Customer Reviews
very useful book - By: stephen Luff, 12 May 2008 
I reallly liked this book. It was very personal & most useful. There are loads of books out there about how to do this & that. What I wanted was some great advice. For starters know your equipment inside out, get a book & write notes about how your settings work, try different combinations. I thought that might be obvious to some but it was inspirational to me. Another great tip was treasure your equipment. Keep it immaculate, reallly clean especiallly the lens, otherwise big blobs appear on the big screen! Its got a lot of reallly good points which I found most useful.
I like the fact that he talks about his work, his passion, his attention to every detail. It's important & very useful. Without passion nothing get done to the highest levels.
Anyone can make a film - By: kath, 15 Apr 2008 
This is a truly inspiring book for any aspiring film-maker. Though it is by no means a "how to" manual it nonetheless equips the reader with a sense that there reallly is no barrier to creating a film with next to no budget & minimal equipment. Figgis points out that ideas, ingenuity & vision are the essential tools of the film director rather than expensive equipment & a professional crew. The style of the book is conversational & full of anecdotes (some useful & illuminating others simply reminiscences) from Figgis' own film-making experiences. For me the book is most useful on lighting, on which subject Figgis gives some reallly practical & surprising tips, & working with actors, where his insights into the motivations & insecurities of that profession could save the novice director a lot of grief! Altogether a useful & highly readable addition to the aspiring film-makers bookshelf.
Lacking in Detail - By: S. Rouse, 23 Oct 2007 
Hmmm. . . This is a good book, I certainly found it inspiring & it's full of illuminating little hints. However, it's also very short & lacking in detail. Not a 'how to', more of an 'I did'.
Fantastic guide to film making! - By: Rio T, 16 Oct 2007 This is a genuinely great read for directors, film students or people who are just thinking about having a go. Figgis encourages you to go out & make a film regardless of your previous experience & his book is truly inspiring. Reading it made me itching to go & film something.
Simply put, encouraging & motivating this book is a must have for anyone interested in film making. And Mike Figgis' break from the traditional industry path is refreshing.
Essential - By: Ian Armer, 11 Sep 2007 At last! A book that isn't 600 pages long telling you 'how to make a masterpiece' but rather offering simple advice & information from an established director with something to say. This book is absolutely ESSENTIAL for any film student or director with access to even the most basic DV camera. Figgis states the case clearly & effectively with personal examples from his own career. A short, concise, easy to read book that doesn't talk down to it's reader (if you have a camera you ARE a director, regardless - & thank Mike Figgis for saying it in this 'industry' obssessed age). Highly recommended, especiallly for students of the craft.
