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My First Movie: Take Two: Ten Celebrated Directors Talk About Their First Film
NOBODY FORGETS THEIR FIRST TIME--AND FILM DIRECTORS ARE NO EXCEPTION.
In these strikingly candid interviews, ten internationally acclaimed directors--Richard Linklater, Richard Kelly, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Takeshi Kitano, Shekhar Kapur, Émir Kusturica, Agnès Jaoui, Lukas Moodysson, Terry Gilliam, and Sam Mendes--talk about the struggles and rewards of making their first film.
Each chapter is devoted to a particular director and his or her debut-- Slacker, Donnie Darko, Amores Perros, Jabberwocky, and American Beauty among them--and reveals telling details about the inside story of the film-making from writing the script to raising the money, from casting actors to gathering the crew, from shooting to editing, and, finally, screening the film.
From these very different directors, working in many different countries, we get glimpses of a rich variety of filmmaking worlds--from Bollywood to Hollywood, no-budget to low-budget, studio-financed to self-financed. In each case, the directors relive the sometimes comic, sometimes tragic struggle to launch their careers, unself-consciously opening up about one of the most grueling experiences imaginable. Stephen Lowenstein, a young director himself, with two short films to his credit, has posed the questions that reveal their tales of triumph and disaster.
For anyone who wants to direct, these stories will be enlightening and inspiring. For all other film fans, these interviews are an entertaining look at the raw beginnings of directors whose names are now familiar to cinema audiences around the world.
In these strikingly candid interviews, ten internationally acclaimed directors--Richard Linklater, Richard Kelly, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Takeshi Kitano, Shekhar Kapur, Émir Kusturica, Agnès Jaoui, Lukas Moodysson, Terry Gilliam, and Sam Mendes--talk about the struggles and rewards of making their first film.
Each chapter is devoted to a particular director and his or her debut-- Slacker, Donnie Darko, Amores Perros, Jabberwocky, and American Beauty among them--and reveals telling details about the inside story of the film-making from writing the script to raising the money, from casting actors to gathering the crew, from shooting to editing, and, finally, screening the film.
From these very different directors, working in many different countries, we get glimpses of a rich variety of filmmaking worlds--from Bollywood to Hollywood, no-budget to low-budget, studio-financed to self-financed. In each case, the directors relive the sometimes comic, sometimes tragic struggle to launch their careers, unself-consciously opening up about one of the most grueling experiences imaginable. Stephen Lowenstein, a young director himself, with two short films to his credit, has posed the questions that reveal their tales of triumph and disaster.
For anyone who wants to direct, these stories will be enlightening and inspiring. For all other film fans, these interviews are an entertaining look at the raw beginnings of directors whose names are now familiar to cinema audiences around the world.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
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136 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 17, 2012
I found this book by chance, while looking for the soundtrack for Donnie Darko (who doesn't love that cover of "Mad World"?) Being that I'm intrigued by Richard Kelley, I figured that I'd check this book out.
At first, I only meant to read the filmmakers I recognized: Linklater, Mendes, Kelley, and Gilliam, but those interviews were so good that I had to try the others, and I'm glad I did.
For someone with my background--a film production degree that I've done nothing with--this is a wonderful book to reinvigorate one's passion for film. By the end, and even now, I'm itching to make another film. That being said, after reading this book, I'm 100 percent positive that I made the right choice by not moving to Hollywood to try and "make it." I would've died.
Personal story aside, these interviews were all sorts of good, as they really gave a nice in-depth look to the processes and various backgrounds these directors came from. From being in the right place at the right time to simply building towards a making a film simply because of passion. It's way cool and very inspiring.
Really, even if you don't recognize or care about these directors but you have an interest in film, this makes for an excellent read.
At first, I only meant to read the filmmakers I recognized: Linklater, Mendes, Kelley, and Gilliam, but those interviews were so good that I had to try the others, and I'm glad I did.
For someone with my background--a film production degree that I've done nothing with--this is a wonderful book to reinvigorate one's passion for film. By the end, and even now, I'm itching to make another film. That being said, after reading this book, I'm 100 percent positive that I made the right choice by not moving to Hollywood to try and "make it." I would've died.
Personal story aside, these interviews were all sorts of good, as they really gave a nice in-depth look to the processes and various backgrounds these directors came from. From being in the right place at the right time to simply building towards a making a film simply because of passion. It's way cool and very inspiring.
Really, even if you don't recognize or care about these directors but you have an interest in film, this makes for an excellent read.
December 18, 2012
Really fascinating... film school in a book.
The similarities between first-time directors' experiences are compelling even if you aren't interested in directing. The interviews with international directors (about half the book) are less useful but still captivating. Sadly, Richard Kelly doesn't come off well in his interview. Perhaps that's why he cut it short halfway.
The similarities between first-time directors' experiences are compelling even if you aren't interested in directing. The interviews with international directors (about half the book) are less useful but still captivating. Sadly, Richard Kelly doesn't come off well in his interview. Perhaps that's why he cut it short halfway.
April 1, 2008
Inspired me to rewatch Moodyson's "Show Me Love", talked to Kitano (one of my favourites) and reinforced my suspicion that the dude who made Donnie Darko is a total asshole (but I do like the movie, admittedly).
August 16, 2010
This past year I filmed two short films while in high school. The first one shows all my mistakes, my errors, and my immaturity in film. The second one, while still not magnificent, shows my growth. I’m an aspiring filmmaker and when I saw this book on the shelves of my public library, I grabbed the book and started reading. By Pantheon Books, edited by Stephen Lowenstein, who crafted My First Movie: Take Two by interviewing ten significant directors from around the world and asking them how they arrived to making their first film.
From each director’s story of his or her first film, you get a feeling of resurgence. After researching about the film industry and the career of a film director over this past year, I’ve read so much negativity. The difficulty of the job breaks many hopes, and the people in the industry break the rest. It’s definitely a tough industry to break into and much more become successful, yet with such a variety of life experiences, these ten directors show the light of possibility. While one director graduated from USC’s film school, another graduated with a degree in accounting. Another didn’t even pursue a degree. The routes are all different and some were more bizarre than others. This is really enlightening and at the same time an eye-opener. Many of the directors admit that their first film WAS tough, yet they were able to accomplish it. Knowing that film directors with breakthrough first films admit that, makes me believe that whatever speed bump I hit, while it may be unique to my path, has appeared differently in many other film director’s careers. That there aren’t people that just make it. There’s people that hit and miss, there’s people that don’t even have a degree in film, there’s people that have tough backgrounds and difficult shoots.
My only regret in reading this book was not having watched all these director’s first movies prior to reading. I suggest you watch the movie, then read the director’s interview with Lowenstein because the movie’s plot and characters will be referenced at times in the interview. Another tip is to keep a journal handy: some directors provide some very helpful tips and very interesting quotes.
My next step after reading this book is to try and watch as many of the first films of these directors as I can and continue walking down the path I’m on as a future filmmaker. I know that my current route to the film industry while not a mirror image of any of these filmmakers is as optimistic as any other.
From each director’s story of his or her first film, you get a feeling of resurgence. After researching about the film industry and the career of a film director over this past year, I’ve read so much negativity. The difficulty of the job breaks many hopes, and the people in the industry break the rest. It’s definitely a tough industry to break into and much more become successful, yet with such a variety of life experiences, these ten directors show the light of possibility. While one director graduated from USC’s film school, another graduated with a degree in accounting. Another didn’t even pursue a degree. The routes are all different and some were more bizarre than others. This is really enlightening and at the same time an eye-opener. Many of the directors admit that their first film WAS tough, yet they were able to accomplish it. Knowing that film directors with breakthrough first films admit that, makes me believe that whatever speed bump I hit, while it may be unique to my path, has appeared differently in many other film director’s careers. That there aren’t people that just make it. There’s people that hit and miss, there’s people that don’t even have a degree in film, there’s people that have tough backgrounds and difficult shoots.
My only regret in reading this book was not having watched all these director’s first movies prior to reading. I suggest you watch the movie, then read the director’s interview with Lowenstein because the movie’s plot and characters will be referenced at times in the interview. Another tip is to keep a journal handy: some directors provide some very helpful tips and very interesting quotes.
My next step after reading this book is to try and watch as many of the first films of these directors as I can and continue walking down the path I’m on as a future filmmaker. I know that my current route to the film industry while not a mirror image of any of these filmmakers is as optimistic as any other.
May 12, 2009
I picked this up for the Agnes Jaoui interview (she gets so little press in the USA, considering how awesome she is) but ended up reading the whole thing. So interesting the way all these great filmmakers could have such completely contradictory opinions on their craft.
Great: Richard Linklater, Émir Kusturica, Agnès Jaoui, Terry Gilliam
Valuable: Takeshi Kitano, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Sam Mendes
Morons: Shekhar Kapur, Lukas Moodysson
Great: Richard Linklater, Émir Kusturica, Agnès Jaoui, Terry Gilliam
Valuable: Takeshi Kitano, Alejandro González Iñárritu, Sam Mendes
Morons: Shekhar Kapur, Lukas Moodysson
November 29, 2016
Very interesting views from the directors who made their first films. It was interesting seeing how far they had come. One of my favorite directors Richard Linklater wrote a excerpt and it was very interesting seeing how far he had come. If you love film or want to make them, I recommend this book.
January 10, 2013
I feel like the term "celebrated" is being used very loosely in the title of this book.
July 9, 2013
A must read for film lovers
August 16, 2014
Stephen Lowenstein does thorough, in-depth interviews with these great directors about their first films. Fascinating for both fans of these films and extremely informative for aspiring directors.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews