Lessons from the Set: A DIY Guide to Your First Feature Film, from Script to Theaters

by Usher Morgan

Lessons from the Set is a comprehensive filmmaking guide that takes a cinephile’s “Do It Yourself” approach to low-budget indie film production and distribution. The book is peppered with filmmaking tips and tricks, as well as valuable, practical insight into the process of writing, directing, producing, and distributing commercial feature films on a low budget – whether you’re working with $1,000 or $1m. You’ll learn how to write, direct, produce, and release your film to theaters, tackle festivals and handle press, create a marketing plan, get reviews, and approach the filmmaking process with both an artistic soul and an entrepreneurial mindset. After releasing his debut feature film to wide acclaim, filmmaker Usher Morgan (Prego, Windblown, Pickings) decided to write a filmmaking book which detailed his approach to writing, directing, and producing his own work, as well as the steps he took to distribute and market his film, Pickings, and release it to theaters across the nation. Lessons from the A DIY Guide to Your First Feature Film, from Script to Theaters is the perfect gift to any aspiring filmmaker, it’s an essential guide for anyone who wants to tell stories and make movies for a living.

Genres: Nonfiction, Film, Self Help, How To, Writing

308 pages, Paperback

Published December 15, 2018

About the author

An award-winning screenwriter, film director, producer and studio executive residing in New York City. I started my career in book publishing and later became involved with film production and distribution. Produced my first documentary film "The Thought Exchange" starring David Friedman and Lucie Arnaz in 2012, followed by my directorial debut, the award-winning short film "Prego."

My first feature film, "Pickings" was released to wide acclaim and received a limited theatrical release via AMC Independent in March of 2018. My writing and directing style is influenced primarily by film-noir and spaghetti westerns. The Los Angeles Times calls me, "a talent to watch".

Reviews

[Lydia Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love to read and watch movies, but have never thought about writing a book or a screenplay. Once I started reading this book I became intrigued in the whole movie making process, from writing the screen play to actually filming and producing a small film. If you have the slightest interest in creating your own short film or movie, or even if you already have some experience in the industry and just want to do it better in the future, this is the book for you! Highly recommend. This book is for everyone, not just aspiring filmmakers. The book is very readable and filled with many memorable quotes. It is well organized with clear headers followed by short, clear sections so that it is easy to follow and locate areas of interest. Well done!












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March 31, 2019
This book is for everyone, not just aspiring filmmakers. The book is very readable and filled with many memorable quotes. It is well organized with clear headers followed by short, clear sections so that it is easy to follow and locate areas of interest. Well done!

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[Glen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in a goodreads drawing.

A practical guide to getting a movie made. Tells you what you need to know, and punctures a lot of the fantasies that some wanna-bes may have about film making.

If you actually want to make films, I think this is a good book to read.

[Book Him Danno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Usher Morgan isn't just writing a do it your self book but he is also giving you suggestions that future film writers might not have though of doing or tried but didn't quite go far enough.

The author expresses himself in a way that readers will be able to connect with as he works with readers though is book instead of face to face.

The authors way to writing encourages readers to find success and the author seem want the readers to find their own success as well. The best way to explain this book is Usher Morgan wants to see everyone who reads this self help book to succeed.



Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher Library Tales Publishing for a copy of Usher Morgan Lesson from the Set.

[CCAM&GZM · Rating 5 out of 5]

“When given an opportunity, deliver excellence and never quit.”~ Robert Rodriguez

Usually, when reading a non-fiction book of the “you can do it yourself” type, I am a bit reticent. Very rare I have found a person who really wanted to share not only a part, but enough amount of information for you to start… to obtain a (quantifiable) result. But the quote above (used by the author) pushed me to read further.

If, as an amateur, I will not be capable to verify in full the information that Usher Morgan kindly offered us, as a cinéphile (movie fan, cinema-goer or any other word/s that describe a person who not only likes to watch movies of different genres, but also to discuss about them), I can say that the author touched in Lessons from the Set many aspects that I talked about regarding the “industry” or I considered important when “dissected” a movie. For example, the balance between movie making as a form of art and as a business, the right way to “say” the story (also a requirement for writers), how to use the lights / sound and their impact etc.

Anyway, the best thing about this book (next to the actual lessons) is that the reader gets what the book description promises. The project of filmmaking is followed through all its stages, from idea to the final product, including the publicity and distribution of the final product. The reader will find that there are actually tips, tricks, and filmmaking techniques in this “manual”! Another good thing is that the writing is friendly and sincere, without I know it all attitude, but shows that the observations come from his own experience. U.M. has the good professor gene, in the sense that not only he identified what information is useful, but also he delivered it in a practical and accessible way. Of course, all of these are based on the American experience on the American market, but hey, we can adapt it to any market…

The author does not want to make it look easy, but he also does not want for you – the future prospect filmmaker – to quit too quickly. After all, “If you want to venture into the world of low-budget, independent filmmaking, the information presented in this book will be a life-saver!” and maybe more… So, if you got the TALENT, learn your Lessons… and go for it, make your movie! I cannot wait to watch it and… dissect it (after all, U.M. just gave me some good tips)!

https://mythicalbooks.blogspot.com/20...

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway.

I really struggled through most of this book. Parts of it just seemed to drag on and on, and at other times it seemed a little too repetitive for my taste. And while at times some of the repetition did seem to serve a purpose, other times it simply felt unnecessary to me. The whole thing also left me with quite a bit of information overload; which, to be fair, there is a lot one needs to know in order to break into the business of film making. For me, it simply proved to be a bit too much and ultimately helped me decide that maybe it's just not for me and that I'd be better off writing something and then pitching it around to someone else more experienced in film making if I ever want to see any of my own stories on any screen.
There were some things that really irked me in the book. Early on, Morgan refers to film makers as being deities. While this may in some metaphorical sense be true to a degree, it also just didn't sit right with me. I guess maybe I felt like it gives them way more power than really necessary, and it seems to me that most of them (at least those that do stand of the industry as some sort of gods) really don't need that level of an ego boost. There are also a number of references to Tarantino, both in the meat of the book and in the quotes littered throughout (quotes which, after a while, simply got tedious and felt unnecessary and became something to skip to make the book go a little faster). Given allegations against him, and his penitent for being rather abusive in various ways on set, particularly toward members of the cast and crew who are women, I'm not sure he was really a great example to be referencing. In the eyes of some, he might be a great film maker (if you can call tossing loads of gore on a set for the sake of shock value great film making), but that doesn't necessarily make him someone we should be looking up to... especially when Morgan also mentions several times that he doesn't stand for abuse on his sets, especially when that abuse is directed at women. You might not allow it on your set, but supporting someone who does and tossing them out there as some sort of god of film making only goes toward furthering the problem of abuse at the hands of higher ups on set... especially when one of the times Tarantino is mentioned, it's basically to applaud his methods of forcing cast and crew to stay awake on set that basically involve blatantly humiliating people. Which brings me to another thing that stuck with me. Morgan points out that it "takes real patience to work with actors." While some actors are no doubt difficult to work with because so sheer arrogance (as is the case with people in any industry), I can't help but wonder how many of them are "difficult" because they're tired of laying down and quietly taking abuse from a number of directors and producers who it takes an equal amount, if not more, patience to work with. It's the references to the Tarantino's of the industry and comments like that, that made me hesitant to really believe Morgan when it talks about being protective of the women on his set and not standing for them being put down and abused. Maybe he really does care deeply for them and not stand for any misconduct against them, but it's also pretty clear that he likely still has a lot to learn. At another point, Morgan provided an example of a formula he uses for coming up with ideas that played on overused stereotypes and plays into the prevailing and dangerous stigma surrounding mental health issues. Later, he also suggests that people breaking into the film making business offer their time and skills on local sets for no charge. While gaining experience and knowledge are great, the simple fact is that getting paid in experience does not pay the bills or put food on the table. We aren't talking about volunteering at your local library, food bank, or school events for a few hours every now and then. We're talking days of intense work that requires high skill levels and a much higher chance of having to put up with someone arrogantly walking all over you just because you're the new person who doesn't yet know the ins and outs of the business. And someone should never have to sell their talents for pay in nothing more than experience. That mind set it a big part of what has led to people demanding that those who work in artistic mediums sell their hard work for little to nothing, because hey... at least they're getting exposure and experience... right? No. At one point Morgan also indicates that everyone has the same amount of available time in the day, given the context about sitting our asses down and just getting to writing, this indicated to me that he was referencing free time, which makes it not necessarily true. Yeah, we all have 24 hours in a day, but some of us also work multiple jobs, have family things to deal with, doctors appointment, ect, and also have to somehow fit basic necessities like sleeping and eating into all of that and end up with not even that minuscule hour or 30 minutes to spare. Often times, art ends up having to get tossed on the back burner, because the fact of the matter is that we don't all have the same amount of available time in a day. His comment about having that time definitely seems to come from a place of privilege. At other points, the editing simply could have been better, and at a few points, particularly with images and info tables simply didn't load, indicating that the book wasn't properly optimized for reading on ereader devices.
All that said, there was quite a bit of good advice in the book, and certainly a lot of good info if you can manage to take it all in and really absorb it. If you're serious about breaking into film making, and can manage to sift through some of the more unnecessary stuff, or if you just find this sort of information to be fascinating, then it's probably definitely worth giving a read. I certainly was interesting to get a bit of an inside look at the industry and particularly what goes into making low budget films; and I appreciate it helping me make a pretty big choice in regards to whether or not it's something I'd ever be willing to put the time, money, and effort into trying; but overall it just wasn't for me. I will also say that, if nothing else, it definitely managed to pique my interesting in checking out some of Morgan work... which I'll admit sometimes felt like the primary goal of the book.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher Library Tales Publishing for a copy of this book on how to create, film and market your own independent films.

Movies have gone from silent to talkies, black and white to technicolor, 3D and Smell-a-vision, even film to digital, and now can be made on a cell phone. This opens up opportunitys for developing auteurs who have ideas, and wish to at least try to develope them into a film, or a short or something to even just show friends. How does one go about this. Where do you get cameras? How do you find a cast? How do you pay a cast? Permits, marketing. Heck even how to write a screenplay. There are a lot of things that one has to keep track of, and learn. Usher Morgan, filmmakers, writer, probably gaffer, best boy and craft services person, has written a book about his experiences developing and creating his own works, Lessons from the Set :A DIY Filmmaking Guide to Your First Feature Film, from Script to Theaters. This book is a mini Sundance, film school, and TED talk, and just fun and inspiring.

Morgan begins at the beginning with brief description of his shorts and films, and from here starts with the basics. Reading, watching films, listening to people, watch interviews not only with film directors, but screenwriters, cinematographers anyone that you can get ideas from. Then he starts on writing the screenplay, with a lot of helpful hints, ideas, and technology that would be good for just about any writer. Morgan then follows the path of making a movie, screenplay, getting backing, casting, paying cast, crew, permits, the importance of food. Along side this is lessons he learned either by chance, bad luck, or just observing that he passes along, in a very nice style. The book covers everything, even distribution, soundtrack, and legal items, that might save a filmmaker later.

The book is written in a very easy to read, yet incredibly helpful way. And not just helpful, but inspiring. About halfway I texted a friend and asked if she wanted to work on a movie, because the book is that motivating. Morgan has a very good style, showing what should be done, how to do it, and yet making is not seem daunting. Get permits, just call the mayor's office. Need locations, keep your eyes open, and start calling. Nothing seems like oh that's a lot of work, I don't know. The lesson is, yes it is work, and you will be working all the time, but hey, dreams are worth it. Do the work. This is a real gift for a writer. Plus he covers so much. Paying your crew, film festivals, renting equipment. Writing exercises. Film schools would charge hundreds of thousands and not even teach a quarter of what Morgan has written.

My favorite was a writing exercise, and a film exercise in directing. Find a screenplay of a movie you have not seen. Pick a scene and film it the way you think it would go. Watch the movie and compare your scene to the filmed scene. What is wrong, what is right. Lighting, performance, props. That is a real lesson. And one that could be done easily, and teach an aspiring writer and director quite a bit. The book is full of this kind of information. A real gift to aspiring filmmakers. Recommended for film students, film historians, filmmakers and everyone who has ever wanted to create something. This is a very inspiring, handy and necessary book.

[Ryo · Rating 1 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book for free in a Goodreads giveaway.

I went into this without knowing anything about filmmaking, and I thought this would be an interesting, easy introduction. But the lesson I came away with was that I should never attempt to make a movie, because this book did not make it seem fun. But ignoring the fact that the industry just isn't for me, I found the book to be poorly organized and written. There's some semblance of structure here with sections named "Screenwriting," "Funding," and so forth, but then there's a part named "Strategy." Isn't the whole book about strategy? Also, within these sections, it seems like sort of a grab bag of tips, not really organized in a coherent way. There's a "pre-production checklist" included in the middle of the book, which seems useful, but the tips before it aren't organized in the same order, so it's not clear what organization the sections are following. The tips are also often repetitive and say similar things. The book in general could use a lot of editing. I understand the author is going for an informal style, but there are comma splices galore, and a lot of repetition of the same phrases. "I can honestly say that..." is a phrase that felt like it came up particularly frequently, and it's also unnecessary; why would the author be saying anything dishonestly in a how-to book? There are numerous obvious and distracting typos, like "color pallet." There are distracting layout issues that also seem like an editor would have been able to address. The tab stops are often not in the same position, even within the same section, which was something that even I easily noticed. The images are often very hard to see in this black-and-white printing, and they don't flow well in the text. At one point, the author references a spreadsheet with "like the one below," but it appears three pages before that text, not below it. There are quotes from famous directors sprinkled throughout, but they were more distracting than informative. They would have been more effective integrated into the text, to support some point the author was making. In general, this whole book felt like an amateurish production in need of a lot of editing and polish. I'm sure the author is a talented filmmaker, but the book's quality doesn't reflect that.

[Kyle McCreary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was originally interested in this book more as a curiosity than anything. As an amateur writer, I always wondered about the process of writing a screenplay and how it differed from writing short stories and novels.

Once I started reading Lessons from the Set, I became more and more intrigued in the whole movie-making process, from writing the screen play to actually filming and producing a small film. Usher Morgan presents a fascinating and tip-filled "how-to" with so many anecdotes and tips learned from his own personal experiences and, often, failures -- things he learned the hard way that he shares for the benefit of us all.

After reading Morgan's Lessons from the Set, I fully intend to not only try my hand at writing a screenplay/script, but also am finding myself drawn to attempting a short film of my own. If you have the slightest interest in creating your own short film or movie, or even if you already some experience in the industry and just want to do it better in the future, this is the book for you!

Note: I received a free copy of this book via a Goodreads "First Reads" giveaway in exchange for a review.

[Daryl Hrdlicka · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book! I'm a beginning filmmaker, with two finished shorts and one in the works, and I was looking for something to help me further my interest. This is the book I needed!!!

Far too many books about filmmaking are step-by-step blueprints that go from one topic to another, starting with how you format a screenplay and going from there. I've got a number of them, and I'm struggling to learn anything new.

This book, however, is exactly what it says - lessons. The author has made his own films, and he's sharing the things he's learned that you need to do, that you should do, and that you can do if you have the money for it. It's tips and tricks from someone who's made his own mistakes and is passing along what's he's learned.

Some of what he's saying I already know from my own movies and others, and other things he mentions are mistakes I've made or narrowly avoided without understanding what I was doing. If you are interested in making films, from beginning to end, this is the book for you.

[Nathan Zhang · Rating 5 out of 5]

Better written than the last filmmaking book I read, and with the same amount of information.

This book was written much better than the previous filmmaking resources book I just finished reading not too long ago. However, the amount of information this book contains is just shy of the same volume of knowledge content that the other book had. This book was written for a director or an auteur more than for a producer, so I guess that's why the other book was more detailed. Directors are artists and managers. Producers are financiers. That's what I get as the main difference from this book and other filmmaking books. I am happy the author is trying to help me write, direct, and sell my feature length mixed martial arts movies that I'm going to build a career out of, as a lot of low effort folks make bottom of the barrel short films and I can do better than the mediocrity that tends to swim in that current. I highly recommend this book.

[Glo · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Lessons from the Set' could be considered a guidance material for new DIY filmmakers, with concise, and well-structured information about any topic related to making movies. I was expecting much more personal anecdotes or self-promotion, but all the information is on-topic, and in fact I found out some pieces of valuable advice. All in all, I think it is a good book to thumb through it when you need a ‘friendly nudge' in any step of the filmmaking process from writing a script to distribution.

Thanks to Usher Morgan, NetGalley, and Library Tales Publishing for a free copy to review in exchange for an honest opinion.

[Georgia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this book from Goodreads and I wish to thank you but now I question myself as to why I submitted my name ! Not my kind of book! It is a how to filmmaking guide with tips, tricks and low budget ideas. As I scanned it it asks in the beginning why one goes to the movies! Well I've always have gone to the movies but the movies I'm now watching are shocking with so much violence, sex etc. we should take a good look at ourselves and I plan to give this book to my local library in hopes that someone will benefit from it and make some noteworthy movies🤓

[Luis Cuesta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway. Usher Morgan mostly stays with real-life experiences and solutions accumulated by himself, explaining his targeted approach that finally led him to get his feature film done. I found the most useful parts his designed checklists like the “Pre-Production Checklist” for independent filmmaking incorporating 33 curated steps, his “Ultimate Gear checklist” or his 7-step workflow for post-production will help young and enthusiastic filmmakers not to get lost in the jungle of options and necessities.

[Melissa Borsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book literally tells you what is involved when it comes to creating your own movie, from the scripting to the filming, producing and distributing no matter how much money you have to work with. I found this book totally fascinating. I thank Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

[beachbunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is for everyone, not just aspiring filmmakers. The book is very readable and filled with many memorable quotes. It is well organized with clear headers followed by short, clear sections so that it is easy to follow and locate areas of interest. Well done!

[Dorothy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seems like a good reference for students, so I'm passing my copy along to a friend in the field!

Thank you to Goodreads and the publisher/author team for the gifted copy.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a Goodreads giveaway winner. It was exciting to figure out all the things needed to become a movie. Great step by step.

[Carol & Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not a bad book

[Maureen Pena · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great how to book I’m just not at the point on my life where I have a story to tell. Author did a lot of leg work for the reader here.

[Steven Ridgely · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lots of great information.

[Winnie | Her Digital Coffee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lessons from the Set is a filmmaking guide by award-winning screenwriter, film director, and producer, Usher Morgan. I was drawn to this book immediately. Although I have never thought about writing my own screenplay, I am very fascinated with the film industry. I love watching behind the scenes footage, interviews with the cast and crew, and picking out important details/easter eggs in a film. Lessons from the Set gives aspiring filmmakers, and curious movie lovers like me, a realistic look behind the scenes. Morgan shares his personal experiences with writing, directing, producing, marketing, and releasing his debut film.

This was such a fascinating and inspiring read. Morgan dives right in and wastes no time going into detail with casting, budgeting, scouting, and so forth. Lessons from the Set includes script excerpts, budgeting breakdown sheets, call sheet templates, and more. Morgan also recommends what types of software and apps to use to stay organized and on track. These tools are incredibly helpful as it gives aspiring filmmakers an idea of what these things look like, beyond just knowing that they exist. I’ve always heard actors and directors talk about call sheets, and it was nice to see what they look like.

Visit my blog for full detailed review: https://herdigitalcoffee.com/lessons-...