cover image The Movie Making Book: Skills and Projects to Learn and Share

The Movie Making Book: Skills and Projects to Learn and Share

Dan Farrell and Donna Bamford. Chicago Review (IPG, dist.), $18.99 trade paper (144p) ISBN 978-1-61373-915-0

Farrell and Banford—co-directors of Sparks, a London film school for children—cover the fundamentals of making movies, from crafting storyboards and scriptwriting to using various shots, music, and special effects. To pique readers’ imaginations, the authors provide numerous project ideas, including filming pet videos, video greeting cards, or a “video map” that documents a journey. They also offer technical and stylistic suggestions for shooting particular genres, such as superhero, spy, horror, and an “old movie” in black and white—a bag of tricks that readers can sample and make their own. “Pro Tips” sidebars present more advanced techniques and ideas: “Think about timing your reveals to your music or sound effects. Can you draw particular shots out even longer to add additional suspense?” An illuminating primer that empowers readers to get behind the camera. Ages 7–12. (June)