Making Movies

By: Sidney Lumet

Narrated by: Richard M. Davidson

One of the greatest directors of all time, Sidney Lumet has made movies that have been nominated for more than 50 Academy Awards. Making Movies is an honest and unflinching look at the business and craft of movie making. Lumet's book reveals the ingredients for the potion that brings movie magic to life and assures one thing: you will never look at movies the same way again.

©1995 Amjen Entertainment (P)1995 Recorded Books

A classic by a great director

I originally bought and purchased this book in 1995 and remember reading it in Sedona, Arizona... so my memories of it contain a certain nostalgic charm. Returning to it in 2019 for Audible, I truly enjoyed it... and its raw truthfulness... though many of his commentaries have become outdated due to technological improvements due to the improvements in digital film making since its 1995 publication... however, that just makes Mr. Lumet's comments all the more cherished and quaint.

Awesome!

Lumet made my walks in the English country side so much more inspiring. This book made my vacation!

Everything I’ve Been Looking For

I loved this book because it gave me all the answers to the questions I didn’t even know I had about filmmaking. I truly appreciate the insight as I enter my own filmmaking journey. Some of the material is a bit dated, but the core lessons are still invaluable.

Inside story of a great director

Honest and entertaining, this story of the making of Sidney Lumet’s films is a great insight into all the aspects of filmmaking. I am a young filmmaker about to embark on my own journey in film and the stories he shares are not only helpful but also inspiring. I found the book to be encouraging and at the same time grounded in how difficult this craft really is.

Vast breadth of knowledge

Really interesting book detailing movie making just before the dawn of the digital age. I get sad how the authors of these books always end with basically saying that they think movie making is dying. Sadly it’s a little true

Lumet is a legend

Great narration. Lumet gives clear, practical advice about every step of filmmaking.

Audible is forcing me to add more words. Bad design.

Like the author is talking…

This book has wonderful insights on the filmmaking world and process. It’s very personal and poignant, Lumet writes directly from his experiences. I chose the book because I enjoy his work, and I also work in commercial film. They say you should study the masters to improve your craft, so here I am, With that said, the best part about this book is the narrator, he reads in such a way that you feel like Sydney Lumet is sitting across from you in a chair just talking to you about his experience. It has been a real pleasure to listen to. If you are interested in filmmaking, what you will learn here is invaluable. If you are not, give it a listen anyway, it’s well worth it.

One of the most meaningful books on directing.

“Form does follow function.” “Making a movie is always about telling a story.” “…and style is how you tell that story.”

One of the better "How To's" of Movie Making.

I bought this to enjoy the memoir of Sidney Lumet and hear some of the tales of his movie-making history. But this book is actually a better "how to" about how movies are made than most books that are marketed to be educational.

Learned a lot about Hollywood History and the ins and outs of getting a story to the screen.

If you love movies, this book will help you understand every aspect of how they are made.

Making Movies takes the listener on a tutorial of how to make a movie - from first idea through release and reviews. You’ll learn the terminology used by professionals and every talent required to put together a film. It is remarkably complex, a buzzing hive of workers all moving together (hopefully harmoniously) so that everybody is working on the same picture.

An awful lot of things can go wrong. Equipment fails, workers are incapable of being part of a team instead of as a lone wolf, there are strikes and, more than anything, the people financing the movie demand both change and increased economizing. It isn’t easy to overcome all that and still maintain the vision of the writer and of the director.

I was mostly fascinated. There is more than a bit of Lumet’s ego in evidence throughout but maybe that is required to helm a major motion picture. It got annoying at times, though.

The narration was very good - just right for the material.

If you just want to see the end product at the theatre or on your TV, this book isn’t for you. It’s very technical. Mostly technical, in fact. But if you are curious how films are actually made, from costumes, to casting to music to editing, you will be fascinated.