Customer Reviews
OSCAR WINNER! - By: William Mclaughlan, 11 Nov 2008 
The man that wrote this book will be an Oscar winner for sure. If you're serious about making films & you're starting out I honestly can't think of a better investment than buying this & reading the whole thing cover to cover. I did & on doing so signed up for a film school course.
One reviewer stated that,in tone, the book seemed a little daunting. I've just finished a rough cut on my most recent film & I can say with my hand on my heart that the ENTIRE process of making just one film is daunting - let alone making a career out of it. Every time I do anything film related I have to take a breath because, despite being truly awesome, I know it'll be tough & at times I will hate the process or myself - this book is written by someone who will not sugar coat that for you. If you can't handle that then maybe writing for Empire or Total Film is the job for you instead - that way you get to sitin a warm chair inside writing reviews :)
I've just spent quite a lot of money on a year at a top London film school. If you're lackingin the kind of cash you need to attend film school then I would urge you to buy this book (and also a couple of others) & just spend the money on making some films. You'll learn at least all the same stuff as me & your films will not be any less good if you treat them seriously & enjoy yourself.
Chris Jones is a very inspiring writer & for the price of the book you not only get a MASSIVE number of interviews with industry professionals but you also get a CD-ROM. I found the interviews with film industry employees the most useful part of this book for mein particular. Simply because I a) wasn't sure what many of the jobs actually were (key grip for example) & b) what kinds of job might be available to me as a uni & film school graduate. Jones isn't a snob when it comes to these interviews either & interviewed everyone. For example he speak to people like a stop motion animator who was creating a children's television program for BBC Wales. Really useful because prior to workingin the industry I had no clue about what anyone actually did bar maybe a screenwriter.
On the CD-ROM are various producing aides & also a very useful screenplay formatter so you don't have to fork out a hundred & seventy-nine quid for Final Draft!!! Just use this formatter once & you can get an extra days shooting with the money you save.
Basically this is required reading if you want to make films. If you want to make just one film then don't bother buying any books just go & make your film. BUT if you'd like to write, direct or have any kind of jobin the industry I truly believe that this book will be worth every single penny you spend on it. It's right up there with Story & In The Blink of an Eye! Currently Chris Jones has funded a film by asking everyone he knew for fifty quid & shot it with Vernon Layton as DoP & it is nowin the long-list for Oscar selection. What other currently-publishing authors writing about filmmaking are up for Oscar selection? This guy walks the talk. BUY BUY BUY!
A tome of info - By: Wild Indie, 27 Sep 2008 
Yup.. a tome of information. Presented well enough & lots of it extremely useful. Other stuff is a bit over the top & needless. The amount of information can make film-making seem a little daunting. Nothing beats getting up & actually making the film to learn the lessons needed but it's a useful reference. Perhaps a few too many interview type sections.
Useful additional info on disc.
So you wanna make a movie? Go buy this book! - By: , 20 Mar 2006 I bought the first & second editions of TGFMH & wondered what on earth they could doin the third edition - well I wasn’t disappointed! The book is now encyclopedicin content, I mean EVERYTHING is covered. It’s a lot bigger than the last edition with so much more information. In fact there is so much information that some people may be daunted, but the simple Q & A & hot tips approach means that it never gets too bogged down. Now it sits on my shelf next to my PC & whenever I have a question, I just look up the relevant section & read the expert interview. No matter where you arein your career, starting out or seasoned pro, there are gems of wisdom for you here. I recommended both previous editions, & this massive re-write gets just a big thumbs up! Go buy it & save yourself a load of headaches!
