5 books you must read if you are an aspiring film director...or if you just love films!

Throughout film history, directors have taken inspiration from all sorts of places and these 5 books will inspire you if you are looking to become a director yourself. In fact, you'll love these books even if you don't plan on entering the film industry but simply find the behind-the-scenes of film making interesting.

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The Film That Changed My Life: 30 Directors on Their Epiphanies in the Dark

The famous saying goes 'Do something you love and you'll never work a day in your life.' So its safe to say that if you are looking to become a film director it's because you have a love of movies yourself. Can you think of a film that really sparked your interest in visual arts and ignited a passion for movie making?

Author Robert k. Elder has had this questioned answered by 30 of the world's most influential film makers in his book 'The Film That Changed My Life'. Once you start to read this book you will struggle to put it down. Fair warning though, once you do read it, you are likely going to want to hire all of the films mentioned and see for yourself why they were so influential to each particular director.

You can find this book here. Available in both paperback and on kindle.

The Essential Directors: The Art and Impact of Cinema's Most Influential Filmmakers

This one is kind of stating the obvious but if you are interested in film making then you need to study those who have done it best. This book will give you a context for the historical importance of these directors as well as an in-depth look at each directors particular style.

The information in this book ranges from the silent era (1915) to 2017. It is important to note here that it only focusses on American cinema, although some international directors are mentioned as well. There is also mention of some indie directors but it only mentions four female directors. These women are certainly all worthy of inclusion but there are some important female directors who are missing.

Written by Sloan De Frost and presented by Turner Classic Movies, this book is for those film buffs that enjoy tidbits of information about the behind the scenes of film making.

You can find this book here. Available in both paperback and on the kindle.

My First Movie: Twenty Celebrated Directors Talk about Their First Film

It makes sense that when you are an aspiring film maker yourself, you look to learn from those with great experience and success. It's easy to forget that some of the biggest names in cinema were once amateurs themselves. In 'My First Movie', editor Stephen Lowenstein has put together a collection of twenty directors' reflections on their very first film.

With each interview, we get the inside story on how their debut films were made, often with surprising honesty. You'll finish this book feeling encouraged to continue your own movie making dreams as there will be times when a directors story will make you think 'if they could do it, then so can I.'

You can find this book here. Available in paperback, hardback and on kindle.

The Female Gaze: Essential Movies Made by Women

Given the history of film making, it is only natural that most books about directors will present information about men. We thought it was important to include this one as it is interesting to read the experiences of female directors because their stories are naturally different.

'The Female Gaze' is the perfect name for this book as women and men do see things differently and the results of that are played out on the screen. Author Alicia Malone, presents the reader with 52 movies made by women from a range of different backgrounds over a number of different decades. The book also includes short essays from aspiring female film critics who discuss their favourite films made by women.

This one is not just for the women though, even aspiring male filmmakers need to read this book. Given that films not only include female characters but are also viewed by women, the importance of understanding the female perspective is important for all directors and a lot can be learned from this book.

You can find this book here. Available in paperback, hardcover and on kindle.

Raging Bulls and Easy Riders

Unlike the previous books we've recommended, this one does not span the entire history of filmmaking but it does focus on a time period that is arguably the most important in the history of directing. It starts with Easy Rider in 1969 and ends with Raging Bull in 1980. This era was at the centre of the auteur theory and an important one for anyone interested in film history.

This book is an honest look at some of the most influential film makers in history, with some anecdotes exposing the darker side of the film industry. You'll find this one hard to put down. Fair warning though, you may not be able to view some of the films mentioned in the same way again.

You can find this book here. Available in paperback and on kindle.

Have a book you can recommend? Leave a comment below!