Tips for finding when small events happened
This page looks at the resources at the State Library Victoria and elsewhere that are about working in the film industry.
There are a huge range of roles within the film industry, be it on the set of a film, offset trying to organise film funding, or being the star of the film itself.
Most of the books listed below are guide books that provide some help and information on how to work in the film industry.
There are numerous educational facilities that offer filmmaking (including documentary) and film crew related courses in Melbourne, and some in regional Victoria as well. Some of these are short courses, whilst others, on completion, will give students higher education qualification such as a Certificate, Diploma, or a Degree in a filmmaking course.
When searching for a filmmaking related course on your preferred educational institution try any of these keywords: film, media, screen.
Short courses on filmmaking are run by many of Melbourne's TAFE and tertiary institutions, as well as Melbourne's Centre for Adult Education. No experience is required to attend the Summer School in Filmmaking at the University of Melbourne, which is held in early January each year. The Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS) hold occasional filmmaking short courses in Melbourne
Certificate, Diploma and Degrees level courses for screen related training are held by most of Melbourne's tertiary institutions and several TAFE's. The Footscray City Films school (located in Footscray City College) offers these qualifications and has produced several successful filmmakers.
Some resources
There are hundreds of biographies and other material available on the State Library Victoria catalogue about people who are working or have worked in the film industry. For example: "Alfred Hitchcock", "Jane Campion", "Nora Ephron"
A common method of learning is to watch the films of the filmmaker, actor, or other crew person you are interested in and research them. Interviews by filmmakers can provide excellent insight into the filmmaking process.
The pages below list searches and resources for various different roles in the film industry. An interesting overview of the filmmaking process is The guerilla film makers pocketbook / by Chris Jones, Andrew Zinnes, and Genevieve Jolliffe.
Short and beginner filmmaking
There are many articles online that discuss some key tips when making a film for the first time.
https://www.filmmakingstuff.com/filmmaking-lesson-8-make-some-short-films/
https://screencraft.org/2016/01/22/9-tips-for-filmmakers-making-their-short-film/
http://lwlies.com/articles/a-guide-to-making-your-first-short-film/
https://nofilmschool.com/2016/12/8-things-new-filmmakers-should-learn-making-their-first-film
Selection of books
Entering film festivals
For many filmmakers, getting their film accepted into a film festival is a major achievement.
Website resources
Film Festival Research - Bibliography - Service guides to professionals: a selection of material about filmmakers experiences with entering film festivals.
Film Freeway - provides film festival submission access for filmmakers worldwide.
Selection of books
The ultimate film festival survival guide / Chris Gore.
Searching for general and instructional materials about producers and or directors can be tricky as these terms are often placed within the subject heading (and often together) for many different types of film related material.
General search - motion picture* producer*
Below is a list of useful items for producers that discuss and offer advice for those roles.
Film business : a handbook for producers / edited by Tom Jeffrey ; with new chapters by Damien Parer. (Filmmaking in Australia)
Film & copyright : making content for big and little screens / Megan West (Copyright issues in Australia)
The complete film production handbook / Eve Light Honthaner
Indie film producing : the craft of low budget filmmaking / by Suzanne Lyons
Dictionary of film finance and distribution : a guide for independent filmmakers / John W. Cones
Hope for film : from the frontlines of the independent cinema revolutions / Ted Hope ; with Anthony Kaufman.
All I really need to know about filmmaking I learned from The toxic avenger / Lloyd Kaufman and James Gunn ; introduction by Roger Corman.
No picnic : an autobiography / Patricia Lovell.
There are many biographical and autobiographical works on various producers on the catalogue.
Searching for general and instructional materials about producers and or directors can be tricky as these terms are often placed within the subject heading (and often together) for many different types of film related material.
General search - motion picture* director*
Below is a list of useful items that discuss and offer advice for directors.
The director's journey : the creative collaboration between directors, writers, and actors / by Mark W. Travis.
I'll be in my trailer : the creative wars between directors and actors / John Badham and Craig Modderno.
The working director : how to arrive, thrive, and survive in the director's chair / Charles Wilkinson.
A cut above : 50 film directors talk about their craft / Michael Singer ; foreword by Leonard Maltin.
On directing film / David Mamet
Making movies / Sidney Lumet
Interviews with directors search
The Conversations with filmmakers series of books look at filmmakers around the world and what they have said about their work.
There are many biographical and autobiographical works on directors on the catalogue.
General search term - motion picture* acting
Some resources:
Acting in film : an actor's take on movie making / by Michael Caine ; edited by Maria Aitken
Hitting your mark : what every actor really needs to know on a Hollywood set / by Steve Carlson
The actor at work / Robert L. Benedetti ; foreword by Ted Danson
Playing to the camera : film actors discuss their craft / edited by Bert Cardullo ... [et al.]
There are plenty of biographical and autobiographical works in the library for actors.
General search term - motion picture authorship
There are many guide books available for screenwriting. A small selection is listed below.
Screenwriting for neurotics : a beginner's guide to writing a feature-length screenplay from start to finish / Scott Winfield Sublett
Analysing the screenplay / edited by Jill Nelmes
Great adaptations : screenwriting and global storytelling / Alexis Krasilovsky
The 36 dramatic situations / Mike Figgis
Story: substance, structure, style and the principles of screenwriting / Robert McKee.
Backstory (series) - edited by Pat McGilligan (series of interviews with screenwriters from 1930s-1990s)
Examples of film scripts
Using the search term "Motion picture plays" reveals a number of film scripts to view.
There are many websites online that have film scripts to download, but it is worth checking that the items are actual film scripts (with correct formatting spacing etc) or just transcripts of the movie dialogue.
Screenwriting magazines
Storyline (Australian Writer's Guild), Creative screenwriting
NOTE: The cinematographer for a film is often called the 'director Of photography' or D.O.P., but on library catalogues the term cinematographer or cinematography is the best way to find resources on this role.
Cinematography - general search term - motion picture* cinematographer*
Cinematography / Mike Goodridge & Tim Grierson.
Conversations with cinematographers / David A. Ellis.
Shooting women : behind the camera, around the world / Alexis Krasilovsky, Harriet Margolis, and Julia Stein
L'arte della cinematografia = The art of cinematography / image composition Vittorio Storaro ; written by Bob Fisher, Lorenzo Codelli
Journals
The below journals have detailed information about techniques and equipment used when making particular films.
General search term - motion picture* editing
In the blink of an eye : a perspective on film editing / by Walter Murch
Film editing : the art of the expressive / Valerie Orpen
Editing / Justin Chang.
Dream repairman : adventures in film editing/ Jim Clark with John H. Myers [and introduction by William Boyd ].
Composers - general search - motion picture* compos*
Scoring the screen : the secret language of film music / Andy Hill.
Complete guide to film scoring : the art and business of writing music for movies and TV / Richard Davis.
Keeping score : interviews with today's top film, television, and game music composers / Tom Hoover.
Alex North, film composer : a biography, with musical analyses of a Streetcar named desire, Spartacus, The misfits, Under the volcano, and Prizzi's honor / Sanya Shoilevska Henderson ; foreword by John Williams.
Sound design
The Palgrave handbook of sound design and music in screen media : integrated soundtracks / Liz Greene, Danijela Kulezic-Wilson, editors.
Conversations with a sound man / by Andrew Zielinski
Set design - general search - motion picture* setting scenery
A common term for set design is - motion picture* "art direction"
Production design in the contemporary American film : a critical study of 23 movies and their designers / Beverly Heisner
Production design / Fionnuala Halligan
Costume - general search term - motion picture* costum*
A related search term is - fashion in motion pictures
Costume design 101 : the business and art of creating costumes for film and television / Richard La Motte
Hollywood costume / edited by Deborah Nadoolman Landis.
Makeup - The makeup artist handbook : techniques for film, television, photography, and theatre / Gretchen Davis and Mindy Hall.
Casting - How they cast it : an insider's look at film and TV casting / by Rob Kendt.
Stunts - The full burn : on the set, at the bar, behind the wheel, and over the edge with Hollywood stuntmen / Kevin Conley.
Storyboarding - general search
Documentary filmmaking requires some different skills compared to making a fiction film. Much of what is listed in the other categories on the 'Working in film' page will be relevant, but here are some resources especially for the documentary filmmaker.
Search terms for documentary filmmaking - general search (documentary films production direction)
A search on documentary film* will list many more resources, but these will mainly be materials about the films themselves rather then tips for documentary filmmaking.
Website
Documentary Australia Foundation - a non for profit agency that assists filmmakers to bring their documentary films to life.
A selection of resources
A selection of websites about filmmaking.
DP/30 - video series of in-depth interviews with key actors and crew on a wide selection of films and documentary.
Audio visual essays on film can be excellent guides for filmmaking and the techniques and decisons made and used by cast and crew. Some examples of these are - Every Frame a Painting, Audiovisualcy.
list of various filmmaking related blogs - https://blog.feedspot.com/filmmaking_blogs/
[Tim Burstall with cameraman and one other crew member on train station platform during filming of "Partners"] [picture] / Rennie Ellis H2011.2/3273
The Screen Australia website has a page about starting a career in the industry. Read their guide titled Getting started: film, tv, online & interactive for very useful links to many resources regarding education (courses to take), funding, copyright, professional assistance. The site has other content including Making it in Hollywood, sample budgets and paperwork to assist with monitoring costs, and filmmaking grants to apply for to secure funding.
Film Victoria has many resources on its website, including a details to obtain funding for film projects and an early career resources page, which links to various educational and on the job training and crewing opportunities.
