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Summary: Thanks to Mr Schmidt we were able to produce a movie!
Review: Rick Schmidt's book "Feature Filmmaking at Used Car Prices" is a very important book for any new filmmaker to read. He explains how to make a movie without spending a fortune.Mandy Wildman and I formed Wild Heart Films in 1998. We produced our first feature, "In the Open" for only $7,000 using Mr. Schmidt's techniques. Although it was challenging, it was not impossible! Now we are in pre-production on a film with a higher budget. If you are considering producing a movie, it would be a good idea to read this book cover to cover and apply the data!
Rating: 
Summary: why isn't there a zero star rating?
Review: The majority of this book was probably of little value back "in the day" when it was written. The author said he likes to write his script the day of shooting and it seems that the same level of care was used to write and update his book. He apparently uses his "art" genre to hide his lack of effort.
In fact I was so dissappointed by this book that I will be very cautious about buying books online in the future.
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Summary: The book to read if you are going to make a movie
Review: This book answered almost all my questions about movie making even though my personal interest is digital video. It is to date the best (quality content and inspirationally good writing ) how-to book I've read on the subject of making movies. Now that I've recommended it I want to point out two short parts you should skip. #1. Buy the book but skip the foreword. (Maybe read it a bit at a time but I had that "meanfull" [stuff] in grad school.)
#2 Also skip the treatments he has in there as story samples for films. The story ideas as presented are awful. It is amazing that someone who can write such a terrific non-fiction self-help book would think they were good.
As for the rest of the book--if you want to make movies this is the book to read.
Rating:
Summary: Time for an update
Review: This book is hopelessly outdated (as are my own), so I can't rate it any higher; but at least this guy is sincere. Some of the other reviewers act as if they expected the keys to the kingdom for under 20 bucks. And L Roc from Chi-town certainly got up on the wrong side of the crab dolly, except, of course, for hyping another book. In an age when you can buy your own production and editing equipment for under $10K, you don't need the strategies in this book or any other--save your money for tape stock--or to listen to the nay-sayers.
Rating:
Summary: Feature Filmmaking at Used-Car Prices
Review: This book is loaded with good advice! Not just on the budget, but on every step through out the filmmaking process. It was recommended to me, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone who interested in filmmaking.
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Summary: Really, really bad advice by an amateur, don't buy this book
Review: When I wanted to learn how to make film, I went to Hollywood to see how it was done. I've worked on everyything from soft porn to really famous movies.
When I leave Hollywood, I often run into aspiring film makers. They all seem to own this book. And I tell them all the same thing: throw it away. Forget they read it and start over. (I actually read this book several years ago)
Yeah, you can make a feature for 15,000 dollars. Or way less. Turn on your camcorder with the lens cap on. Call it "Darkness". But what is that going to do for you? If you're not going to learn how to make good film, if you're not going to learn to do it right, then you're just wasting time and money.
The author doesn't seem to understand how a crew really works, or script format, and he advised winging it (the script) on the day.
Let's say the sun is going down in 15 minutes, you don't have enough light to continue, is this when you want to go through your notes trying to figure out if every piece of dialog, every single shot meshes with the others? On set is no time to screw around, even if you are not paying your crew. That's a good way to loose friends.
He goes on and on about making "art films", which is a way to describe crap that nobody wants to see anyways. All films are art, some better than others, many just unwatchable.
What do you wan't from your film? Think about it. Think about the film makers you admire, and learn how they did it.
And, before you buy a book from anybody, find out what they have done to EARN THE RIGHT TO TELL YOU HOW TO DO IT. This author hasn't made any film of note, and he never will. One other reveiwer has mentioned Rick Schmidts one-man-band approach to film making, and that's dead on. What is the quality of music from a one-man-band?
The sad truth about this is that you can make a feature for a song, but not this way. And I'm not saying that hollywood is the only way, but I've helped out on films made by people who belived this book, and I've wasted my time.
If you want to make film, volunteer as an unpaid production assistant, or go to film school, or go work in the industry, but remember that the quality of your learning will never exceed the quality of the projects you work on.
Yeah, this was a rant, but this book makes me angry. Professionals laugh at trash like this, and this isn't the only book out there written by someone who hasn't earned the right.
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