January 15, 2006
Time for a quick book review.
"Implicit in any kind of independence from a status quo is sacrifice. To make a real independent film where the filmmaker is in charge creatively, one must sacrifice personal, financial, and physical well-being. Therefore, we name our book The Declaration Of Independent Filmmaking, inspired by the sacrifices of the mand and families who gave their lives for a society in which something purely creative like independent filmmaking can exist."
That quote is from the preface to Mark and Michael Polish's new book, The Declaration Of Independent Filmmaking, a text which I dearly wish I'd had on my hands back when I was 13. Back then, the bible for kids like me was Robert Rodriguez's Rebel Without A Crew, which was certainly inspiring but, in hindsight, not very helpful (and I think - fear- that it may have given rise to a generation of sloppy filmmakers who never looked further than its pages for education).
The Polish brothers state that this is the book they wish they had when they first decided they wanted to make films. Indeed, it's as thourough as can be, covering the basics of everything from screenwriting to cinematography to production design to distribution (I was glad to see that the importance of good sound is emphasized heavily throughout). The chapter on the actual directorial process should prove invaluable, especially to neophyte directors; lack of time and the need for creative compromise, and the absolute importance of a strong vision by which to deal with such problems, are issues any filmmaker will inevitably find themselves dealing with (and not just on first films), but it's helpful to be aware of them going in.
What distinguishes this from other books on the independent filmmaking process is that it's not simply a rehash of technical information; there's a great deal of idealogy involved. This is a book by filmmakers who believe in the persistence of personal vision, and it is encouraging and emboldening to hear them justify their independent means with their passion (particularly in the case of Northfork, a two million dollar picture with a name cast that they essentially paid for with personal credit cards). They never cease to infer that making films, especially independently, is a very difficult process; but they never suggest that it isn't worth it.
One more quote from the book:
"...we started to see this a lot while on the Northfork press tour. Young filmmakers were handing us their short films and features on DVD. Most had decent packaging with their contact information. Done right, an attractive package can get someone to watch your film who otherwise wouldn't."
Back when I met the brothers in 2003 and gave them a copy of Still, the first thing they said was "wow, that's great packaging!"
If only the film inside could have lived up to it...
Posted by David Lowery at January 15, 2006 5:55 PM
Comments
this sounds great....one for the shelf with CASSAVETES ON CASSAVETES, MAKING MOVIES, CONVERSATIONS WITH WALTER MURCH, etc.
man, it's been a while since i've seen NORTHFORK...
Posted by: frank at January 16, 2006 2:01 AM
I bet our bookshelves look a lot alike...
See you on Wednesday, by the way. I hope we have a chance to chat before or after the screening.
Posted by: Ghostboy at January 16, 2006 2:15 AM
I have a feeling NORTHFORK will be one of those films that nobody saw but a lot of people keep talking about down the line. It was shamefully overlooked. I think it's a great piece of filmmaking, and I'm really hoping it will get its due in the future.
Posted by: Joe Swanberg at January 16, 2006 3:54 PM
I agree. I watched it again the other day, after reading the book, and was impressed all over again; I'd forgotten how perfectly they achieved that level of magical realism, and how well they walked the line between sincerity and preciousness. The documentary on the DVD is great, too.
I'm looking forward to their next film, The Astronaut Farmer, starring Billy Bob Thornton.
I've got a thing for astronauts.
Posted by: Ghostboy at January 16, 2006 8:12 PM