Research Report: The Guerilla Film Makers Handbook

By Corinna Contreras, Harrison Bergeron Team

Item: Jolliffe, Genevieve and Chris Jones. The Guerilla Film Makers Handbook. Chris Jones and Genevieve Jolliffe, 2004. 

Abstract

     The Guerilla Film Makers Handbook is an indepth guide about filmmaking created by filmmakers for anyone interested in the filmmaking process. Covering a wide array of topics in filmmaking from story creation to post-production and distribution, this handbook takes advice and tips from top industry professionals. With every aspect of the filmmaking process covered, this handbook proves a valuable source of information at every step of the film creation.  

Description

     The Guerilla Film Makers Handbook is a guide to independent filmmaking by two independent filmmakers, Genevieve Jolliffe and Chris Jones. These two are active filmmakers who have written, produced, and directed three independent films in the United Kingdom. Their films have seen worldwide distribution on television, DVD, and of course, in theaters. With a few wins at some notable film festivals and a few nominations for the British Independent Film Awards, this team knows the inns and outs of the film industry. With the original edition of this book a UK bestseller, this handbook has received recognition from both filmmakers and the press as a must have for anyone remotely interested in film. At its most basic level, this book, conceived behind prison walls after a slight misstep that occurred while still in their teens during the filmming of their second film, tells one how to make a movie by providing expert advice at every turn of the film process.

     With over one hundred and fifty interviews with some of the most important film industry insiders, this book outlines, at its minimum, how to construct a film from scratch. In seven hundred and twenty pages, one can see the long and sometimes painful process of creating a film from start to finish, receiving valuable information at each progression forward. Working professionals provide information in a casual manner, allowing a 'Hollywood outsider' to get a cozy inside look at the business from the ones that make it work. Some of those interviewed include Steven Soderbergh's crew, Universal and Fox Studio's executives as well as top agents, film festival co-ordinators, top lawyers and managers, just to name a few.

     To break down the long chain of pre-production to post-production and everything before and after these two elements, Chris and Genevieve divide this handbook into the following sections (following this same order): training, development, organizations, finance, talent, production, post production, distribution, aftermath, and case studies. Under training, a discussion takes place of how to begin one's career in the film business answering the yes or no question "should I go to film school" in detail, weighing the pros and cons of both sides of the question; also, other possible resources are brought to light (p. 14-33). In the development section, the way in which to take an existing idea and make it a viable project is outlined; this section answers many questions regarding the logistics of the development of the project idea thus providing an important step in the successfull launching of the project (p. 34-75). Introducing some of the possible organizations one can join to network and/or facilitate the process, what these organizations offer and how these organizations can aid in the process come to the reader's attention in great detail (p. 76-111). One of the most important elements in the filmmaking process is that of finance; the finance section revolves around the money issue including all the risks, benefits, possible expenditures, and other important fine details about this sometimes tricky component of film progression (p. 112-161). Under the talent section one learns about the major talent, focusing maily on the director, cast and how to work with children (p.162-183). The production section details the shooting of the movie, describing the various positions needed to make the process run smoothly (p. 184-349). In post production one learns of the technical and artistic aspects of completing the film and in addition this section begins the discussion of internation sales (p. 350-451). Distribution, as one would expect, details the preparation and selling of the filmmakers movie including the importance of film festivals (452-525). In the section labeled 'aftermath' the questions of what to do after post-production are answered with encouragement (p. 526-548). The final section 'case studies' has information about other filmmakers, the movies they have made and any advice they feel another peer should know (p. 549-696).

     Covering every aspect of filmmaking, from breaking into the business to making your film and selling it, expert advice gives the reader a big heads-up when it comes to common pitfalls. A wealth of knowledge, this hunk of text answers any questions one would have concerning the film business, even providing valuable contact information ranging from legal to postproduction for those with unanswered question or plain curiosity. For example, under 'production', the union vs. non-union question is answered with ten different answers:"2. if Union, you may have to have more crew than you need, particularly on a low budget production; 4. If non-Union, some companies may not want to help as they have been burned by non-union productions in the past; 5. SAG offers low budget agreements that are very reasonable...." (p. 186). Other questions answered, among many, include: "What's the difference between a page one rewrite and a polish? (p. 43); "Is there a standard distribution fee? (p. 119); "What kind of consent forms does a filmmaker need to have signed when working with minors?" (p. 173).

      Perhaps the most important advice given in this book is that of proper legal procedures. With copyright and privacy rights, among others, often halting the progression of the film process, knowing how to avoid or push through such obstacles can save even a bad film.

Commentary

      With filmmaking at the core of the Harrison Bergeron Project, understanding this medium and all its complexities becomes a necessity for the completion of the project. The Guerilla Film Makers Handbook provides the necessary information the scope of the project requires.  Most notably, this handbook denotes the specific legal procedures regarding the treatment of actors and filmmakers. Having a contract format available as a guide for the contracts that may be required when filming parts of the Harrison Bergeron Project as well as advice pertaining to both individual and location legal constraints aid the process of the project. In creating the project in the fashion that the group has envisioned, requires the use of actors for some parts of the documentary footage. As a priority, understanding in detail the necessary legal measures one must take to ensure the protection of the footage allows for the proper inclusion all of the work processed, therefore eliminating waste in project time and filmmaking. Receiving advice from business professionals on how to piece together one's footage in an artistic and convincing manner brings another dimension to the final cut of the documentary on equality that forms the foundation of theHarrison Bergeron Project. These insights play a integral role in the 'correct' completion of the project as seen by its developers. Without such guides, the filmmaking process would be more arduous and time consuming. Knowing of common pitfalls before hand saves time by avoiding such costly mistakes in the first place. 

     Due to the extensive nature of the Harrison Bergeron Project, not every element of the project is covered in this handbook, however, much of the film aspect of the project is at minimum mentioned in a sentence or two. As much advice as this handbook provides, it cannot possibly cover all the technical issues this project will have, nor will it easily shout out direction if the team goes astray. Filmmaking is a dynamic process and this book is static even with its many useful tips and discussions. Although an overall comprehensive guide to filmmaking, one has to search the more than 600 pages to find relevant information for the project due to its density. Even when using the index and table of contents, finding the advice needed takes some time and effort, bringing about a small level of frustration but none compare to the frustration that would arise without the aid of this handbook.

Resources for Further Study

Ang, Tom. Digital Video: An Introduction. New York, New York: Dorling Kindersley, 2006.

Filmmaking.com. 7 Feb. 2009 <http://www.filmmaking.com/konfuciy.asp>.

Jolliffe, Genevieve and Chris Jones. The Guerilla Film Makers Handbook. Chris Jones and Genevieve Jolliffe, 2004.

Katz, Steven. Film Directing Shot By Shot: Visualizing from Concept to Screen.Michael Wiese Productions, 1990.  

Rahmel, Dan. Nuts and Bolts Filmmaking: Practical Techniques for the Guerilla Filmmaker. Focal Press, 2004.