“No More Books” – Fateful Findings (2013)
While on one of many $1.50 hot dog lunches, our team of creatives chatted about their favorite books in the filmmaking world (despite popular belief, we do read). We realized that our team spans completely different eras of film and broadcast, encompassing a wide gamut of knowledge, techniques, and beliefs.
We’re firm believers in the school of YouTube, but a few ideas can’t be done justice in 10 minutes or less. Join the Deity team as we dive into the books that have shaped our careers and the products we design at Deity.
All I Need To Know About FILMMAKING I Learned From THE TOXIC AVENGER
“Everyone talks about how now is the time you can self-publish and sell your independent movie. This book was written by someone who has done that time and time again.”
“This book isn’t about his successes but rather his failures. It gives you insights not just into the industry and how movie sets work but also a look at how he’s survived doing it for so many decades.”
– Andrew Jones (Global Marketing Manager)
On Writing: A Memoir Of The Craft
“Because I’m a special little snowflake, I’m gonna throw a non-film book your way.”
“Besides being an excellent piece on writing fiction and the beauty of language, it’s a marvel of a tale discussing the quieter and sometimes darker moments of pursuing art.”
– Blake Raya (Global Content Producer)
Behind The Sound Cart
“This insider’s guide spills all the technical secrets about sound production that most filmmakers overlook but actually make or break your production (sound) quality.”
– Vincent Rozenberg (Executive Director Europe)
The Five C’s Of Cinematography
“This book is old… boring… lacks color photos… but it’s also been read by the best cinematographers that have ever existed. When you write the perfect book, you don’t have to revise it to meet the modern trends and “vibe.”
“Understanding fundamentals in camera work and how light works could be considered the same as understanding the law. Work within it, and you’ll never go wrong.”
“But funny thing is, to those that say you must know the rules to break them… don’t understand that the intent behind the rules proves you never broke them to begin with if you fully learned them as fundamentals. This book is unmatched for what it contains.”
– Andrew Jones (Global Marketing Manager)
Producer To Producer
“Anybody can have a good idea; creativity is cheaper than table salt, as they say. What makes a person successful is knowing how to use the tools to get things delivered.”
“Maureen provides all you need to know to get pieces moving as well as the finer points of the film business.”
– Blake Raya (Global Content Producer)
Rebel Without A Crew
“Rodriguez basically wrote the handbook for how to make a legit movie with pocket change and pure hustle (being a guinea pig for drug testing, for example) when the industry says you need millions.”
– Vincent Rozenberg (Executive Director Europe)
Location Audio Simplified
“This is by far one of the most influential books on my career. This made the act of recording audio for video so approachable.”
“Sadly, this one is hard to find because it is out of print. You can still find it used, and if you do find it…absolutely buy it and read it.”
– Andrew Jones (Global Marketing Manager)
Story
“There are a lot of screenwriting books out there, a lot of them being rather bad. Robert McKee’s Story is not one of them.”
“This book gives you the core concepts on what makes a story worth engaging with. Whether you’re selling a product, making films, or capturing real-life tales, you need that flair of meaning; without it, none of your projects can succeed.”
– Blake Raya (Global Content Producer)
Down And Dirty Pictures
“This book dishes the real dirt on how indie cinema exploded in the 90s, exposing the ruthless business tactics behind all those ‘artistic’ festival darlings.”
– Vincent Rozenberg (Executive Director Europe)