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

by Usher Morgan

Lessons from the Set - A DIY Filmmaking Guide to Your First Feature Film, from Script to Theaters 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 Set - A DIY Filmmaking 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.

308 pages, Hardcover

Published September 20, 2021

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".