Direction Production category: 829 books

Through films that alternate between containment, order, and symmetry on the one hand, and obsession, explosiveness, and a lack of control on the other, Chantal Akerman has gained a reputation as one of the most significant filmmakers working today. Her 1975 film Jeanne Dielman, 23 Quai du Commerce,...

Wearing a mask—putting on another face—embodies a fundamental human fantasy of inhabiting other bodies and experiencing other lives. In this extensively illustrated book, Thomas Morawetz explores how the creation of transformational makeup for theatre, movies, and television fulfills this fantasy...

There are more than two hundred reality TV shows planned for this year alone. Millions of people have applied to be on these shows; only a handful have been chosen to compete and win big money. One of those chosen few is Jack Benza, and in So You Wannabe on Reality TV he lifts the veil of secrecy...

Born into a family of vaudevillians, Buster Keaton made his first film appearance in 1917 at the age of 21. By the early 1920s, he had established himself as one of the geniuses of silent cinema with such films as Sherlock, Jr. and The Navigator and his 1925 work, The General, placed at number 18...

John Ford--Poet in the Desert is an uncommon biography. Author Joe Malham offers rarely explored facets of this dark yet towering poetic genius in a fascinating analysis of the artist's personal life. The influences on Ford's work, from art, history and politics to the man's mystical faith, are skillfully...

Over nearly sixty years, Agnès Varda (b. 1928) has given interviews that are revealing not only of her work, but of her remarkably ambiguous status. She has been called the "Mother of the New Wave" but suffered for many years for never having been completely accepted by the cinematic establishment...

This is the first comprehensive study of Jean Epstein's fiction and documentary films, film theory, and writings on poetry and homosexuality. Until now no general introduction to this very influential filmmaker, thinker and writer was available in English. The book unfolds the intellectual trajectory...

A critical exploration of one of the most exciting, original and influential figures to emerge in contemporary film, Guillermo del Toro: Film as Alchemic Artis a major contribution to the analysis of Guillermo del Toro's cinematic output. It offers an in-depth discussion of del Toro's oeuvre and investigates...

Joss Whedon: The Genius Behind Buffy is a biography of Joss Whedon, the wunderkind creator of television shows Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Firefly. From Booklist: Writers, actors, and fans often call Joss Whedon a genius. It’s easy to see why. Whedon, who got his start writing for...

A reissued classic that examines the structure and themes of each of Hitchcock’s British feature films.

Orson Welles called Ernst Lubitsch (1892–1947) “a giant” whose “talent and originality are stupefying.” Jean Renoir said, “He invented the modern Hollywood.” Celebrated for his distinct style and credited with inventing the classic genre of the Hollywood romantic comedy and helping to...

Budgeting and scheduling are easy in principle but hard in practice. The successful producer has a solid plan for juggling dozens of activities and costs while retaining the flexibility to cope with those inevitable last-minute changes and stay on course. Preplanning the budget and schedule of any...

Although best known as an Academy Award winning actor, Sean Penn's directorial works The Indian Runner (1991), The Crossing Guard (1995), The Pledge (2001), and Into the Wild (2007), consist of some of the most interesting and singular films made in the United States over the past twenty years. Each...

Since their first feature film, Ethan and Joel Coen have developed a devoted following, first as cult filmmakers and ultimately, as mainstream artists who have been nominated for thirteen Academy Awards and have won four Oscars apiece (for Fargo and No Country for Old Men). The entries in this...