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Thinking in Pictures: The Making of the Movie Matewan
A unique book for anyone who has ever wondered how movies really get made, by America's most brilliant independent filmmaker. Sayles gives an illuminating book about the choices that lie at the heart of every movie.
180 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1987
7 people are currently reading
434 people want to read
About the author
John Sayles
89 books148 followersJohn Thomas Sayles is an independent film director, screenwriter, novelist and short story writer who frequently plays small roles in his own and other indie films.
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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
February 24, 2020
John Sayles writes one of the most scholarly books on filmmaking that is also incredibly accessible to non-film students. If you’re interested in understanding how and why decisions are made during a film’s creation, I can’t recommend this book highly enough.
I also suggest watching Criterion’s beautiful new edition of MATEWAN before reading.
I also suggest watching Criterion’s beautiful new edition of MATEWAN before reading.
Read
March 27, 2023Very technically detailed look at the making of a film from beginning to end; a bit outdated but enlightening nonetheless.
January 20, 2023
This is an excellent primer on the practical nuts-and-bolts of making an independent film, with concrete examples drawn from the author's experience making his own movie, "Matewan." Sayles writes with clarity about the hows and whys of filmmaking, and the ways decisions get made: sometimes out of inspiration, but oftentimes out of necessity and compromise, with a lot of luck thrown in for good measure. The second half of the book contains the shooting script, which is worth a read. Those who have seen this film will get a look at how well realized it already was on the page. In all, this is an invaluable look at how one of the best indie films of the '80s got made.
December 25, 2024
A GOAT amongst sheep leaves little lessons for us lesser-thans to learn from. Breaks down editing, and filmmaking in general, in its simplest terms. Absolute travesty this man is not more revered as a filmmaker.
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September 6, 2015This book is well-written, clever, and illuminates the persistent quandary of decisions that make up filmmaking. Every step, be it fundraising, budget, hiring actors, scriptwriting, lighting, choosing locations, filters, music, or filming and editing, must be weighed against, or with, budget, actors, script, lighting, location, filters, music, editing and the weather. If I ever had to make a feature film, my head would explode.
Sayles describes the making of his film, Matewan. He describes his initial idea for making the film, coming from reading of an incident in the miners' unionizing efforts. He writes of his past efforts in the film industry, screenwriting and previous films. He gives an account of the filming of Matewan, the problems with lighting, setting up shots, actors, music, and editing and how they were addressed. The shooting script is included in this book. What is interesting is that every solution is scene-specific, accounting for the light , the weather, the location, or the height of the ceiling in the particular room. It is not a how-to book. An aspiring filmmaker could not take Sayles' solutions and apply them to their own particular filmmaking dilemmas, except as an example of thinking creatively. The way to make good films is to know your stuff, your equipment, your sense of drama, your crew, trust your judgement, hope for the best of luck, and have at it.
Matewan is a really good film. My wife and I went to see it on our very first date. (This may say something about us and our relationship--maybe we'd best not look into that too deeply...)
I watched Matewan again several years later when, in grad school, I was studying the history of conditions and organizing efforts in Appalachia.
I expect to be watching it again soon.
Sayles describes the making of his film, Matewan. He describes his initial idea for making the film, coming from reading of an incident in the miners' unionizing efforts. He writes of his past efforts in the film industry, screenwriting and previous films. He gives an account of the filming of Matewan, the problems with lighting, setting up shots, actors, music, and editing and how they were addressed. The shooting script is included in this book. What is interesting is that every solution is scene-specific, accounting for the light , the weather, the location, or the height of the ceiling in the particular room. It is not a how-to book. An aspiring filmmaker could not take Sayles' solutions and apply them to their own particular filmmaking dilemmas, except as an example of thinking creatively. The way to make good films is to know your stuff, your equipment, your sense of drama, your crew, trust your judgement, hope for the best of luck, and have at it.
Matewan is a really good film. My wife and I went to see it on our very first date. (This may say something about us and our relationship--maybe we'd best not look into that too deeply...)
I watched Matewan again several years later when, in grad school, I was studying the history of conditions and organizing efforts in Appalachia.
I expect to be watching it again soon.
April 16, 2022
John Sayles, for the better part of his career (at least in the beginning years, as far as I know) largely self-financed his pictures, and worked with severely limited budgets, leaning on his own resolve as well as the smart, hardscrabble efforts of his cast and crew to carve out a unique niche in the American independent film scene.
This book is an in-depth look into how Sayles and co. got the great Matewan on its feet, and an incredibly thorough survey (complete with helpful diagrams and humorous asides) of the seven weeks of shooting. Sayles knows his shit, and his conversational but clearly erudite tone makes this a breezy and enlightening read - despite some jargon-y moments which are necessary to go over.
Matewan is not only a great film, but an important one, especially in the light of the recent unionization victories against Amazon, whose fingers are everywhere these days, making Stone Mountain Coal Company look puny in comparison. Like Joe Kenehan says, "There are those that work, and those that don't." Matewan remembers this distinction and the bloody cost it has extracted in the annals of American history.
This book is an in-depth look into how Sayles and co. got the great Matewan on its feet, and an incredibly thorough survey (complete with helpful diagrams and humorous asides) of the seven weeks of shooting. Sayles knows his shit, and his conversational but clearly erudite tone makes this a breezy and enlightening read - despite some jargon-y moments which are necessary to go over.
Matewan is not only a great film, but an important one, especially in the light of the recent unionization victories against Amazon, whose fingers are everywhere these days, making Stone Mountain Coal Company look puny in comparison. Like Joe Kenehan says, "There are those that work, and those that don't." Matewan remembers this distinction and the bloody cost it has extracted in the annals of American history.
March 3, 2025
4.5 rounded up. I’ve seen 9 or 10 of John Sayles’ movies when they came out in theaters, and Passion Fish and Lone Star are among my favorites. When I saw that olli@berkeley was offering a course on the movies of John Sayles, I signed up.
I saw Matewan for the first time and learned about this book in the course. If you have seen Matewan and are interested in how a low budget indie film is made, then you will probably find this book as fascinating as I did.
I saw Matewan for the first time and learned about this book in the course. If you have seen Matewan and are interested in how a low budget indie film is made, then you will probably find this book as fascinating as I did.
April 3, 2020
Clear, engaging, comprehensive and occasionally humorous mini-guide to the film-making process, covering all aspects in enough detail to benefit even film students without getting too over-technical to put off just yer average movie-fan (me). Now just need to read the 180 page shooting-script that is also included!
November 3, 2024
A wonderfully forthright and articulate account of the making of a film. The resulting picture Matewan happens to be a real masterpiece, but that's almost beside the point, as Sayles provides a step-by-step nuts-and-bolts description of independent filmmaking, with the film's shooting script as a lovely extra.
July 8, 2025
This is a wonderful book about the making of movies, especially low-budget productions. John Sayles, the director, producer, and teacher, brings us through all of the decisions that directors must make during the process, while explaining each choice. The book also includes the shooting script for Matewan, which makes this a thorough examination and film school in a book.
September 6, 2018
I read this because Jeff Nichols said in an interview he read it. Good book.
August 15, 2019
Includes Sayles' shooting script in full; not the transcript made after the film was completed, but the first and full vision of the story before production considerations and editing transformed it.
Read
June 10, 2021Read one book during quar. But it was a good one!
April 26, 2025
The most underrated book on filmmaking.
January 27, 2026
Better than the film.
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June 22, 2009Read the STOP SMILING interview with filmmaker John Sayles
Q&A: John Sayles
By Patrick Z McGavin
Honeydripper is the 16th film by filmmaker and novelist John Sayles made in collaboration with his producer and partner, Maggie Renzi. A lyrical, funny and sharp evocation of early Fifties Alabama, it stars Danny Glover as a juke-joint impresario who is desperate to save his floundering club from economic ruin. (Honeydripper opens December 28th in LA and NY.)
Since his debut film, The Return of the Secaucus 7, Sayles’ best work has examined the interlay of class, race and social values. The new movie appears flush with autobiographical implications that detail the struggles and vicissitudes of the independent artist. Arranged anecdotally, the plot develops through a collage of stories, monologues and memories linked through music and a colorful collection of personalities.
A filmmaker, novelist, actor and MacArthur genius grant recipient, Sayles has long stood outside the industry, content to live and work in suburban New Jersey. In a recent interview, he talked about his life, art and work.
Stop Smiling: What was the genesis of the story of your new film, Honeydripper?
John Sayles: There’s this rock ’n’ roll legend about Guitar Slim, an early New Orleans electric guitar player who was famous for missing his gigs, among other things. He was also famous for going out on the street with a long extension cord and [he’d:] actually go to the doorways of other clubs — they’d be carrying an amp behind him and he’d play people back into his club. That plot interested me. Before people were known, before album covers, we didn’t get to see those [musicians:] on-screen until the Sixties. There were only about three rock ’n’ roll films when I was a kid.
I really started thinking of those [historical:] transitions, when everything started changing very quickly. When the talkies came in, there were people who were all of a sudden unemployable. It wasn’t just actors; there were directors who just didn’t know how or didn’t want to do that thing. What happens when that happens? Who are the ones who can get on that train that��s pulling out of the station, and who are the ones who either can’t or don’t want to? In music, I always think of Phil Ochs, a big-time singer. But as folksinging got less popular, he came out with a gold lamé jacket and did this rock ’n’ roll album that was partly ironic — and not very good — and he was obviously kind of bitter already. That was a bad decision for him, but when Bob Dylan strapped on an electric guitar, that was a great decision.
SS: In the last 10 years, the South has figured more prominently in your films.
JS: I spent a lot of time in the South. My mother’s parents lived in Hollywood, just north of Miami. I read a lot of William Faulkner, Harry Crews and Flannery O’Connor, all those great Southern Gothic writers. Then I read a lot of the Latin American magical realists, like Gabriel García Márquez, and all those guys were influenced by Faulkner.
Read the complete interview...
Q&A: John Sayles
By Patrick Z McGavin
Honeydripper is the 16th film by filmmaker and novelist John Sayles made in collaboration with his producer and partner, Maggie Renzi. A lyrical, funny and sharp evocation of early Fifties Alabama, it stars Danny Glover as a juke-joint impresario who is desperate to save his floundering club from economic ruin. (Honeydripper opens December 28th in LA and NY.)
Since his debut film, The Return of the Secaucus 7, Sayles’ best work has examined the interlay of class, race and social values. The new movie appears flush with autobiographical implications that detail the struggles and vicissitudes of the independent artist. Arranged anecdotally, the plot develops through a collage of stories, monologues and memories linked through music and a colorful collection of personalities.
A filmmaker, novelist, actor and MacArthur genius grant recipient, Sayles has long stood outside the industry, content to live and work in suburban New Jersey. In a recent interview, he talked about his life, art and work.
Stop Smiling: What was the genesis of the story of your new film, Honeydripper?
John Sayles: There’s this rock ’n’ roll legend about Guitar Slim, an early New Orleans electric guitar player who was famous for missing his gigs, among other things. He was also famous for going out on the street with a long extension cord and [he’d:] actually go to the doorways of other clubs — they’d be carrying an amp behind him and he’d play people back into his club. That plot interested me. Before people were known, before album covers, we didn’t get to see those [musicians:] on-screen until the Sixties. There were only about three rock ’n’ roll films when I was a kid.
I really started thinking of those [historical:] transitions, when everything started changing very quickly. When the talkies came in, there were people who were all of a sudden unemployable. It wasn’t just actors; there were directors who just didn’t know how or didn’t want to do that thing. What happens when that happens? Who are the ones who can get on that train that��s pulling out of the station, and who are the ones who either can’t or don’t want to? In music, I always think of Phil Ochs, a big-time singer. But as folksinging got less popular, he came out with a gold lamé jacket and did this rock ’n’ roll album that was partly ironic — and not very good — and he was obviously kind of bitter already. That was a bad decision for him, but when Bob Dylan strapped on an electric guitar, that was a great decision.
SS: In the last 10 years, the South has figured more prominently in your films.
JS: I spent a lot of time in the South. My mother’s parents lived in Hollywood, just north of Miami. I read a lot of William Faulkner, Harry Crews and Flannery O’Connor, all those great Southern Gothic writers. Then I read a lot of the Latin American magical realists, like Gabriel García Márquez, and all those guys were influenced by Faulkner.
Read the complete interview...
Read
January 11, 2026Definite must-read for aspiring filmmakers and screenwriters, and it’s just as fascinating if that’s not an interest you pursue. Sayles goes through the various stages of putting a film together, specifically by looking at what I consider his masterpiece, Matewan. The shooting script is included in the back half of the book, and perhaps it’s knowing the film already, but I cut through that script like butter. Sayles, and I’ve known this for a while, is above all, a great screenwriter, and reading Matewan is an absolute pleasure and politically progressive as well, which is a plus.
September 7, 2025
The best book I've read about making films. Not only does Sayles provide invaluable information and techniques but he also includes his though process and decision making which really illuminates the nuances and compromises involved. Highly recommended for anyone interested in what goes into making great films.
August 9, 2007
Matewan is not an easy picture to see - especially after the shocking violent first scenes - but the story calls for it. The title says it all, it's all there is all filmmakers should remember. Films are not books. got to think in pictures not words.
January 26, 2012
The main thing I remember is the concept of "hanging the moon."
January 4, 2013
An excellent book. If you are thinking about making any kind of narrative involving moving images - it is a must read.
December 8, 2012
If you are a screenwriter and want to produce your work this book is a must read.
May 15, 2015
great read from a the other side of the screen
Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews