With focus on movies surrounding the 2011 Academy Awards last weekend, it is time to remind Kaua‘i readers about the film resources at Lihu‘e Library and the stories they tell. Lihu‘e Library’s collection numbers over 3,000 DVD titles and includes
With focus on movies surrounding the 2011 Academy Awards last weekend, it is time to remind Kaua‘i readers about the film resources at Lihu‘e Library and the stories they tell.
Lihu‘e Library’s collection numbers over 3,000 DVD titles and includes selections of classics, foreign films, adult, teen and children’s movies, educational or documentaries, and TV shows or TV series.
In addition, you can find books about all aspects of film making, film collections, film studios, biographies and memoirs of film personalities, the books from which film adaptations were made, novelizations of films, movie soundtracks on CD, and musical scores for music from films. From oral traditions to written literature, and from Hollywood to YouTube, like a public library it’s about storytelling and its power to inform and entertain.
Happy reading!
America’s Film Legacy: The Authoritative Guide to Landmark Movies in the National Film Registry
By Daniel Eagan
791.32 Ea
The great, the historic, and the lousy (but, alas, influential) all find their place in this engrossing survey of titles selected by the Library of Congress’s National Film Registry. The author chronologically catalogues 500 Registry films, jumbling Hollywood classics together with obscure art films, cartoon shorts, documentaries, industrial and student films and newsreel footage. Each entry includes complete cast and credits lists, an engaging one- to two-page historical and interpretive essay and juicy biographical thumbnails. The result is an erudite, perceptive, and entertaining cinematic encyclopedia. For more on classic films try Movie Classics: A Complete Guide to the Directors, Stars, Studios and Genres by Don Shiach or Reel Culture: 50 Classic Movies You Should Know About by Mimi O’Connor.
The Complete Film Production Handbook
By Eve Light Honthaner
791.43023 Ho
This recent edition of the classic is for working film/TV professionals and students alike. If you’re a line producer, production manager, production supervisor, assistant director or production coordinator–the book has everything you’ll need (including all the forms, contracts, releases and checklists) to set up and run a production all compiled in one place. If you’re considering a career in film production, this book will educate and prepare you. Look also for the latest edition of The Filmmaker’s Handbook by Steven Ascher.
The Great Movies III
By Roger Ebert
791.4375 Eb
This volume gathers 100 of the Pulitzer-winning author’s mini-essays composed since 1997, to form a love letter that could only spring from decades of devotion. Combining analysis, historical reflection and personal diary the text is liberally illustrated with still photos. The entire book breathes with an awareness of legacy–the cinema’s and Ebert’s own–that underlies the sobering theme of his introduction. For another movie guide try Leonard Maitlin’s 151 Best Movies You’ve Never Seen, and The Anime Encyclopedia: a Guide to Japanese Animation Since 1917 by Jonathan Clements.
The Hollywood Standard: The Complete and Authoritative Guide to Script Format and Style
By Christopher Riley
808.23 Ri
Designed as a manual for every screenwriter–neophyte or old pro-this volume presents a format for writing scripts for theatrical feature films, hour-long television drama and long-form television, including made-for-TV movies and series. It is an accurate, complete and practical guide for the screenwriter written by a veteran in the business. Toward the book’s end, Riley incorporates his lessons and suggestions into a section on the evolution of a script from first draft to production draft; appendixes offer sample script pages. For other aspects of the movie business try How They Cast It: An Insider’s Look at Film and TV Casting by Rob Kendt, The 7 Steps to Stardom by Christina Ferra-Gilmore, Actors at Work by Rosemarie Tichler, and The Perfect Pitch: How to Sell Yourself and Your Movie Idea to Hollywood by Ken Rotcop.
The Kaua‘i Movie Book: Films Made on the Garden Island
By Chris Cook
H 791.43 Co
Locally there is no substitute for this 1996 publication, a treasure map of the feature films made on Kaua‘i up until the publishing date. It traces the location filming of more than 30 Hollywood movies. It is illustrated with movie stills of casts, crew, and sets as well as images of how the sites look today. You may also be interested in Made in Paradise: Hollywood Films on Hawaii and the South Seas by Luis Reyes.
New Biographical Dictionary of Film
By David Thomson.
791.43028 Th
Characterized by the author’s opinionated summations, this massive dictionary runs the gamut from Abbott and Costello to Terry Zwigoff. A critical minimalist, Thomson finds the essence of a personality or career in less than a dozen words and distills entire movies down to single sentences. The Internet Movie Database now competes with this text but movie buffs still turn to Thomson for witty writing and potent, sharp insights leading to the soul of film. The library shelves also hold hundreds of old and new biographies of film personalities including new works on Carol Burnett, Clint Eastwood, Michael J Fox, Vincente Minnelli, and Mary Tyler Moore.
Short Films: How to Make and Distribute Them
By Nathan Parker
791.43023 Pa
From the development of your initial idea to screening your finished film in front of an audience this guide through the stages of the short film making process will help you make informed decisions, including which format to use, where to find cast and crew, and how to get your short film distributed. It covers both technical and creative solutions. Case studies and interview help to round out the manual. See also Easy Digital Home Movies by Jake Ludington or Digital Filmmaking 101 by Dale Newton and John Gaspard.
The Whole Equation: A History of Hollywood
By David Thomson
384.8 Th
In his enjoyable book full of interesting stories and valuable insights, the author presents a meandering history of American movies bringing in the context of American history.
For commentary on modern film try : Pictures at a Revolution: Five Movies and the Birth of the New Hollywood by Mark Harris. And for an interesting subject analysis in film try The Gospel According to Hollywood by Greg Garrett.
• Carolyn Larson, head librarian at Lihu‘e Public Library, brings you the buzz on new, popular and good books available at your neighborhood library. Book annotations are culled from online publishers’ descriptions and published reviews.
