There are hundreds of books that have been written to provide guidance and inspiration to filmmakers, but to me there are only four classics: Christine Vachon and David Edelstein's "Shooting to Kill," Robert McKee's "Story," Judith Weston's "Directing Actors," and John Pierson's "Spike, Mike, Slackers & Dykes." Any number of wonderful books can be added to this list--it's a matter of personal taste--but I don't these four should come off of it. Each of these books will take you to a whole new level of understanding.
Now John Anderson and Laura Kim have written another book that belongs on this "must-read" list: "I Wake Up Screening."The book's subtitle tells it all: "What to Do Once You've Made That Movie." This book gives you vital information about all the mysterious professionals you will encounter after finishing your film: producers reps, entertainment lawyers, publicists, distributors, agents, distributors, journalist, festival programmers, etc. If you take the time to read this book, you will know more than you could learn in a dozen or more years making films. In fact, this book will be useful for anyone, no matter how experienced they are. What makes "I Wake Up Screaming" special is its authoritative voice. This voice comes from two differing perspectives-- John Anderson is a veteran film critic and journalist and Laura Kim is a publicist (now at Warner Independent). They both know the terrain well, but Laura knows the strategies marketers employ from the inside; and John knows what it's like to be on the outside. This makes the book refreshingly straightforward, as when Anderson talks about being kept out of a screening for a Henry Jaglom film. I can assure you, no publicist would ever talk publicly about it the way he does.
The book does not exclusively rely on case studies of huge hits. This is what readers want to hear about, but it really isn't all that illuminating. The stories in this book are on all kinds of films, large and small. And it provides the kind of simple advice that everyone can use, without being a superstar.
Books and articles on this subject usually make me crazy. Grandiose statements are made by "experts" with seeming authority--that are often just weird and peculiar. Some of the things people say are just blatant self-promotion or attempts to settle old scores. If all a journalist does is transcribe tapes, serious disinformation can get in. While you can never completely eliminate people's agendas, this book does it pretty well.
For this reason, some may be confused by it because it doesn't alway provide definite answers. Should you bring a publicist to Sundance? Well...maybe yes... and maybe no. Good marketers have different opinions and approaches about everything, and the book tries to portray the diversity. I don't think this is CNN-style "fairness," I think it shows that the work is really tough to do. "I Wake Up Screening" tells about the marketing challenges that are faced on every single film. Each movie deserves its own approach.
When I met with a filmmaker who had just been selected for Sundance, there was never enough time to prepare him or her for the experience to come. Now all I would have to do is hand over this book. But do yourself a favor--read it now.
My main problem with the book is that it was written after I closed my agency. I would have liked to be interviewed, as it is a definitive text on the subject and unlikely to be surpassed.
Disclosure: I know John and Laura, as I do a good portion of the people quoted in the book.
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July 18, 2006 - 6:45pm
