Movie Speak How to Talk Like You Belong on a Film Set
Publisher: Workman Publishing, January 8, 2009.
Edition: Illustrated
Book Condition: New
Binding: Paperback
ISBN: 9780761143598
When is "Groucho" not a comedian? A "seagull," not a bird? A "banana" is not a fruit, and a "taco cart" is not a food stand? What's the "Castle Rock rule," and when should you call for a "buff & puff"? And why expect trouble when the A.D. (assistant director) knowingly mumbles "Gone With the Wind in the morning, Dukes of Hazzard after lunch"?
The secret language of movie-making is technical, odd, colorful, and mysterious. Movie Speak celebrates this centuries-old oral tradition, and opens a window into the complex process of making a film and what it's really like to be on set. Through language, the book sheds light not only on the highly complex process of making a film but also on the invisible hierarchies of a set, the unspoken etiquette between cast and crew, and the evolution of a process that's endlessly fascinating.
An Oscar-winning producer (The Sting), actor (who worked with Spielberg, Coppola, and Sydney Pollack), and director (Five Corners, Flyboys, My Bodyguard, and more), Tony Bill has been on sets for more than 30 years and brings a writer's love of language to this collection of hundreds of film terms. A futz. A cowboy. A Brodkin and a double Brodkin (a.k.a. screamer). Streaks ’n tips, Green Acres, rhubarb, a peanut, a Gary Coleman, snot tape, twin buttes, manmaker (and why you can yell for one if needed for a grip, but must whisper if it's for Tom Cruise)—these are the tricks of the trade.
Review
“It's about time our code was broken. What a wonderful insight into our business! Tony: Don't make this the martini!” * —Dennis Hopper
“Finally, a book that celebrates the process—the dynamic web of people, technique, and artistry—underneath every foot of celluloid.” —Jodie Foster
“Movie Speak is entertaining and edifying. I'll never again be the sound-dude to move that fuzzy-thing-on-the-end-of-a-stick out of my shot.” —John Sayles
“Invaluable for those who have wondered what they're really saying, and for those pitching projects and screenplays who wonder what they're really being told.” —Roger Ebert
* martini: The term for the last show of the day, the origin of which might seem self-evident—but it's not. The martini actually refers to the saying "The next shot is in a glass." Get it?
“About the Author
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