Customer Reviews
At last, the book that tells you what you really want to know - By: UHF, 16 Sep 2008 
What a great book. Concise with well thought-out chapters. Figgis writesin his own voice without self-promotion. This is really essential reading for anyone embarking on independant film making with a digital camcorder. He covers all aspects including your relationship with actors. This is not a technical how-to textbook, it's about the kind of experiences you would only get from working along side an experienced director.
Don't be without it. - By: Ms. N. M. Smith, 16 Aug 2008 This book made me realise how easy it can be to make your own films & get involved with other peoples. It gave me the confidence to just go out & get my own first camera without panicking over whether it was 'the right one'. It has great tips for when you are working on a budget & is a great encouragement to just go out & give it a go.
It gives practical tips, interesting & inspirational advice & is a quick & easy read that can be carried around with you wherever you go. I loved it & often use it as a point of reference.
very useful book - By: stephen Luff, 12 May 2008 I really liked this book. It was very personal & most useful. There are loads of books out there about how to do this & that. What I wanted was some great advice. For starters know your equipment inside out, get a book & write notes about how your settings work, try different combinations. I thought that might be obvious to some but it was inspirational to me. Another great tip was treasure your equipment. Keep it immaculate, really clean especially the lens, otherwise big blobs appear on the big screen! Its got a lot of really good points which I found most useful.
I like the fact that he talks about his work, his passion, his attention to every detail. It's important & very useful. Without passion nothing get done to the highest levels.
Anyone can make a film - By: kath, 15 Apr 2008 
This is a truly inspiring book for any aspiring film-maker. Though it is by no means a "how to" manual it nonetheless equips the reader with a sense that there really is no barrier to creating a film with next to no budget & minimal equipment. Figgis points out that ideas, ingenuity & vision are the essential tools of the film director rather than expensive equipment & a professional crew. The style of the book is conversational & full of anecdotes (some useful & illuminating others simply reminiscences) from Figgis' own film-making experiences. For me the book is most useful on lighting, on which subject Figgis gives some really practical & surprising tips, & working with actors, where his insights into the motivations & insecurities of that profession could save the novice director a lot of grief! Altogether a useful & highly readable addition to the aspiring film-makers bookshelf.
Lacking in Detail - By: S. Rouse, 23 Oct 2007 
Hmmm. . . This is a good book, I certainly found it inspiring & it's full of illuminating little hints. However, it's also very short & lackingin detail. Not a 'how to', more of an 'I did'.
