In the Blink of an Eye:
A Perspective on Film Editing , by Walter Murch, Silman-James Press, 2001.

In the Blink of an Eye is celebrated film editor Walter Murch's vivid, multifaceted, thought -- provoking essay on film editing. Starting with what might be the most basic editing question -- Why do cuts work? -- Murch treats the reader to a wonderful ride through the aesthetics and practical concerns of cutting film. Along the way, he offers his unique insights on such subjects as continuity and discontinuity in editing, dreaming, and reality; criteria for a good cut; the blink of the eye as an emotional cue; digital editing; and much more.

On Directing Film , by David Mamet, Penguin, 1991.

Calling on this unique perspective as playwright, screenwriter, and director of his own critically acclaimed movies, House Of Games and Things Change, David Mamet illuminates how a film comes to be. He looks at every aspect of directing--from script to cutting room--to show the many tasks directors undertake in reaching their prime objective: presenting a story that will be understood by the audience and has the power to be both surprising and inevitable at the same time.

Stealing Fire from the Gods:
A Dynamic New Story Model for Writers and Filmmakers , by James Bonnet, Michael Wiese Productions, 1998.

Stealing Fire from the Gods will take readers beyond classical story structure to an extraordinary new story model that can demonstrate how to create contemporary stories, novelsd, and films that are significanly more powerful, successful and real.

James Bonnet reveals the link between great stories and link between great stories and a treasury of wisdom hidden deep within our creative unconscious selves - a wisdom so potent it can unlock the secrets of the mind.

The Writer's Journey:
Mythic Structure for Writers , by Christopher Vogler, Michael Wiese Productions, 1998.

The Writer's Journey became one of the most popular books on writing of the last 50 years. Now, the second edition provides new insights and observations from Vogle's pioneering work in mythic structure for writers.

Directing Actors:
Creating Memorable Performances for Film & Television , by Judith Weston, Elsevier Books, 1995.

Directing Actors is a method for establishing creative, collaborative relationships with actors, getting the most out of rehearsals, troubleshooting poor performances, and giving briefer directions. Ms. Weston discusses what constitutes a good performance, what actors want from a director, what directors do wrong, script analysis, how actors work, and the director/actor relationship. This book is based on the author's twenty years of professional acting and eight years of teaching Acting for Directors.

The Tools of Screenwriting:
A Writer's Guide to the Craft and the Elements of a Screenplay , by David Howard and Edward Mabley, St. Martin's Press, 1995.

In The Tools of Screenwriting, David Howard and Edward Mabley illuminate the essential elements of cinematic storytelling, and reveal the central principles that all good screenplays share. The authors address questions of dramatic structure, plot, dialogue, character development, setting, imagery, and other crucial topics as they apply to the special art of filmmaking.

Howard and Mabley also demonstrate how, on a practical level, the tools of screenwriting work in sixteen notable films, including Citizen Cane, E.T., One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Rashomon, The Godfather, North by Northwest, Chinatown, and sex, lies, and videotape.

A Challenge for the Actor , by Uta Hagen, Simon and Schuster, 1991.

Uta Hagen, internationally renowned actress and author, has writen a major new book that is sure to be welcomed in the field of acting. Actor's World covers voice techniques, timing, and rhythm. It teaches how to establish the identity of a character, how to use physical senses and inner objects, and much more.

Making Movies , by Sidney Lumet, Random House, 1996.

From one of America's most acclaimed directors comes a book that is both a professional memoir and a definitive guide to the art, craft, and business of the motion picture. Drawing on 40 years of experience on movies ranging from Long Day's Journey Into Night to The Verdict, Lumet explains the painstaking labor that results in two hours of screen magic.

Film Directing Shot by Shot:
Visualizing from Concept to Screen , by Stephen D. Katz, Butterworth-Heinemann, 1990.

A complete catalogue of motion picture techniques for filmmakers. It concentrates on the 'storytelling' school of filmmaking, utilizing the work of the great stylists who established the versatile vocabulary of technique that has dominated the movies since 1915. This graphic approach includes comparisons of style by interpreting a 'model script', created for the book, in storyboard form.

Rebel Without a Crew:
Or How a 23-Year-Old Filmmaker With $7,000 Became a Hollywood Player , by Robert Rodriguez, Plume, 1996.

In his own witty and straight-shooting style, Robert Rodriguez discloses all the strategies and innovative techniques he used to make "El Mariachi" on the cheap—including filming before noon so he wouldn't have to buy the actors lunch. You'll witness Rodriguez's whirlwind, 'Mariachi-style' filmmaking, where creativity "not money" is used to solve problems. Culminating in his "Ten-Minute Film School," this book may render conventional film-school programs obsolete. Rodriguez also offers an insider's view of the amazing courtship he enjoyed with Hollywood's A-list. It's an entertaining tour of Hollywood's deal-making machine as he navigates you through studio meetings, pitch sessions, and power lunches. Candidly divulging all the tactics and tempting lures the warring studios used to win him over, he admits that he barely escaped with his movie and his soul intact. Exploding the conventional wisdom that you need at least a million dollars to make a feature film, this nuts-and-bolts account features the full "El Mariachi" shooting script, postproduction tips, film festival anecdotes, and publicity blitz secrets. He demonstrates the countless ways to do for free what the pros spend thousands (or more) on without a second thought. "Rebel Without a Crew" is both one man's remarkable story and the essential guide for anyone who has a celluloid story to tell and the determination to see it through.

The Screenwriter's Bible:
A Complete Guide to Writing, Formatting, and Selling Your Script , by David Trottier, Silman-James Press, 1998.

In his own witty and straight-shooting style, Robert Rodriguez discloses all the strategies and innovative techniques he used to make "El Mariachi" on the cheap—including filming before noon so he wouldn't have to buy the actors lunch. You'll witness Rodriguez's whirlwind, 'Mariachi-style' filmmaking, where creativity "not money" is used to solve problems. Culminating in his "Ten-Minute Film School," this book may render conventional film-school programs obsolete. Rodriguez also offers an insider's view of the amazing courtship he enjoyed with Hollywood's A-list. It's an entertaining tour of Hollywood's deal-making machine as he navigates you through studio meetings, pitch sessions, and power lunches. Candidly divulging all the tactics and tempting lures the warring studios used to win him over, he admits that he barely escaped with his movie and his soul intact. Exploding the conventional wisdom that you need at least a million dollars to make a feature film, this nuts-and-bolts account features the full "El Mariachi" shooting script, postproduction tips, film festival anecdotes, and publicity blitz secrets. He demonstrates the countless ways to do for free what the pros spend thousands (or more) on without a second thought. "Rebel Without a Crew" is both one man's remarkable story and the essential guide for anyone who has a celluloid story to tell and the determination to see it through.