Making-of documentaries
October 29, 2005 4:06 PM Subscribe
Does anyone know of any good articles or essays regarding 'making of' documentaries or non-fiction films about filmmaking?
I'm particular interested in reading something which such films as 'Hearts of Darkness' or 'Lost In La Mancha' or 'making-of' documentaries which turn up on dvds. I have tried googling this and the results are just hits to shopping sites. Offline magazine and journals would be fine.
I'm particular interested in reading something which such films as 'Hearts of Darkness' or 'Lost In La Mancha' or 'making-of' documentaries which turn up on dvds. I have tried googling this and the results are just hits to shopping sites. Offline magazine and journals would be fine.
I'm kind of confused as to what you're asking about - you want to read about the making of movies, essentially? On that note, I have no idea. However, I can recommend some very good meta-movies:
Baadasssss!, Burden of Dreams, and (to a lesser extent) Shadow of the Vampire.
posted by jeresig at 4:57 PM on October 29, 2005
Baadasssss!, Burden of Dreams, and (to a lesser extent) Shadow of the Vampire.
posted by jeresig at 4:57 PM on October 29, 2005
You will want to check out "American Movie", a sad - but engagingly entertaining - story of a strugglng indie filmmaker and the tribulations he endures to get his rather bad movies made. Some great characters and backstory.
posted by dbiedny at 5:38 PM on October 29, 2005
posted by dbiedny at 5:38 PM on October 29, 2005
I second American Movie - it's not exactly a documentary about filmaking per se, but it is a documentary about a man who is trying to make a (B-movie-horror) film.
posted by hobbes103 at 5:49 PM on October 29, 2005
posted by hobbes103 at 5:49 PM on October 29, 2005
Some of the most interesting insights I've gleaned have come from DVD commentaries. Start with this Film Threat thread, and don't be afraid to dig up DVD versions of your favourites to see if they have any commentaries you might've missed the first time around. Commentaries can vary in quality and focus. I'm assuming, for example, that the drunken farting match from Cannibal! The Musical isn't what you're looking for, nor Weird Al Yankovic reciting the addresses of all the location shoots for UHF (though that particular commentary is a lot of fun... in fact, thinking about it makes me want to go watch it again).
I haven't seen the DVD version myself, but I've heard the special edition of Panic Room is an outstanding set if you're looking for production commentary and insight (and I thought the movie itself was decent as well).
posted by chrominance at 5:57 PM on October 29, 2005
I haven't seen the DVD version myself, but I've heard the special edition of Panic Room is an outstanding set if you're looking for production commentary and insight (and I thought the movie itself was decent as well).
posted by chrominance at 5:57 PM on October 29, 2005
The Devil's Candy is a very good account of the making of the rather disastrous Bonfire of the Vanities. Stars run amok, a perfectionist director, and a mediocre end result.
(If this is what you're asking for. The sentences in this question seem to be missing some words.)
posted by smackfu at 7:28 PM on October 29, 2005
(If this is what you're asking for. The sentences in this question seem to be missing some words.)
posted by smackfu at 7:28 PM on October 29, 2005
There's also Rebel Without a Crew, about the making of El Mariachi on a tiny budget.
posted by mrbill at 7:54 PM on October 29, 2005
posted by mrbill at 7:54 PM on October 29, 2005
Seconding Rebel Without a Crew and Kid Stays in the Picture (made into a good documentary as well). Devil's Candy is indeed excellent -- so are Final Cut, about Heaven's Gate, and Outrageous Conduct, about Twilight Zone: The Movie.
If you want generic books about filmmaking, check out these two by/about Walter Murch.
Fellini's Hitchock is a classic. David Mamet's On Directing Film might interest you or may be too oblique. Sidney Lumet's Making Movies is superb as are Producer Art Linson's books. Another Producer, Linda Obst, wrote the funny Hello, He Lied, though she wasn't able to outdo the gossipy and vicious You'll Never Eat Lunch in this Town Again by Julia Philips.
Christine Vachon's Shooting to Kill is a good look at the indie film scene, as are all of Spike Lee's books and John Pierson's Spike, Mike, Slackers and Dykes.
Peter Biskind's written three excellent (though slanted) accounts of Hollywood, one for the 50s, one for the 70s and one for the 80s/90s.
Hit & Run is a great account of the Sony takeover of Columbia Pictures. Laugh out loud funny.
Director Peter Bogdonovich has written two terrific books, one on directors and one on actors.
It's All Your Fault is a funny but depressing look at HWood from the assitant's pov.
Lastly, on the web, you'd be hard pressed to find a better blog about Hollywood than screenwriter Josh Friedman's hilarious I Find Your Lack of Faith Disturbing. (If you like his blog, be sure to read veteran screenwriter William Goldman's Adventures in the Screen Trade and Which Lie Did I Tell?) On the opposite side of that coin, our own whl's blogging his attempts at becoming a pro screenwriter and Scott the Reader's blogging as a studio reader.
posted by dobbs at 8:42 PM on October 29, 2005
If you want generic books about filmmaking, check out these two by/about Walter Murch.
Fellini's Hitchock is a classic. David Mamet's On Directing Film might interest you or may be too oblique. Sidney Lumet's Making Movies is superb as are Producer Art Linson's books. Another Producer, Linda Obst, wrote the funny Hello, He Lied, though she wasn't able to outdo the gossipy and vicious You'll Never Eat Lunch in this Town Again by Julia Philips.
Christine Vachon's Shooting to Kill is a good look at the indie film scene, as are all of Spike Lee's books and John Pierson's Spike, Mike, Slackers and Dykes.
Peter Biskind's written three excellent (though slanted) accounts of Hollywood, one for the 50s, one for the 70s and one for the 80s/90s.
Hit & Run is a great account of the Sony takeover of Columbia Pictures. Laugh out loud funny.
Director Peter Bogdonovich has written two terrific books, one on directors and one on actors.
It's All Your Fault is a funny but depressing look at HWood from the assitant's pov.
Lastly, on the web, you'd be hard pressed to find a better blog about Hollywood than screenwriter Josh Friedman's hilarious I Find Your Lack of Faith Disturbing. (If you like his blog, be sure to read veteran screenwriter William Goldman's Adventures in the Screen Trade and Which Lie Did I Tell?) On the opposite side of that coin, our own whl's blogging his attempts at becoming a pro screenwriter and Scott the Reader's blogging as a studio reader.
posted by dobbs at 8:42 PM on October 29, 2005
And after all that I re-read your question again and it seems as though you're looking for books specifically about the making of documentaries about films, which is a very strange request... and I can't think of any. Ha.
Oh, and if you haven't seen the film Overnight, do so. It started out as an EPK (an extra on a dvd) and became something altogether... better. Fascinating look at Troy Duffy, one of the dumbest filmmakers I've ever heard of.
posted by dobbs at 8:47 PM on October 29, 2005
Oh, and if you haven't seen the film Overnight, do so. It started out as an EPK (an extra on a dvd) and became something altogether... better. Fascinating look at Troy Duffy, one of the dumbest filmmakers I've ever heard of.
posted by dobbs at 8:47 PM on October 29, 2005
Burden of Dreams is an excellent film about Werner Herzog's nightmarish experience making Fitzcarraldo.
posted by captainscared at 9:23 PM on October 29, 2005
posted by captainscared at 9:23 PM on October 29, 2005
I, like dobbs, can't seem to find (or recall) anything that specifically answers your question. Which I guess means there is an interesting article or essay which has yet to be written on the subject of documentaries about movies.
On the subject of meta-movies, while I haven't seen it, there is Full Tilt Boogie, about making From Dusk Till Dawn. And I really liked Killing Priscilla about making the Ewan McGregor film Eye of the Beholder. It's a fascinating analysis of a film gone awry, too bad it's not available on DVD yet.
Fascinating look at Troy Duffy, one of the dumbest filmmakers I've ever heard of.
The tragic thing is that his film was actually decent, a lot better than most director's first films, but the guy could not stop shooting his mouth off. Overnight is also the best documentary about movie making I've seen.
posted by bobo123 at 11:44 PM on October 29, 2005
On the subject of meta-movies, while I haven't seen it, there is Full Tilt Boogie, about making From Dusk Till Dawn. And I really liked Killing Priscilla about making the Ewan McGregor film Eye of the Beholder. It's a fascinating analysis of a film gone awry, too bad it's not available on DVD yet.
Fascinating look at Troy Duffy, one of the dumbest filmmakers I've ever heard of.
The tragic thing is that his film was actually decent, a lot better than most director's first films, but the guy could not stop shooting his mouth off. Overnight is also the best documentary about movie making I've seen.
posted by bobo123 at 11:44 PM on October 29, 2005
Response by poster: bobo123 got the idea. Although there are some excellent things in here which I wasn't aware of, I'm looking for articles and books about these documentaries -- so the making-of the making-of. I've found one article with analyses the production of two documentaries about separate examples of lesbian cinema, which is interesting (!) but a bit too specific.
posted by feelinglistless at 12:39 AM on October 30, 2005
posted by feelinglistless at 12:39 AM on October 30, 2005
The tragic thing is that his film was actually decent, a lot better than most director's first films, but the guy could not stop shooting his mouth off.
Are you talking about Boondock Saints? I hated BS. Shut it off after about 20 minutes (this was when it first came out, not after seeing Overnight). I can't believe he's making a fucking sequel!?
posted by dobbs at 12:48 AM on October 30, 2005
Are you talking about Boondock Saints? I hated BS. Shut it off after about 20 minutes (this was when it first came out, not after seeing Overnight). I can't believe he's making a fucking sequel!?
posted by dobbs at 12:48 AM on October 30, 2005
I read the script for the Boondock Saints over at the Academy Library, and frankly, couldn't believe anyone, much less Miramax, purchased it. And Overnight is the perfect Halloween movie - a complete horror story/car wreck unfolding before your very eyes. So painful to watch, but completely engrossing. I recommend it too!
posted by whl at 11:32 AM on October 30, 2005
posted by whl at 11:32 AM on October 30, 2005
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by mrbill at 4:13 PM on October 29, 2005