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Books

GET YOUR FILM FUNDED:

UK Film Finance Hand Book 2005/06
A comprehensive roadmap to film funding structures and opportunities in the UK. From low budget short film schemes through to multi-million pound international co-productions, this is a vital reference guide for producers, filmmakers, financiers and their advisors.

Following on from UK Film Finance Guide 2004, How To Fund Your Film, published by Netribution, is completely updated and significantly expanded.

2005/06 edition features:
• All forms of production finance fully explained
• The proposed UK 20% tax credit
• International and co-production incentives for over 20 countries
• 101 tips and tricks for lower budget films - by James MacGregor
• Full updated details of more than 200 finance sources
• Sale & Leaseback demystified
• Directory comprising over 400 film contacts across all sectors

For more information visit: http://www.ukfilmfinance.com/ or click here to buy from Amazon.

SCRIPT FACTORY

The Script Factory suggests books that offer advice on screenwriting: not an exhaustive guide, but a small selection that they consider to be potentially most helpful to new writers.

FOCAL PRESS

Visit the Focal Press website for details of a wide range of books on film production, including

Fine Cuts: The Art of European Film Editing by Roger Crittenden, with an introduction by Walter Murch (re-published September 2004)

Lo-to-No Budget Filmmaking, by Elliot Grove

Documentary Storytelling: A Guide for Filmmakers, by Sheila Curran Bernard

Media Law for Producers, by Philip Miller

Practical DV Filmmaking: A Step-by-Step Guide for Beginners, by Russell Evans

Filmmakers and Financing: Business Plans for Independents, by Louise Levison

SHOWREEL - the magazine for new filmmakers
Showreel, a quarterly magazine launched in May 2003 at The Production Show in London and at the Cannes Film Festival, is aimed at new filmmakers, students and film enthusiasts. The magazine contains information about all aspects of filmmaking from concept to distribution. It also contains entertaining and in-depth articles about techniques, equipment, news, events and awards, director and producer profiles, job descriptions, finance, training and education; all written by professional journalists and filmmakers. The subscription cost is just £20 per year.
The Showreel website includes a discussion forum to encourage debate on issues relevant to filmmaking as well as a means for independent filmmakers to showcase their work and exchange ideas and information. For further information and subscription details contact Denise Haskew, Publisher, +44 (0)1273 227029

BRITISH FILM INSTITUTE

The BFI publishes a wide range of books for a variety of audiences: from GCSE and A-Level students to undergraduates who are studying the moving image at an advanced level. Many of their more popular books are also aimed at a broader audience with a passion for cinema. These include the acclaimed BFI Film Classics series, which celebrated its tenth anniversary in 2002, and its complementary series BFI Modern Classics which discusses the best in contemporary world cinema. 

THE FINE ART OF CO-PRODUCING
An up to date and comprehensive guide to all the legal elements of a co-production agreement.
Published by the Media Business School

THE AUDIOVISUAL MANAGEMENT HANDBOOK
An in-depth look at the film, television and multimedia industry in Europe. Encompasses the modules covered in the renowned MEGA Masters programme in Audiovisual Management.
Published by the Media Business School

LAW

Denton Wilde Sapte is one of the UK's leading film and television production practices (and has particular expertise in the animation sector). It has recently produced the fifth edition of the User's Guide to Copyright and has edited Talent In The New Millennium (2001), an annual publication of the International Association of Entertainment Lawyers.
Denton Wilde Sapte
5 Chancery Lane
Clifford's Inn
London EC4A 1BU, UK
info@dentonwildesapte.com

CREATIVE SCREENWRITING - A Practical Guide
by Tony Bicat and Tony Macnabb
Foreword by Duncan Kenworthy
A new step-by-step guide to writing a screenplay, from the initial idea through to pitching a screenplay in the real world and selling your final draft. Topics include

• An emphasis on the essential creative basis of all writing
• American cinema with a strongly European perspective
• Checklists to help writers focus on the various aspects of the writing process
• Exercises to encourage the application of techniques and to clarify their use
• Jargon-free with a glossary of frequently-used terms.

This book is based on and inspired by the authors' professional experience and their workshops at the Short Course Unit at the UK's National Film and Television School. It is written for both the first-time screenwriter and the established writer seeking to change direction or overcome a block, as well as those working in other disciplines in the industry.
Tony Bicat is an award-winning writer and director, who has worked extensively in film, TV and theatre. Tony Macnabb is a writer, script consultant and translator, who has worked in TV and films, and for the European Union MEDIA programme.
Publication date: 26 August 2002
Paperback £10.99
Order online from The Crowood Press

THE GUERILLA FILMMAKERS HANDBOOK

by Chris Jones and Genevieve Jolliffe
If this handbook doesn't put you off making a film, it will help you make it. It's the complete handbook to low-budget filmmaking in the UK. It is divided into a step-by-step guide from development to exhibition (Anatomy of a Movie); an often amusing series of case studies from their own low-budget work (including Urban Ghost Story); and finally a Film Producers Toolkit providing production templates, draft contracts and a facilities directory. Much of the paperwork in the final section is also provided on an accompanying CD-ROM.

ART OF THE DEAL

by Dorothy Viljoen
This is the third edition of Art of the Deal, a book which, since the first edition was published in 1991, has come to be regarded as the bible of business affairs for television, film and new media producers and an essential tool for all experienced and aspiring producers and for anyone interested in television, film and new media production. The author, Dorothy Viljoen, is business affairs adviser to PACT and has a long-established reputation in the UK and Europe as a practitioner, lecturer and writer on business affairs. The two previous editions of Art of the Deal have sold widely in the UK and throughout the world. This edition completely updates the previous editions and includes new chapters on internet, new media and related issues, digital channels and developments in production financing. Available from PACT

RIGHTS CLEARANCES FOR FILM AND TELEVISION PRODUCTIONS

by Stephen Edwards
This book comprehensively covers every aspect of rights clearances an independent producer may encounter. Areas covered include: the business of rights clearance, copyright and performers' rights, literary works, musical works, artistic works, sound recordings, footage and music videos, performers, presenters and interviewees, and directors. Written by leading media lawyer Stephen Edwards, it provides a vital first point of reference for busy producers and business affairs executives. Available from PACT

THE MUSIC COPYRIGHT GUIDE FOR FILM AND TELEVISION PRODUCTION

by Ivan Chandler

Change the words of a song, use a record in the wrong context or forget about just one aspect of the music copyright clearance process and you're in real trouble. However, music can be less complicated - and less costly - if you understand the basic rules and follow a few simple steps. This is an invaluable guide for anyone involved in television, film or video production. If you want to avoid the pitfalls of licensing music, this is the one book you cannot afford to be without. Available from PACT

THE PITCH

by Eileen Quinn and Judy Counihan

A lively, witty and confidence-inspiring guide through the pitch process, this unique book is aimed at every aspiring and practising storyteller/film-maker setting out to turn their Big Idea into a reality. Based on a series of 'how-to' lectures developed by the authors over the last decade and interwoven with interviews with many well-known filmmakers, the book's approach is twofold. Firstly it looks at the requirements and psychology of buyers, and how successful sales techniques can be adapted to the film industry, providing a detailed analysis of the actual Pitch Process from preparation to delivery. Secondly it incorporates the experience of big name industry practitioners who relate their 'best and worst' pitch stories and advice, punctuated by a series of entertaining illustrations from the Guardian cartoonists and animators Berger and Wyse. Film students, artists, agents, distributors, script executives, and producers will find the insights of "The Pitch" utterly invaluable and refer to it again and again each time go out to market their Big Ideas.

Available on Amazon.co.uk

THE PRODUCTION HANDBOOK
by Diane Freeman, Maggie Ellis and Tricia Jenkins
Published by PACT in conjuction with the London Production Fund and London Film and Video Development Agency. The Production Handbook provides a checklist of essentials for any production and acts as an easy reference 'guide to guides' for film and television production for new film and programme makers, production support staff and postgraduate students. Steering users in the right direction when it comes to such tricky issues as copyright, insurance and filming permission; the handbook is an invaluable resource for anyone involved in the business of production. Available from PACT

THE KNOWLEDGE

The Knowledge is packed full of all the contacts and services you need at any stage in the production process, from pre to post production.

The Knowledge contains:

• Over 17,500 entries, including 10,200 freelance crew - the biggest source of crew available 
• Essential 'Know-How' section contains articles, maps and charts, plus production guidelines
• Studio and Production Facilities Charts - with detailed information
• FREE with every purchase of the book - Book of Credits, a handy sized A-Z listing of all entries plus telephone and credits, perfect for when on location.

Published annually and extensively updated every year, The Knowledge is one of the biggest sources of industry information. Also available on CD-ROM and on the web.

UK FILM DISTRIBUTION GUIDE
Distribution is the dynamic and intensely competitive business of launching films. This immensely valuable and informative guide, published by the UK's Film Distributors' Association, explores the generic processes involved. It covers:

• release slates
• film positioning
• target audiences
• selling to exhibitors
• marketing
• the opening weekend
• box-office takings
• the international perspective
• other formats
• and of course the internet.

You can find the guide on the Film Distributors Association's website: www.launchingfilms.tv

Magazines

BRITISH FILM MAGAZINE

Britishfilmmagazine is a new online consumer magazine designed to celebrate British films and the wealth of British film talent in movies everywhere. It aims to provide everyone interested in British film with the latest information of every aspect of the British film world, from script ideas through location reports to new cinema releases and DVDs.  It is currently growing, expanding its sections and features to include trailers for new films, and enlarging its list of quality contributors.

http://britishfilmmagazine.com/

DIRECTORS NOTES
Directors Notes is a weekly podcast dedicated to independent filmmaking. Each week featureS in-depth interviews with directors, discussing how they took their ideas from concept to screen. Also included are the featured films (or clips) on the website/podcast feed, so the audience can be entertained by the best in drama, music videos, animations, documentaries and experimental art pieces, whilst guests reveal just how they brought their vision to screen.
www.directorsnotes.com

THE FILM FESTIVAL MAGAZINE
The Film Festival Magazine is the new hub of festival coverage, reviews, interviews and articles. The magazine, and website, is a much needed and eagerly awaited publication that is going from strength to strength.

www.thefilmfestivalmagazine.co.uk

MOVIESCOPE

movieScope magazine is the UK's only trade/specialist consumer film magazine with a focus on global filmmaking - from Independent and European film to Hollywood and World cinema. movieScope magazine provides an unrivalled insider's point-of-view into a broad spectrum of filmmaking processes including acting, animations, directing, documentary, DV filmmaking, producing and writing.
www.moviescopemag.com