Rating: 
Summary: Toxic Magic
Review: From the title on, Lloyd Kaufman's Make Your Own Damn Movie is a literary dare, a challenge not only to aspiring filmmakers, but to the general reader's conception of what is possible in the entertainment industry. Even those with no interest in producing motion pictures might well be frustrated at the predictable offerings of mainstream media, but if they are unaware of alternatives, it is likely that they will resign themselves to this frustration. People familiar with Kaufman's work, as a filmmaker and as an author, know that this resignation isn't the only option. Even now, as the FCC relaxes restrictions on the power of a select few media barons, the alternatives do exist, with Kaufman's Troma Team as a prime example.Of course, Kaufman doesn't claim that this struggle is easy. Indeed, he opens his new book with an explicit description of having to fight off an army of rats in the basement of his company's headquarters, financially unable to pay anyone else to do the job. After thirty years as a proudly defiant filmmaker and studio head, one price of his iconoclasm is that he still has to do much of the dirty work himself. This is far from being his only disadvantage, and while he ultimately gives the impression of joy in doing exactly what he wants to be doing, he doesn't shy away from expressing his darkest moments of doubt. 'A painting is always quite moral' said Barbey D'Aurevilly, 'when it is tragic and gives the full horror of the thing it depicts.' While this comment is seemingly more applicable to Goya, and Kaufman is most likely to deal with tragedy by creatively mooning it, I do find an abiding morality in Troma's enthusiastic tackling of society's worst fears, and this is fully mirrored in his books. While covering a broad spectrum of modern problems, the main thrust of the book is independent filmmaking, and although he provides a great deal of encouragement towards personal films, even an insistence on the necessity of such work, he also graphically illustrates the turmoil involved. Filmmakers will walk away from reading this book feeling far more prepared for the difficulties that lie ahead. Kaufman's first-hand experience with these tribulations has never been matched in any book I've read. The rats are only the beginning. Back to those rats: Kaufman suggests that they are a likely by-product of a McDonald's moving in next door to the Troma building, and his battle against the ensuing infestation provides a fitting metaphor for Troma's uneasy relationship with corporate America. The fight for independent art in a capitalist society has an intrinsic political dimension, and readers who consider entertainment and politics as separate entities are bound to be discomforted by Kaufman's tirades against bureaucratic elites. That is precisely what elevates this book over the average 'how to' moviemaking manual. Like the best punk musicians, Kaufman isn't concerned with being polite. Also like punk, Kaufman isn't terribly concerned with being orderly, which, in addition to the book's importance as a ruthlessly honest guide to celluloid self-expression, makes it much more fun to read. He still manages to thoroughly cover all the bases of getting a film made, but beyond that, his gleeful digressions provide a splendid reflection of Kaufman's amazingly eclectic mind. Who else would name-check Marcel Proust and Brian Wilson in the same passage? Readers of Kaufman's earlier book, All I Need to Know About Filmmaking I Learned From the Toxic Avenger will recall that his earlier romp included appearances by everyone from Lemmy of Motorhead to Haitian dictator 'Baby Doc' Duvalier. Spend some time in this man's mind, and the most diverse cultural elements start to fit together. It's like watching A&E, but with a far more wicked sense of humor.
Fans of All I Learned's inclusion of perspectives other than Lloyd's (in a style reminiscent of A Man Cut in Slices, the book for which Henry Miller effusively expressed admiration in Tropic of Cancer: 'Chapter one: the man in the eyes of his family. Chapter two: the same in the eyes of his mistress', etc.) will be pleased to know that Make Your Own Damn Movie also gives ample voice to various guests, even accommodating an extended debate between Lloyd and a younger collaborator on film vs. digital video. This not only expands the insights of the book, it offers a glimpse at the friendly animosity that appears to fuel Troma productions. Roger Corman referred to Troma films as an intersection between the anarchic and the ridiculous, as astute an observation as screenwriter James Gunn's description of Kaufman's work as 'emotional gumbo'. These remarks apply themselves equally well to Kaufman as an author, as his two books wildly blend comedy and catastrophe, triumph and despair, control and chaos. Although it has been suggested that in 'real life' he is a civilized and devoted family man, it is also abundantly evident that Kaufman has more than his fair share of Enkidu in him, a wild creature willing to wrestle anyone and anything that stands in his way, no matter how powerful, even himself. Both of his books provide an exhilarating read, for those who hope to follow in his footsteps and others who are simply interested in how he made it this far. I found Make Your Own Damn Movie to be more beneficial as a tutorial, but in either case, I was deeply moved and inspired as a filmmaker and as a human being by Kaufman's honesty and perseverance. It certainly helps that even in writing of his greatest hardships, Kaufman can find the joke, and is generous enough to share it.
Rating:
Summary: Make Your Own Damn Movie Is A Troma Fans Dream!
Review: Lloyd Kauffman Does it again with his brand new filmaking book Make Your Own Damn Movie. Its a very valuable resource to the up and coming independent movie maker as well as a very funny and very entertaining book to those not interested in making a film. This book delivers with step by step instructions from Lloyds own career from a 30 year span of producing incredible films from little to no budget. I feel Lloyd is an inspiration to me personally and people can come away with that feeling from this book. He is a genius with a lot to say about movies as well as his biting social commentary. Any True Troma fan should be embarassed if they have not picked this up yet. So What are you waiting for? Buy The Damn Book and Make Your Own Damn Movie!
Rating:
Summary: Sound...Camera...TROMA!
Review: have only read about half of it thus far and the info is right on target. man knows what he's talking about, been at it for thirty years, i guess. my only objection is all the feeble stabs at bathroom humor (although some of the stuff, when Kaufman is not trying to be funny, is on the floor hilarious, because he speaks the truth: filmmaking is a crazy process). The other thing that bugged me, and it's fairly minor, some of the chapters are in white lettering on black background, etc. and makes it hard to read--but not the entire book is this way so don't worry. get the book for the information to be GLEANED and you can make any type of low-budget film you wish. bottom line: terrific book by Lloyd Kaufman and his cohorts, even though the guy makes schlock. worth the money for the information. FUN AND ENTERTAINING. CHEAPER THAN FILM SCHOOL.
Rating:
Summary: Best film book ever. Period!
Review: I have an extensive film book library. I even graduated film school. This book, Make Your Own Damn Movie!, however, takes the cake. This is the best film book I have ever read. I have made tons of short films and am about to make my first feature-length horror flick. Everybody that is a part of this production is required to read this book. That is how good it really is. This book is specific on tips and points to cheaply make a marketable film. Troma are the kings of this philosophy of filmmaking and they are sharing their knowledge. Grab your chance to learn from them. Trust me, this book should be owned by anybody that will ever want to make a film independently. Buy this book!
Rating:
Summary: Highly Recomended
Review: Lloyd's enciteful and entertaining look into the world of low budget film making will aid the aspiring director, someone that wants to learn more about how movies are made, or even just for a good read. If you read his first book you will love this one. It usually takes me about a month to finish a book this length and I finished this one in just a week. Lloyd lets you know exactly what sort of fun and problems can occur on a film set. I am currently writing a script which I give credit to Lloyd for his years of inspiriation through his movies and his two books. Thank you Lloyd, please continue to make art.
Rating:
Summary: Probably the greatest book ever
Review: In terms of quality, the only book that can even come close to this one is "All I Needed To Know About Filmmaking I Learned From The Toxic Avenger", by The Artist Formerly Known As Samuel Weil, Lloyd Kaufman. The two books by this film director are far different, however; "Make Your Own Damn Movie" is more along the lines of instruction and advice, with some autobiography thrown in, whereas "All I Needed To Know About Filmmaking I Learned From The Toxic Avenger" is more autobiographical, with some bits of instruction and advice. This book will tell you potentially everything you need to know to make your own damn movie, and I predict that it will change and improve the motion picture industry forever. The author, Lloyd Kaufman, and the two co-authors, Trent Haaga and Adam Jahnke, know whereof they speak, all three of them having been making entertaining movies for years. In this book, Lloyd reveals how he did it, and how you can do it too. And he does so with considerable wit and humour. This much is no surprise to anyone who is a fan of his films. I can't recommend this book enough. This will tell you how to make your own damn movie step-by-step. This is a must have for anyone who is either interested in making their own (damn) movies, or is interested in learning how Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz did it themselves.
Rating:
Summary: Brilliant. But of course! It's from TROMA!
Review: Winner of the lifetime achievement award for his body of work and important contribution to the filmindustry at this years's prestigious Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival, Lloyd Kaufman is a genius making masterpieces on a budget that would barely be enough to pay for one day's catering on an average Hollywood producton and he does it for thirty years now. In a world where low budget independent filmmaking means manymultimillion dollar productions by subdivisions of Warner and Disney, Lloyd Kaufman survived for three decades (and counting) with his truly independent filmcompany Troma and in doing so directed, produced and/or wrote dozens of brilliant films (plus distributed hundreds more works that would otherwise have been totally neglected) without which the world would be an even less happy place! Heck - his work provided loads of "inspiration" (i.e. rips-off-ism) for the big ones who simply aren't creative enough to come up with their own masterpieces.
Want to know how he does it? Interested in learning from his expertise making true art and surviving in an industry that is almost entirely taken over by those big conglomerates? Need to know how you can make your own film you have been dreaming about for so long, but felt discouraged by the way the world has turned out to be? READ HIS BRILLIANT BOOK "MAKE YOUR OWN DAMN MOVIE"! If there is one person alive (or dead, but they usually don't say too much to begin with) who can actually tell you how to overwin all possible obstacles you might -and will- encounter realising your plans, it is Lloyd Kaufman. He has lived it, he is still doing it, and every film he makes is better than the previous one, even while the problems are getting bigger.
Kaufman does not only tell you HOW you can go about making your own damn movie, reading this book his enthousiasm about the art of filmmaking may even get you encouraged to do so even if you didn't have any such plans at all. Apart from that, there are loads of anecdotes from his thirty-plus years in the business and he is one of the most entertaining, witty and funny writers I have ever encountered.
Footnotes, additional info and insight in how rewarding working with Lloyd can be (and how good his pay is) are provided by some of those other Troma-people he collaborated, like co-writer/assistant-director on Kaufman's latest masterpiece CITIZEN TOXIE: THE TOXIC AVENGER IV, Trent Haaga and others.
For those who want to learn about the business, for those who want to know about Troma and the filmindustry from the inside, and for those who want to have a damn good time reading, this book is an absolute MUST. I found it to be unputdownable and like his previous book "ALL I NEED TO KNOW ABOUT FILMMAKING I LEARNED FROM THE TOXIC AVENGER" I am sure I will read it many more times. So don't rent it, don't borrow it, but support independent cinema and buy this one. It's a damn good value for your bucks (probably as much as buying the action- and extra's packed brilliant double DVD-set of CITIZEN TOXIE)!!
Rating:
Summary: kaufman hits another one out of the park!
Review: what can i say? lloyd kaufman is one of the funniest and most informative writers on independent filmmaking today. this book is a hilarious collection of stories and advice on movie making from a true independent. i highly recommend this book, along with his first one "everything i need to know about filmmaking i learned from the toxic avenger." excellent stuff!
Rating:
Summary: Un-freaking-believable
Review: Kaufman really does grab the jugular and skips rope with it in this book. His experiences are insightful, disgusting, informative, offensive and riotous. MAKE YOUR OWN DAMN MOVIE presents a priceless resource to people wanting to break into the world of independent movie. Kaufman is someone willing to sacrifice comfort for art, and in a way becomes a mentor to those of us who just want to have our vision shared. From experiences on how to deal with festivals to getting kicked out of Poughkeepsie, Kaufman's 30 years of experience comes through with every sentence. Even his concern for his crew and actors is apparent that Kaufman is not the typical sleezeball director interested only in advancing his career, but the careers of those around him. Thank you, Mr. Kaufman.
Rating:
Summary: Great book!!! Lloyd Kaufman hits it right on the mark again!
Review: In my opinion, this is a great follow-up to Lloyd's previous book, All I Needed to Learn About Filmmaking I Learned From The Toxic Avenger. If you want a boring compendium of filmmaking techniques that reads like the owner's manual for your car, then stop reading this and go somewhere else, because you are not going to get that with this book. Those looking for a great introduction to the how-to's of filmmaking will not be disappointed. I myself went into reading this book knowing absolutely nothing about how to make a great film that everyone will love, and I came out still not knowing how to make one, but what I did learn was how you can go about turning an artistic vision from an idea into a film, and keep your shirt (but not necessarily your dignity) in the process. This book covers the basics of everything you need to know about making your own damn movie, specifically fund-raising, budgeting, screenwriting, hiring the crew, pre-production, legal stuff, getting locations, stunts & special effects, editing, sound mixing, marketing, and distribution. The writing, done mainly by Lloyd with the help of Citizen Toxie producer Adam Jahnke and Citizen Toxie writer Trent Haaga, is hilarious, employing a mix of fact, instruction, advice, anecdotes, and Troma history to give a well-rounded description of the fundamentals of making your very own, independent movie. Even for those with a casual interest in Troma films or filmmaking in general, this is a great read. There are parts ranging from epic battles with the gigantic rats in the Troma basement, to the description of the depravity that goes on in Troma rented condos, to stories about cruel conditions endured on the sets of Troma films, and even how to go about getting women nekkid on camera for you (which in my opinion is worth the cost of the book alone, because who DOESN'T need to know how to get women nekkid on camera?). I give this book a 5/5 for teaching me a thing or two about making a movie, as well as plenty of behind the scenes looks into Troma Films, all while keeping me laughing and immersed in reading it.
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