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Playwright and screenwriter Mamet gives us a subversive inside look at Hollywood from the perspective of a filmmaker who has always played the game his own way. Who really reads the scripts at the film studios? How is a screenplay like a personals ad? Whose opinion matters when revising a screenplay? Why are there so many producers listed in movie credits? And what do those producers do, anyway? Refreshingly unafraid to offend, Mamet provides hilarious, surprising, and bracingly forthright answers to these and other questions about virtually every aspect of filmmaking, from concept to script to screen. He covers topics ranging from "How Scripts Got So Bad" to the oxymoron of "Manners in Hollywood." He takes us step-by-step through some of his favorite movie stunts and directorial tricks, and demonstrates that it is craft and crew, not stars and producers, that make great films.--From publisher description.… (more)
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I do however agree with his position on the audition though. A jury cannot decide what an audience will like, only an audience can do that. Which is why the movie industry is so hit and miss. For example The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones. There are those who love the movie cast and want none other, and those like me who hated Jonathan Reese-Myers as Valentine and can't wait for the TV reboot.
While Mr. Mamet does make some valid arguments he gets more than a little preachy, and, at the end of the day, too bombastic for me to bother finishing the essay.