. He is light years ahead of his time with this classic movie about Making a movie. He shows the humorous/frustrating side of Hollywood and all the Guilds and Unions it takes to make a movie. I first saw this when taking Special Effects Make-up classes in Orlando. The teacher had a copy on Laser Disc. I would actually buy one of the old Laser Disc Players just to have a copy of this movie, that is how good this movie is.
991517
This should be required viewing by all high school seniors in civics classes.  It's the best video of its kind.
728882
As a student of film, I am coming to appreciate the combination of excellent acting, excellent story line and superb cinematography.
This is a classic as far as I am concerned.
530785
As a high school English teacher, I love sharing this documentary with students!  Who knew that a bunch of funny-looking puppets and four guys sitting around talking about their lives could make such interesting modern connections to Greek tragedy? Students can see through the faces of the puppets what a stylized Greek mask might look like or hear how a Greek chorus sounds when it pauses to comment on the narrative.

The film breaks the four protagonists' stories into different segments (Character, Provocation, Opportunity, Fever, etc.) and my classes always have interesting discussions about the parallels in these four very different lives.  I also find it a useful tool to illustrate character development and narrative to my Creative Writing students.  The kids are hooked by the four men's lives and are eager to talk about the narrative path of each story.  A great way to spark analysis and discussion!  The director's commentary (included as a bonus feature) is also worthwhile.
2246369
People who appreciate the visuals in movies should love this documentary as it deals with how they are photographed and how the cameramen and we, the viewer, see them. That may sound a bit dry, but this documentary is anything but that. They never stay more than a few minutes on any topic, personality or movie.

I appreciated this DVD more and more as I became more familiar with films. The more of a fan you are of both movies and cinematography, the higher you will rate this documentary. From silent movies to modern-day, the producers on this did a fine job showing examples of films from every decade up to 1990. (It would be fun to see an updated edition of this to include films since 1993)

This video gave me a new appreciation for black-and-white films. Some of the photography was magnificent and many cinematographers think that is the medium in which they could really show off their talents.

Regarding color, this documentary is where I first heard about the fabulously- filmed movie, "Days Of Heaven" (1978), which has become one of my all-time favorites. In all, there are about 125 films mentioned, so you may discover some gems you weren't aware of, as I did.

Whether you know most of these films or just a few, you should find a number of things in here interesting.
2365959
I love movies and this one was well made so I added five stars because it's excellent. I'm studying film and if you are studying similar things or just want a great movie, check it out.
955473
I will soon be graduating with a degree in film making.  This book is giving me insight, on another level, into the created reality, which is the world of the actor/character relationship and the director to actor/character relationship.  This is a book about taking the directing craft, as it pertains to the dynamics of working with actors, and honestly and methodically drawing them out of themselves while still being able to draw from their experiences.
1563068
Tarantino's "Reservoir Dogs" is a MUST teaching tool for film schools. This is precisely what we want to tell students how they can make great films with bare minimum resources and lots of creativity.

The entire film was shot in a funeral home warehouse (cheap rent)which was used for shooting most scenes and for turning an upstairs room into Mr Orange's flat. There was no big budget for grand sets, costumes, pretty girls and handsome faces but the right mix of creativity, talents, a good script, strong performance of a fine cast and crew that delivered miracles!!

The Tarantino phenomenon began with "Reservoir Dogs", the film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino which won him worldwide acclaim and gave him his first break.

Eight to eighty years old are fascinated by the riveting heist story and moved by the unlikely friendship developed between Tim Roth/Mr Orange (the undercover cop) and Harvey Keitel/Mr White (the veteran criminal who unwittingly took Mr Orange under his wing, cared for him while he was badly wounded and got himself mortally wounded protecting Mr Orange in a shootout which saw him killing his longtime criminal friends Joe Cabot and Nice Guy Eddie for the sake of Mr Orange in a scene made famous by Mr White's line:"Kill that man, you die next.")

In the end, because of honour and friendship, Mr Orange told Mr White the truth and was executed point blank by a sobbing Mr White who was in turn brought down by a shower of bullets from the arriving police.

The stunned audience will forever carry the poignant image of Cop and Criminal embraced in Death.

It is not just the plot that captivates our imagination, but Tarantino's ability to make us captive audience witnessing scenes of violence and suspense while he eases our tensions with the most unlikely if not incongruously light-hearted K-Billy's Supersounds of the Seventies (think the ear-hacking torture scene of Marvin Nash, the cop tied to a chair by Mr Blonde).

Well, who can ever forget the violent ear-hacking scene accompanied by Stealers Wheel's delightful "Stuck In the Middle With You". In a way, the juxtaposition makes the violence more vivid and keenly felt which is absolutely ingenious and brilliant!!

It is great that the Reservoir Dogs Screenplay has this watershed, climactic scene of Tim Roth/Mr Orange shooting Mr Blonde as its cover. Think the horror and helplessness of the audience when the psychopathic Mr Blonde hacked off the ear of the cop tied to a chair to the tune of "Stuck in the Middle with You" and doused him in petrol and Mr Orange delivered the surprise fatal rounds of shots to save the poor cop just in time, much to our relief!!

It was only then that we discovered the undercover role of Mr Orange.

For Reservoir Dogs fans, the screenplay has to be one of the most coveted and treasured items. Not only does it provide the entire script with all the dialogue in the film, hence "Dogs" fans can recite the lines along with their heroes or even before they deliver the lines at film-screenings; the introductory article "The Miscegenated Cinema of Quentin Tarantino" by Stanley Crouch also makes interesting reading. This screenplay is well produced with plenty of still photos from the film and more.
2527094
This should be required viewing for all business school graduates.  A deep message about friendship and the price of success.  A lot of the focus is on Kaleil, but I find the more interesting portrait is of Tom.  One intriguing thing that came out of their dot com drama is what happened next - but I'll let you find that out on your own.
3385946
After hearing friends discuss the positive impact this film had, I purchased a copy for my family.

Unlike a lot of documentaries that are made by filmmakers who learn about a subject and fly in for filming, this was an inside look at the impact of media on self-esteem by a former Elite model. It is full of valuable interviews and examples of the range of tools used to sell us products. It balances nicely between kids, parents, models, editors, and doctors to provide a range of perspectives. It is far more believable and, frankly, newsworthy when an insider making model money leaves the business to make a movie about what really is happening.

And why it has come up in so many following conversations is because she offers solutions. While it might have been enough to leave me slack-jawed at the editors' comments about health, fashion, and their desire to "educate women," clearly the film wants us to shield ourselves, to think for ourselves, and to decide with our wallets what companies deserve our advertising support.

It is a rare documentary made by someone so qualified, with such amazing access...it is truly unbelievable to see the list of magazine editors sharing the camera with Canada's top teen experts, PhDs, body-image specialists, and surgeons.
1700518
George Lucas In Love is an excellent example of what a student film should be:  It gives us a taste of the director's style.  The fact that he was able to add so many elements to a nine minute film is truly outstanding!  When watching this film make sure to take notice of the use of camera  angles and the timing of the whole film.  That is what makes this something  you should go out and purchase.
783821
This resource breaks down the traditional conception of a "textbook" and enables teachers, professors, and students alike to begin thinking like filmmakers.

As a graduate of a Film Conservatory program and a writer/director of multiple feature films, I find this text to be of limitless value in the classroom and even on the soundstage. By examining both fundamental and advanced filmmaking techniques through a "showing" rather than "telling" approach, Casinghino makes motion picture production accessible to the novice and more comprehensible to even the skilled director, cinematographer, editor, or producer.

What I love about this book is that it embraces every style of filmmaking from blockbuster to gritty-indie and demonstrates through stunning visuals and crisp explanation, the tools that lie at the very core of every great film. Whether students have $10 budgets or $100,000 budgets; whether they have handycams or the very best equipment, this book shows how to make the most of it all and make REAL movies - from the script to the cutting room.

I have tried countless textbooks (and spent a pretty penny on them) and none have articulated so thoroughly the art of effective on-screen storytelling like this book. I recommend it to any teacher or student who wants to better teach or learn how to watch and make movies.
4643249
What a wonderful film!  This film is full of symbolism.  Loved it.  It should be included in a film study course.
991329
I have underachieving high school students coming into class AFTER SCHOOL asking to watch the rest of this movie. It has been the key to preparing some of these students for their Am. Lit classes and motivating others to stay in school. We take "breaks" from our daily routine and have (college level) discussions because this film is able to capture their attention without being "boring". Wonderfully done!
1108528
This is a must see for any social worker or law student who wishes to work with at-risk youth (or anyone elso who cares about the problems of youth violence).  This movie is a revealing, but disturbing, look into a unique success story in our country's youth penal system.  If Profesor Miller continues to make documentary films of this importance and quality, he could be the next Michael Moore.
4557684
This film is a great way to see much of the work that goes into the editing side of movie making. From looking at what happens when bad edits are made to seeing Jim Cameron show what would happen if he just made 1 frame subtractions to shorten a movie. It covers many ways of editing from the do it yourself type at home to using Final Cut to make cold Mountain and being completely digital in production. a who's who of directors talking about their editors. A must own for anyone who aspires to make a movie.
4782976
As a big fan and supporter of the indie film industry, I truly enjoyed watching this film at the Manhattan Film Festival.  All the performances were top-notch, notably by Will Chase. I also remember reading about the director-producer duo and love seeing female filmmakers and entrepreneurs achieving such great feats. It's really inspiring to see such young talent, who met at NYU doing great things for an industry that really needs to be revived.  I hope we see more films like this in the coming years!