Making Short Films : The Complete Guide From Script To Screen

Whether you are embarking on your first YouTube project or planning a more ambitious, collaborative film, Making Short Films give you the answers for everything you need to know. 
This new edition of what has become a bible for filmmakers internationally is completely rewritten, expanded and redesigned and now features a web-page with supporting information and access to the key films discussed inside. Just as the original, descriptions and explanations of the whole process to making a film is given as well as insider tips from producers and film makers. 
All the history of short-film-making, all the criteria about putting together a script, how to direct, securing funding and getting your short shown are packed into this must have for filmmakers of all types.
 

PART I: AN OVERVIEW * Introduction to Making Short Films * A Brief History of Short Films * Careers * PART II: WHO DOES WHAT * The Script * The Producer * The Director * The Editor * Finance & Distribution * PART III: GETTING IT MADE * Crewing * Sound Design * Casting * Locations * Money Matters: Funding, Grants, Stretching the Budget * Unions * Music and Post-Production * PART IV: INTERVIEWS WITH FILM-MAKERS * Daniel Mulloy * Colin Brown * Jack Pizzey * Alex Ferrari * PART V: SCRIPTS * Broken * Noise Control * GM * Room Eleven * Greta May (The Adaptation) * PART VI:               USEFUL INFO * Making A Press Kit * Glossary Of Film Terms * Film Festivals * Useful Addresses * Bibliography * Acknowledgements * Index
 

“This book is destined to become the 'bible' for anyone who wants to make a short film.”--Amazon.com
 
"There are tons of books about making feature films, but most people start of with a short and this definitive book is for them. From the clever guide to writing short scripts to screening shorts on TV and at festivals, the writer takes new filmmakers by the hand and leads them every step of the way. At the connected website I found lists of festivals and short film festivals, and Thurlow writes honestly about the problems and pleasures he had directing a short film according to his own theories. The book is witty, entertaining and informative. And that's what we're looking for."--Amazon.co.uk
 
"Many undergraduate students will find this book useful as it aims to cover the whole process from idea to distribution…Making Short Films should be an opportunity to develop skills and hone the craft.'”--The Times (London)
 
”It is so easy to make a short film these days there is a strong temptation to do it as soon as the impulse grabs you. For some, such impulsiveness can pay off. For others, a few pointers would help…Thurlow passes on his insider tips neatly packaged in simple chapters that will guide the novice over the minefield of filmmaking and inspire them to go out and make movies…It's enough to make you feel like the next Spielberg. But why not? Someone has to be. And my guess is it will be someone who starts off reading …Making Short Films.”
British Film Magazine
 
“Thurlow brings his personable style to Making Short Films and turns what is effectively a step by step text book into an easily assimilated, fact packed tutorial with all the dynamism and panache of a contemporary novel…an essential tool of the trade and indispensable for the embryonic auteur.”
State of Art
“Reading almost like a novel, the book weaves together anecdotes and film history to illustrate the filmmaking process, citing example from both classic cinema and contemporary films. Ultimately, Thurlow's book is meant to inspire. He emphasises that short filmmaking is primarily a creative and collaborative exercise, not financially profitable, and should be considered a chance to learn skills and stretch your imagination. His emphasis is not on technical advice, but on the creative and artistic considerations of short filmmaking. As one of the directors that Thurlow interviewed in the book comments, "People try to formalise the process, but it is not about formulas, it's about communication...it is your emotional input, your veracity, that will make a film work."
Vertigo Magazine
 
“Making Short Films will be your ideal guide and will take you right through the process.”
Writing Magazine 
"A riveting read, packed with rare anecdotes and expertly chosen examples from across the film world. And by weaving throughout tales from the likes of Cocteau, Bunuel or Fellini, Clifford Thurlow provides a refreshing and much needed focus on the artistic and creative - as well as the technical - aspects of filmmaking."
Nic Wistreich, development director of Shooting People and co-author of Get Your Film Funded
 
"Nobody should think about making a short film without reading this first. Thurlow takes new filmmakers through the steps of shooting film in a way that will save time and money. Plus it's a good read!"
Producer Jennifer Fate Velaise, Fate Productions, Los Angeles 
"Clifford Thurlow's book is the definitive must have for any filmmaker contemplating making and marketing a short."
Elliot Grove, Director of Raindance: The Voice of Independent Film.

Clifford Thurlow is a writer and independent film-maker.

Publisher: Berg Publishers
Imprint: Berg Publishers
Distributor: MPS
Publication Date: 03-15-2008
Pages: 288
Measurements: 9.25in X 6.13in