FILM BUSINESS
By Peter Nowalk & Hillary Stamm
Written by two assistants to Hollywood Power Players, here are 86 lessons packed with a combination of blunt truth, insider humor, and juicy secrets that explain the unwritten rules of how to get a foot in the door and make all the right moves as you climb to the top. Read here.
By Lawrence Turman
Including a comprehensive case study of Turman’s film The Graduate, this complete guide to the movie industry’s most influential movers and shakers brims with useful tips and contains all the information you need to take your project from idea to the big screen. Read here.
FILM, TV & INDUSTRY HISTORY
By Peter Biskind
About the 1960s and 1970s Hollywood, a period of American film known for the production of such films such as The Godfather, The Godfather Part II, The French Connection, Chinatown, Taxi Driver, Jaws, Star Wars, The Exorcist, and The Last Picture Show. Read here.
By Peter Biskind
Chronicles the rise of independent filmmakers and of the twin engines—the Sundance Film Festival and Miramax Films—that have powered them. Read here.
By James Andrew Miller
Tells the uninhibited true story of HBO and how it burst onto the American scene and screen to detonate a revolution and transform our relationship with television forever.
Read here.
FILM CRAFT
By Sidney Lumet
Sidney Lumet, one of the most consistently acclaimed film directors, gives the reader both a professional memoir and a definitive guide to the art, craft, and business of the motion picture. Read here.
By Alexander Mackendrick
An invaluable analysis of the director's art and craft, from one of the most revered of all film school directors, featuring a forward from Martin Scorsese. Read here.
By Jacqueline Frost
Through interviews with current ASC cinematographers, and a balance between technical, aesthetic, and historical content, this book guides the director into a powerful collaboration with their closest on-set ally. Read here.
By Joseph Campbell
This masterfully crafted book interweaves conversations between Campbell and some of the people he inspired. Read here.
AUTOBIOGRAPHIES & BIOGRAPHIES
By Mark Harris
From Berlin to New York to Chicago to Hollywood, Mark Harris explores, with brilliantly vivid detail and insight, the life, work, struggle, and passion of Mike Nichols, an artist and man in constant motion. Read here.
By Mel Brooks
The never-before-told, behind-the-scenes anecdotes and remembrances from a master storyteller, filmmaker, and creator of all things funny. Read here.
By Diane Keaton
More than the autobiography of a legendary actress, Then Again is a book about a very American family with very American dreams. Diane will remind you of yourself, and her bonds with her family will remind you of your own relationships with those you love the most. Read here.
By Will Smith
Written with the help of Mark Manson, this book recounts one of the most amazing rides through the worlds of music and film that anyone has ever had. Read here.
INSPIRATIONAL
By Rick Rubin
A beautiful and generous course of study that illuminates the path of the artist as a road we all can follow, written by record producer and music executive Rick Rubin. Read here.
By Ayn Rand
Atlas Shrugged is Ayn Rand’s magnum opus: a philosophical revolution told in the form of an action thriller. Read here.