--- product_id: 6296347 title: "Making Movies" price: "₹ 4391" currency: INR in_stock: true reviews_count: 13 url: https://www.desertcart.in/products/6296347-making-movies store_origin: IN region: India --- # Making Movies **Price:** ₹ 4391 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Making Movies - **How much does it cost?** ₹ 4391 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.in](https://www.desertcart.in/products/6296347-making-movies) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description ONE OF THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER 'S 100 GREATEST FILM BOOKS OF ALL TIME • “Invaluable.... I am sometimes asked if there is one book a filmgoer could read to learn more about how movies are made and what to look for while watching them. This is the book.” —Roger Ebert, The New York Times Book Review Why does a director choose a particular script? What must they do in order to keep actors fresh and truthful through take after take of a single scene? How do you stage a shootout—involving more than one hundred extras and three colliding taxis—in the heart of New York’s diamond district? What does it take to keep the studio honchos happy? From the first rehearsal to the final screening, Making Movies is a master’s take, delivered with clarity, candor, and a wealth of anecdote. For in this book, Sidney Lumet, one of our most consistently acclaimed directors, gives us both a professional memoir and a definitive guide to the art, craft, and business of the motion picture. Drawing on forty years of experience on movies that range from Long Day’s Journey into Night to Network and The Verdict —and with such stars as Katharine Hepburn, Paul Newman, Marlon Brando, and Al Pacino—Lumet explains how painstaking labor and inspired split-second decisions can result in two hours of screen magic. Review: Excellent Introduction - "Making Movies" is one of the best books on the nuts and bolts of film-making ever. It deserves the highest rating simply because it is both well presented and full of practical insights. Lumet is brilliant on the psychology of movie-making in the old days, for instance, when each producer had the power to order cuts at will. The director who knew this would deliberately leave some weak scenes in during early screenings so that the producers could order them removed and thus later claim to have "saved" the picture – if, that is, it turned out to be a hit. That said, Lumet's overall approach is not historical but topical, from selecting a writer to making the final cut. In Chapter Three, he raises a point I often try to impress upon my students: The way you tell a story should relate somehow to what that story is about. That gets to the whole question of the importance of style, which he terms "the most misused word since love." (pg. 49) Good, practical advice can be found on every page. Here's how he can tell if something is off when watching a scene during rushes: "If my concentration breaks, something is wrong." (pg. 141) This, I might add, applies equally well to reading as to watching – if our attention drifts, there may be something wrong with the book we are reading, or the text of the speech we are delivering. Here's something that may seem counter-intuitive: The audience's perception of the length of a film depends not on the tempo of the movie itself so much as the presence or absence of changes in tempo. The fewer the changes, even if the tempo is fast, the longer the movie will seem. Most melodramas accelerate speed towards the end. Inexperienced directors adopt an up-tempo from the start, then believe they have left themselves nowhere to go except even faster, thus exhausting the audience long before the final credits. Lumet candidly confesses he doesn't know what makes a hit, and doubts that anyone really does. It is certainly not the stars alone. He talks about those he has worked with (including Paul Newman and Al Pacino) without indulging in gossip, and when he has something negative to say, he does so without naming names. One movie of his, which he refuses to identify, suffered from the limited range of one of its stars. "On the second day of shooting, I began to realize that the leading actress lacked the tenderness her part called for. She simply didn't have it in her as an actress or a person. She was superb with anger; she had humor. But if she was asked to show the simplest affection for the person playing opposite her, a falseness crept into her acting that was readily apparent, particularly since her acting was otherwise so real and true…. Since the movie was fundamentally a love story, I knew that we were in trouble." (pp. 143-144) I wonder if the movie in question might not have been "The Morning After." The only hint he provides is that the film "had three very high-powered stars in it." "Morning After" featured Jane Fonda, Jeff Bridges and Raul Julia. On the other hand, Fonda did receive an Oscar nomination for her performance here, so I can't be certain. Though most (but not all) of the examples are taken from movies he himself directed, the book is most definitely not a survey of his career. While "Murder on the Orient Express," for example, gets mentioned at least a dozen times, "Fail Safe" rates only a single one, early on. Incidentally, what he has to say about "Murder…" gives me a higher opinion of that movie than I ever had before; now I am tempted go back and take another look at it. The chapter on the "lens plot" in "12 Angry Men" – how he used differing lenses to create an increasing sense of claustrophobia – is justly famous. On the whole, Making Movies is an enlightening introduction to the craft, presented by an insider. If you are like me, you will be amazed at what you hadn't noticed in movies you thought you knew. For a longer version of this review, please go to hamiltonbeck dot wordpress dot com Review: Delightful. - As has been abundantly stated by other reviewers, this is an interesting book for both movie lovers & movie makers. It is eminently readable, in a flowing, non-technical style that is surprisingly effective at delivering practical information about Lumet's filmmaking choices & philosophy through the decades of a legendary career. Many how-to manuals seem to put the cart before the horse. Refreshingly, rather than providing instruction in equipment-driven decision making [here's how you use this particular lens, camera, fill light, etc.], Lumet talks about his story-telling goals then how he worked with his team to identify the proper technology to achieve them, resulting in such stylistically varied successes as the hyper-real video & dialog quality of "Dog Day Afternoon" & the Rembrandt-esque look of "The Verdict". This book has a fly-on-the-wall quality that almost makes you feel like you are participating in a long dinner conversation where the filmmaker discusses his day, reliving his experiences, revisiting his ideas & choices, evaluating whether they worked or not, even racking on the unprofessional Teamster who made him late to rehearsal, then pillaged the craft services cart. Something that hasn't been stated by other reviewers is how remarkably humble the author comes off. Far from validating the "auteur" status that many would grant him, Lumet appears to have a sincere appreciation for the complex team effort that results in a major motion picture, rather than an inflated perception of the supremacy of the director's role. He is extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of the filmmaking process & manages to share that knowledge clearly & concisely. He has profound respect for the contributions of the players who typically get nothing but abuse: the studio execs, writers, post-production, the stars. Lumet even seems honestly enraptured by the emergent qualities that blossom from a group effort where "everyone is making the same movie", & he takes his responsibilities for vision, coordination & budgeting very seriously. This guy just comes off as the consummate professional & his book is a joy to read. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #28,982 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #4 in Video Direction & Production (Books) #15 in Movie Direction & Production #238 in Actor & Entertainer Biographies | | Customer Reviews | 4.7 out of 5 stars 1,701 Reviews | ## Images ![Making Movies - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71nL+gTHrNL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent Introduction *by H***K on April 30, 2016* "Making Movies" is one of the best books on the nuts and bolts of film-making ever. It deserves the highest rating simply because it is both well presented and full of practical insights. Lumet is brilliant on the psychology of movie-making in the old days, for instance, when each producer had the power to order cuts at will. The director who knew this would deliberately leave some weak scenes in during early screenings so that the producers could order them removed and thus later claim to have "saved" the picture – if, that is, it turned out to be a hit. That said, Lumet's overall approach is not historical but topical, from selecting a writer to making the final cut. In Chapter Three, he raises a point I often try to impress upon my students: The way you tell a story should relate somehow to what that story is about. That gets to the whole question of the importance of style, which he terms "the most misused word since love." (pg. 49) Good, practical advice can be found on every page. Here's how he can tell if something is off when watching a scene during rushes: "If my concentration breaks, something is wrong." (pg. 141) This, I might add, applies equally well to reading as to watching – if our attention drifts, there may be something wrong with the book we are reading, or the text of the speech we are delivering. Here's something that may seem counter-intuitive: The audience's perception of the length of a film depends not on the tempo of the movie itself so much as the presence or absence of changes in tempo. The fewer the changes, even if the tempo is fast, the longer the movie will seem. Most melodramas accelerate speed towards the end. Inexperienced directors adopt an up-tempo from the start, then believe they have left themselves nowhere to go except even faster, thus exhausting the audience long before the final credits. Lumet candidly confesses he doesn't know what makes a hit, and doubts that anyone really does. It is certainly not the stars alone. He talks about those he has worked with (including Paul Newman and Al Pacino) without indulging in gossip, and when he has something negative to say, he does so without naming names. One movie of his, which he refuses to identify, suffered from the limited range of one of its stars. "On the second day of shooting, I began to realize that the leading actress lacked the tenderness her part called for. She simply didn't have it in her as an actress or a person. She was superb with anger; she had humor. But if she was asked to show the simplest affection for the person playing opposite her, a falseness crept into her acting that was readily apparent, particularly since her acting was otherwise so real and true…. Since the movie was fundamentally a love story, I knew that we were in trouble." (pp. 143-144) I wonder if the movie in question might not have been "The Morning After." The only hint he provides is that the film "had three very high-powered stars in it." "Morning After" featured Jane Fonda, Jeff Bridges and Raul Julia. On the other hand, Fonda did receive an Oscar nomination for her performance here, so I can't be certain. Though most (but not all) of the examples are taken from movies he himself directed, the book is most definitely not a survey of his career. While "Murder on the Orient Express," for example, gets mentioned at least a dozen times, "Fail Safe" rates only a single one, early on. Incidentally, what he has to say about "Murder…" gives me a higher opinion of that movie than I ever had before; now I am tempted go back and take another look at it. The chapter on the "lens plot" in "12 Angry Men" – how he used differing lenses to create an increasing sense of claustrophobia – is justly famous. On the whole, Making Movies is an enlightening introduction to the craft, presented by an insider. If you are like me, you will be amazed at what you hadn't noticed in movies you thought you knew. For a longer version of this review, please go to hamiltonbeck dot wordpress dot com ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Delightful. *by F***X on June 29, 2008* As has been abundantly stated by other reviewers, this is an interesting book for both movie lovers & movie makers. It is eminently readable, in a flowing, non-technical style that is surprisingly effective at delivering practical information about Lumet's filmmaking choices & philosophy through the decades of a legendary career. Many how-to manuals seem to put the cart before the horse. Refreshingly, rather than providing instruction in equipment-driven decision making [here's how you use this particular lens, camera, fill light, etc.], Lumet talks about his story-telling goals then how he worked with his team to identify the proper technology to achieve them, resulting in such stylistically varied successes as the hyper-real video & dialog quality of "Dog Day Afternoon" & the Rembrandt-esque look of "The Verdict". This book has a fly-on-the-wall quality that almost makes you feel like you are participating in a long dinner conversation where the filmmaker discusses his day, reliving his experiences, revisiting his ideas & choices, evaluating whether they worked or not, even racking on the unprofessional Teamster who made him late to rehearsal, then pillaged the craft services cart. Something that hasn't been stated by other reviewers is how remarkably humble the author comes off. Far from validating the "auteur" status that many would grant him, Lumet appears to have a sincere appreciation for the complex team effort that results in a major motion picture, rather than an inflated perception of the supremacy of the director's role. He is extremely knowledgeable about all aspects of the filmmaking process & manages to share that knowledge clearly & concisely. He has profound respect for the contributions of the players who typically get nothing but abuse: the studio execs, writers, post-production, the stars. Lumet even seems honestly enraptured by the emergent qualities that blossom from a group effort where "everyone is making the same movie", & he takes his responsibilities for vision, coordination & budgeting very seriously. This guy just comes off as the consummate professional & his book is a joy to read. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ FOUR STARS...FOR A FIVE-STAR BOOK WHEN IT WAS FIRST PUBLISHED. *by R***H on August 21, 2019* Whether you should buy this book or not depends on what kind of movie-goer you are. Are you a "fan"--particularly of "movie stars"? Like to read the political, and interpersonal conflicts on set? Want to read about newer (post 2000) movies? This book is not for you. But if you want to know more about the nuts-and-bolts of movie-making and the challenges most movies present from first script-reading through to release and distribution, then this is your book. If you remember fondly movies such as Network, 12 Angry Men and Murder on the Orient Express, this is your book, because the late Sidney Lumet, the director who helped create those movies and many others, is the author. He tells his tales of movie-making agony and ecstasy in a wonderful way, combining information and entertainment. The book is almost 25 years old now. Things have changed. So, one star docked from a five-star book first published in 1995. I doubt very much that sound technicians "roll tape" (1/4 inch magnetic tape, that is) any more. A whole fascinating chapter is devoted to "Rushes." I suspect that most directors don't huddle in a screening room, biting their nails, to view what they've shot the day before. Today, they see digital "footage" on video screens set up ten feet from the set, immediately after the scene is shot, making a horrifically costly days-later re-shoot almost a non-issue. That one technological change has changed production dynamics enormously. And hats off because this reprint gives you the man's entire filmography, to his final picture in 2007. Never mind. While it's fun to read how it "used to be," 80% of this book is STILL "the way it is," and a lot of it will remain unchanged as long as people such as Sidney Lumet shout (or whisper!) "Action..." Lumet made a few superior movies, many very good movies, and some that failed critically or financially--or both. And he tells you why. He's that honest. And I guarantee you that you will never see ANY movie quite the same way again. I also guarantee that many readers will want to see Lumet movies a 2nd time and will want to watch those they've never seen. That's part of the fun, too. ## Frequently Bought Together - Making Movies - In the Blink of an Eye: A Perspective on Film Editing, 2nd Edition - On Directing Film --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.in/products/6296347-making-movies](https://www.desertcart.in/products/6296347-making-movies) --- *Product available on Desertcart India* *Store origin: IN* *Last updated: 2026-05-23*