The Power Filmmaking Kit, Jason J. Tomaric

– Focal Press

Whatever the rather bizarre cover art might suggest, The Power Filmmaking Kit, is not in fact a pocket companion, instead Jason J. Tomaric gives us a pretty hefty tome encompassing short guides to almost everything you will face in the process of producing a film, from script development through to distribution. In his foreword Tomaric explains that while working at some of the ‘most prestigious film schools’ in the United States he saw a gap in film education: that whilst these courses taught the skills necessary to make a $20,000,000 film they did not provide the vital steps that would help a recent graduate to produce work within their limited means upon graduating, and thereby eventually progress to that level. Tomaric’s guide aims to provide much of the information needed to get a project off the ground whatever the available funds.

In light of this the book itself is rather immense, in both size and scope, positioning itself as something of an American ‘Independent Filmmaking for Dummies’. It is highly accessible in style and the content is exhaustive since every area is covered. Alongside this, Tomaric provides video tutorials featured on an accompanying DVD and extra information from industry experts on a linked website. The text is divided into the units; Development, Preproduction, Production, Postproduction and Distribution so that each area can be dissected in turn. Due to this massive scope each chapter is by no means the last word on its particular subject, instead they work as an introduction or jumping off point from which to continue research. For example the first chapter, concerning ‘Script’, while quickly alluding to various story types for instance, is more interested in the mechanics of script writing. It clearly presents the stages a script must go through as it is developed from the initial idea all the way through to properly formatting and copy-writing your work. To illustrate each point Tomaric uses his own film, Time and Again, (which appears on the DVD and was made for only $2,000) as an example.

The only issue I had when reading this text was the fact that it is clearly aimed at an American audience. This not only means that some of the advice becomes irrelevant but, much more importantly, calls into question the initial premise itself. By this I mean that much of the advice given by Tomaric at the text’s outset is generally accepted in this country, though that does not, of course, make it any less pertinent. Film courses in the UK teach students to develop and make short films and it is through this medium that they are able to progress. Interestingly this is the path Tomaric is suggesting, since perhaps, in the shadow of huge studio systems, it is not so widely considered. Regardless of this The Power Filmmaking Kit gives a very useful overview of the filmmaking process and is packed full of pertinent advice and as a result of Tomaric’s extensive experience, often on topics you would barely even think of. With this Tomaric provides an interesting and engaging overview of an extraordinarily complex process.

Ruth Johnston

The Power Filmmaking Kit is available on Amazon priced £21.84