Practical Moviemaking

Joe Wallensteinoversees and administers all aspects of filming by the more than 700 students making approximately 1500 films each year at the University of Southern California School of Cinematic Arts. He worked on numerous television pilots for Paramount, Universal, NBC, CBS, and ABC, produced the CBS mini-series Dallas: the Early Years and the first four years of the hit television series Knots Landing, and worked as a second assistant director on The Godfather.

• Table of ContentsForeword: Practical Magic (by David Jacobs)      Introduction      Producers      Anticipation and Communication      The People with Whom You Work      Identifying a Potential Project      Critical Assumptions      Breaking Down the Script      Creating the Production Board      Scheduling      Locations      Budgeting      Casting      Dealing with Actors      Acquiring a Crew      Set Protocol      Elements of Production      Good Money vs. Bad Money      Practical Locations vs. Stage Work      Production Insurance      The Myth of Cinematic Immunity      Post-Production      Marketing      Epilogue      Appendix A: The English Lady      Appendix B: Additional Strip Creation for the Board      Appendix C: Quotes from Chairman Joe      Index

“offers information to newcomers to the profession”—Communication Booknotes Quarterly; “the book succeeds at being both educational and entertaining and should be picked up by any film school graduate who finds that she or he is dwelling on the question ‘now what?’ Ultimate value stems from Wallenstein’s years of producing experience...an incredibly optimistic and encouraging book”—Journal of Film and Video; “Wallenstein presents a guide for neophytes to the performance of this highly collaborative craft...discusses moviemaking’s creative, financial, and production aspects”—Reference & Research Book News.