The Total Film-Maker

by Jerry Lewis

This new 50th anniversary edition of the classic 1971 book The Total FilmMaker is now being released by the Jerry Lewis Estate and Michael Wiese Productions with all-new, never-before-seen photos of Jerry on set and with his family and friends, and a new foreword by Leonard Maltin. The Total FilmMaker was originally written and based on over 480 hours of Jerry’s guest lecture series at USC Film School in 1966, where his then-students included aspiring young filmmakers Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. From script to postproduction, it covers the complete arc of filmmaking as taught by one of the first and most original writer/director/producer/actors in Hollywood.

Genres: Film, Nonfiction, Media Tie In

208 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1971

About the author

Jerry Lewis was an American comedian, award-winning actor, film producer, writer and director, known for his slapstick humor and his charity fund-raising telethons for the Muscular Dystrophy Association. Lewis has won several awards for lifetime achievements from The American Comedy Awards, The Golden Camera, Los Angeles Film Critics Association, The Venice Film Festival and he has two stars on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In 2005, he received the Governors Award of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences Board of Governors, the highest Emmy Award presented.

Lewis was originally paired up in 1946 with Dean Martin, and formed the comedy team of Martin and Lewis. In addition to the team's popular nightclub work, they starred in a successful series of comedy films for Paramount. The act broke up ten years later.

Reviews

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

The total genius and the total insufferability of Jerry Lewis distilled. But also chock full of paragraphs like this:

"I have a confession. Crazy. I have perched in a cutting room and licked emulsion. Maybe I thought more of me would get on to that film. I don't know. I do know that plumbers don't lick their pipes. With emulsion, it's easy to get turned on."

[Carter Aakhus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Considered to be one of the first mainstream texts on the filmmaking process, Jerry Lewis’ book is worth the read, especially if you’re at all familiar with him or his comedies. His compiled USC lectures covered his knowledge and advice on the director’s roles in pre-production, production and post. Because of how much the industry has changed since this book was written fifty years ago, there are a lot of outdated concepts and Lewis himself, who was known to be a self-important, pompous asshole, comes off that way in some areas of the book. However, I do enjoy the original Nutty Professor and his role in The King of Comedy so it was worth it to read his deliberations on filmmaking, especially based on the reputation of the book. The preface by Nicolas Cage was a nice surprise.

[Carlos Valladares · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’d’ve killed to have been Jer-Bear’s TA.

[Oliver Potter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Based on the lectures that Lewis presented to film students, this is an excellent insight to a world that is constantly changing, and has changed drastically from when it was published in 1971. That said, the majority of it is still very relevant and the principles expressed are no less important than they were forty years ago.

I started reading this as a PDF on my laptop whilst in the Los Angeles international airport, unnervingly close to the books context. When I got home, I transferred it to my kindle and decided I should probably finish what I started.

This is an excellent read, and I recommend it to those even vaguely interested in the art of film, or the industry as it stood, and perhaps still does.

Read, and you will learn something. Even if some if it isn't that relevant or interesting to you, it will impact you in some way.

[Justin Decloux · Rating 4 out of 5]

How the heck is this not still in print? Passionate, insightful and filled with knowledge that every filmmaker should know. Sure, it's hypocritical and filled with stuff I don't agree with, but that makes it even more interesting. Thankfully, it hasn't dated like most guides of the era, because it's rooted in a distinct personal vision and the light technical jargon is still very much in play to this day.

I would love to see the films the Jerry Lewis who wrote this book made. At one point he breathlessly describes a comedic set-piece construction and I was riveted in his trials, tribulations and difficult choices.

And then I realized "Wait a minute. I've seen that scene and it's super sloppy and unfunny."

Do as he says, not as he does.

[Billy Degge]

one of the most important books on filmmaking ever written written by one of its strangest practitioners. there's no denying lewis' vast knowledge of craft and technical skill, but you do have to wonder where the ability to tell if something is good or even just funny comes in. Perhaps it was a sign of his narcissism - backed up by an impressive control of the screen but lacking the soul, compassion and humanity needed to bring it to life.

[Patrick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great to get the perspective of a comedy master and to be walked through his thought process on what makes films work. I find a lot of these "directing" books from famous filmmakers to not actually be that helpful, but this had some great insight. At the very least, it will help you appreciate Jerry's films more.

[Kylle · Rating 4 out of 5]

So good. There’s been a ton of things I’m not actually going to need until I’m behind a camera, which makes me even more happy about it, because it just means I’ll have more reason to revisit the entire thing.

It’s just easily one of the books I’ll always be coming back to. Jerry Lewis is truly a character.

[Dylan Kiewel · Rating 4 out of 5]

didn't think i could still bite on a basic how to filmmaking book but jer bear not only puts everything in a new somehow easier to read light but with every chapter makes me feel like i need to get out there already and just do it. it all sounds so simple. no need to approach it like it you're painting relics as with sculpting in time, we can't all be andrei!

[Samuel Andrade · Rating 4 out of 5]

always think about wonderful, happy endings.

[Tyson Cocks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting. Jerry Lewis is a rather opinionated man for sure. But he’s views on the filmmaking process are both insightful and inspirational.

[James Basham · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best book I’ve ever read about the process of movie making!

[D. Whorley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a jewel and should be in the hands/libraries of everyone who has an interest in filmmaking.

[Luis Mures · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good insights, but you also have to deal with some Lewis' ravaging to "drama" directors and "art" films.

[Michael DeSimone · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 / 5

Incredible to know the method to ensure art lives on, but when it takes clowns to tell us how to do good business, who is the joke for?

[James Hutchison]

“Breaks will come to the young film-maker, but unless he possesses at least rudimentary knowledge they will be of little use to him. Recently I saw a film made by a twenty-one-year-old, Steven Spielberg. It was twenty-four minutes of film called Amblin, produced for around $17,000. It rocked me back. He displayed an amazing knowledge of film-making as well as creative talent. He was signed to a director’s contract by Universal. Even at twenty-one, he was ready when the break came.”

Jerry Lewis
Kind of a Wrap
The Total Film Maker
Page 206 © 1971

I don’t know what ever became of that kid Spielberg or what Lewis saw in him but I’m guessing Lewis would call the kid – a total film-maker. I first read this book almost 50 years ago. I had a copy. At some point I tossed it. Gave up on my own dreams of being a filmmaker. No, instead a future in aluminum siding beckoned.

I remembered only one piece of advice from the book. Lewis had talked about product placement and the example I remember from the book was him talking about shooting a United Airlines plane taking off and using that in the film so they could get free airfare for crews to fly to location.

I didn’t remember anything else from the book so it was fun to read and to hear him name-drop all the old Hollywood directors and performers.

Yes, Lewis was arrogant and treated his kids and other people badly and I’m not a huge fan of his films because I don’t find him funny but he has a lot to say about the films he created and if success is measured by doing what you want he was successful because he has a body of work that represents his particular way of telling stories and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Are there still things you can learn from this book. I’d say yes. And it’s also an interesting read because this is the mind of Lewis in the late 60s and how he approached the process of making movies. It’s a conversational style of book because the book was created from the audio of lectures Lewis gave to graduate students at the University of Southern California. And it’s an easy read. It clocks in at 208 pages. That’s nothing. You should be able to read it in a day or two. Three at the most. Okay, I’ll give you a week. You have other things to do.

I’ll just end with a passage from Jerry’s prologue to the book…

Where do you start? There’s no Monopoly board. No Start. Do Not Pass Go. I think you start out by just being there, and being curious and having the drive to make films.

More important: make film, shoot film, run film.
Do something.
Make film. Shoot anything.
It does not have to be sound.
It does not have to be titled.
It does not have to be color.
There is no have to. Just do.
And show it to somebody. If it is an audience of one, do and show, and then try again.
That is how.
It sounds simple.
It’s not. Then again, it is.

Thanks, Jerry!

And if I might ad the tools are in the hands of everyone. Cameras are easy to get. Audio can be easily recorded. There’s music available for use. You can reach an audience on YouTube and Facebook and TikTok. If you want to tell stories and you want to make movies the technology and the distribution is at your fingertips. It’s never been cheaper or easier. You have no excuse not to try.

[Jack Davenport · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lewis knows his stuff, but comes across as such an arrogant pedant at times.