Steven Ascher - The Filmmakers Handbook: A Comprehensive Guide for the Digital Age: Fifth Edition

This is the fifth time Ive (re)written this book from the ground up. Each edition has added major new developments and shed old ways. When Ed Pincus and I wrote the first edition in 1984, it was solely about filmmaking using film. After that, Ed bowed out of working on the book and I added analog video to the next edition. The third and fourth expanded into digital, aided by contributions from David Leitner, a talented filmmaker and explorer of technology.

Writing a new edition never gets easier. Every day, a fire hose of new ideas and products pours into the world. And its not just technology. With every new era, filmmakers aim for new aesthetic goals and film grammar, are supported (or not) by new types of funding, and adapt to new forms of distribution that change their relationships to their audiences. In this fifth edition, time has wiped away videotape, analog audio, and a lot of film. In their place are new ways of making and showing movies.

The book is a humbling lesson in the nature of expertise. So many things you knew forsure are suddenly or quietly no longer true. Conventional wisdomthe collective knowledge that guides a fieldcan go stale or become obsolete, and it takes constant vigilance to spot when that happens. I try to question everything, but I welcome feedback wherever I got it wrong.

Some changes you expect, others come out of nowhere. In 2013, my dear friend Ed Pincus died. I met Ed in the 1970s when I signed on to assist him in making Diaries, a film that changed a lot of peoples ideas of what documentary could be. We went on to direct Life and Other Anxieties together, and then collaborated on the first edition of this book. A few years later, Ed left filmmaking, became a commercial flower farmer for two decades, then made two more films before he died of MDS, a relentless blood disease. I miss his great spirit and wit.

Im very glad this book continues to support new generations of filmmakers. The energy and talent of film students always gives me hope. The documentary and fiction courses I taught at Harvard last year caused me to rethink and restructure the book. This fifth edition is offered as a companion to help you navigate the increasingly complex, often confusing world of moviemaking.

I want to thank David Leitner for his deep knowledge and precise mind. His sharp eye on these chapters was essential. Consultants on this edition who generously read material and/or answered questions include Kevin Shaw, Woody Woodhall, Richard Bock, Adam Wilt, Art Adams, Job ter Burg, and Matt Cadwallader. Thanks to Alma Macbride for research and great illustrations, and Benjamin Bergery for new lens photos.

On previous editions, wonderful photos were contributed by Stephen McCarthy, Ted Spagna, Ned Johnston, and Andy Young. Illustrations by Carol Keller and Rob Brun. Research help from Joshua Weinstein and Luke Gasbarro.

Thanks for help along the way to Mark Abbate, David Brown, the Bueermanns, Michael Callahan, Elvin Carini, Claude Chelli, Frank Coakley, Chris Cooper, Victoria Garvin Davis, Bob Doyle, Stefan Forbes, Sandra Forman, Patrick Gaspar, Alfred Guzzetti, Dan Habib, Arnie Harchik, Sam Kauffmann, Rudolph Kingslake, Dennis Kitsz, Mark Lipman, Julie Mallozzi, Greg McCleary, Ross McElwee, Matt McMakin, Eric Menninger, Robb Moss, Graeme Nattress, Simon Penzer, Michael Phillips, Adam Schatten, Moe Shore, and Tim Spitzer.

Im grateful to the many people, too numerous to mention, who provided assistance, information, or pictures. I also want to acknowledge some people Ive never met who helped shape my understanding, including Charles Poynton, Alister Chapman, Larry Jordan, and Steve Yedlin. I appreciate their curiosity and ability to explain what theyve learned.

Much love and thanks to Jeanne Jordan, my film partner and wife, and our son, Jordan Ascher, for everything they bring to my life, my filmmaking, and the making of this book.

Steve Ascher

August 2019