by Howard Suber
Book Review
By Ann Baldwin
Howard Suber has taught generations of screenwriters, directors, producers, animators, and film scholars at UCLA’s celebrated film school and his former students are today creating films and television programs. During his 46 years at UCLA, Suber has taught over sixty-five different courses in film and television. He created and chaired UCLA’s current film and television Producer’s Program and is author of The Power of Film. In his new book, Letters To Young Filmmakers: Creativity & Getting Your Films Made (Michael Wiese Productions 2011), you will learn the answers to the questions that arise in the process of becoming a professional filmmaker.
While most filmmakers spend only a fraction of their lives actually creating films, they spend far more time trying to get their films made. Howard explains the difference between being active and engaging in effective actions, making you more aware, so you can produce results. He helps you to distinguish between motivations (internal), where a person is coming from, and objectives/goals (external), where a person is going.
He shares a strategic concept called Triangulation and shows you how to use it to get around challenges and obstacles that arise, when trying to get your films made; he gives a great example from the process involved in getting Gorillas In The Mist made, where most producers would’ve walked away, this producer took the high road and succeeded.
Howard discusses where inspiration comes from, how we connect to creativity, and what creative people experience, when they’re completely into their work. You’ll learn how great stories are created the way great wines are. He reveals one of the most valuable tools of the creative person; what you gain from it is a special kind of ‘knowing’ that you need that is not gained through experience or research. You’ll also learn the single most important element that audiences respond to.
He adds a priceless gem to your filmmakers treasure chest that will help you discover the emotional flow of your screenplays; the audience wants to experience their feelings, they want to be ‘moved to tears, outbursts of laughter, sighs of desire and the entire range of human emotion’. Howard states “Our medium might just as well be called ‘Emotion Pictures'.
I highly recommend Letters To Young Filmmakers for all creative artists in the film industry, who want to gain a better understanding of the process of creativity, getting your films made, and becoming a professional filmmaker.
To learn more about Howard Suber, you can visit his website at UCLA
and purchase a copy of Letters To Young Filmmakers at Michael Wiese Productions, Amazon, The Writers Store, or Barnes & Noble.
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