Bibliography

 

Story by Robert McKee
This is perhaps the most influential of any book on this list. Although McKee's ego is as inflated as Kobe Bryant's, much of what he preaches as gospel is exceedingly useful ideas, principles, and aesthetic ideals for the working artist. Although it is billed as a book on screenwriting, Story contains practical advice for writers in any medium.

Novel and Short Story Writer's Market 2009
Mostly, this was a tool for getting my writing out into the world and learning how to market yourself. It helped me learn to write good cover letters, learn to hangle rejection, and many other more emotional and practical teachings that wouldn't fall under the realm of "art" but are nevertheless necessary for any artist who wishes to make a living.

Imaginative Writing: The Elements of Craft by Janet Burroway
One of several textbooks from creative writing classes, this book contains not only what Burroway considers to be the essentials of storytelling and structure (covered more thoroughly and more helpfully in McKee's volume) but it also provides numerous ways to fight writer's block, find inspiration, and just generally be a writer.

One Writer's Beginnings by Eudora Welty
Welty talks little about mechanics and, specifically, deals with the act of writing very little. Her book does, however, provide a picture of where the things we create come from. While this may or may not change your work as an artist, it is a very illuminating volume for anyone curious about why they are writing what they're writing.

A Short Guide to Writing About Film by Timothy Corrigan
One of the best ways to learn how to do something is by coming at it from a different angle or another side entirely. I have found that my acting made my directing better and visa versa. In this book, looking at film from an outside, analytical perspective helps to shed light on what to consider when working at film from the creative side of things.

The Story and the Its Writer by Ann Charters
Another book from my creative writing classes that provides its own take on the nature of story as well as providing its own batch of insights as to the world of the working writer and his/her habits. This books provided a useful backdrop while I worked on my dissertation in England.

The Elements of Style by Strunk and White
This book isn't about writing for film, or even writing at all, per se. Rather, Elements deals with the world of language: grammar, syntax, and mistakes that are commonly made. For anyone wishing to write eloquently and corrently, this is the very first book that should be read.

The Life of Drama by Eric Bentley
As the title implies, this is an overview of the history of drama, its structures and intricacies as they relate to narrative structure and form.

On Writing Well by William Zinsser

On Directing Film by David Mamet
David Mamet provides a very candid take on the film industry, speaking very simply and specifically on the duties of the director, as well as his place in the film industry as a whole, his import, and how best to go about his job.

Bambi Vs. Godzilla by David Mamet
Less a "how to" guide and more a criticism of the film industry as a whole, honing in on Hollywood and pulling from his own experiences there. Mamet lambastes the studio system and critiques various other aspects of how films are conceived, created, and why so many of them are so very bad.

True and False, Heresy and Common Sense for the Actor by David Mamet
Although this book is Mamet's guide for actors, it is an invaluable tool for any director. It provides an inside look at one school of thought that actors (see William H. Macy, for example) may subscribe to. To my mind, a director should not force a school of acting on an actor, but should be well-enough versed in the various schools of thought for actors that he or she can talk to the actor in a way they understand and get the best performance out of them without forcing the actor to compromise their artistic integrity.

The Viewpoints Book by Anne Bogart
One of the best books for a director. In it, Anne Bogart lays out various tactics for the director to attack the script, the cast, and various aspects of directing. Although it is written for the theatre, it still contains tools useful for the film director.

The Empty Space by Peter Brook
Peter Brooks book on acting as extremely insightful, containing many personal reflections that may be difficutl to directly apply, but which, nevertheless, you cannot shake and continue to ponder long after finishing the book.

Respect For Acting by Uta Haugen
Uta Haugen's ode to the actor and the work they do. This book is both a manual for the working actor and a book for the non-actor, perhaps the director, demonstrating the difficulty of the actor's work and providing a better understanding of their work.

Brecht on Theatre by Bertoldt Brecht
The Theatre and its Double by Antonin Artaud
Although these books have nothing to do directly with film, they are less technical guides to theatre than they are philosophical treatises on the nature of theatrical art, why do you make theatre? How should you go about this task? What is the goal? How should your needs meet with those of the audience. So while Brecht and Artaud both worked in theatre and not film, the principles discussed in these books are entirely applicable to the medium of film and, although diametrically opposed to each other, are both important reads for the director seeking his voice and his vision.

The Actor and the Target by Declan Donnellan
Perhaps one of the simplest-looking books on acting I have read, Actor and the Target is surprisingly nuanced and tricky to apply. Its thesis is simple, but attempting to put it into effect may prove more difficult. It is, however, another way to understand the work your actors are doing and to communicate with them in ways they will be able to enact.

Adventures in the Screen Trade by William Goldman
Goldman provides a look at Hollywood (specifically the screenwriting business and his own part in it) that is similar to that of David Mamet. Goldman, however, is rather less cynical than Mamet, and seems a little bemused by his own success and only too happy to pass on any information he might accidentally have learned. This book is as useful as it is fun.

Setting Up Your Shots by Jeremy Vineyard
A very simple book, Shots provides over a hundred pages of simple storyboarding options. It shows you how to contruct it on paper, how to film it, and also points to examples where that specific shot or effect has been used in popular film, so that you can look it up and understand it fully.