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The Total FilmMaker - Paperback | Diverse Reads

The Total FilmMaker

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This new 50th anniversary edition of the classic 1971 book The Total FilmMaker is now being released by the Jerry Lewis Estate and Michael Wiese Productions with all-new, never-before-seen photos of Jerry on set and with his family and friends, and a new foreword by Leonard Maltin. The Total FilmMaker was originally written and based on over 480 hours of Jerry’s guest lecture series at USC Film School in 1966, where his then-students included aspiring young filmmakers Steven Spielberg and George Lucas. From script to postproduction, it covers the complete arc of filmmaking as taught by one of the first and most original writer/director/producer/actors in Hollywood.

ISBN-13: 9781615933204

Media Type: Paperback

Publisher: Wiese - Michael Productions

Publication Date: 07-27-2021

Pages: 226

Product Dimensions: 5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)

A consummate entertainer and world-renowned humanitarian, Jerry Lewis was not just a cultural icon in the U.S. and France, he was one of “The Most Recognized Personalities on the Planet,” named so by Newsweek magazine. He was also nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize. One of the most successful performers in show business history – with worldwide box office receipts in excess of $800 million (when most tickets were sold for 25-50 cents) – Jerry received global acclaim for his groundbreaking comedy. He has been said to carry the torch lit by Charlie Chaplin and Buster Keaton, which has earned him the moniker “The King of Comedy.” As the top box office star in the world from 1952-1956 with Dean Martin, and from 1957-1964 as a solo artist, Jerry’s brand of comedy has influenced generations. Celebrated for his groundbreaking physical comedy, “Jerry went back to the silent era and brought visual sight gags back to the American movie theaters,” said Steven Spielberg, who once attended a class in film direction taught by “Professor” Lewis at the Universityof Southern California. As well as being an entertainer, “Jerry Lewis was a major innovator in motion pictures,” stated director, Francis Ford Coppola. “His invention of putting a video camera next to the motion picture camera so he could play it back and direct himself, has been used for decades by every director in the movie industry. I watched him on the set of The Ladies Man in 1961, and was amazed by his groundbreaking innovation, the Video Assist.” Leonard Maltin is one of America’s most respected film critics and historians. His many books include Of Mice and Magic: A History of American Animated Cartoons, Leonard Maltin's 151 Best Movies You've Never See, and Leonard Maltin’s Movie Guide. He regularly appears on ReelzChannel and Turner Classic Movies and hosts a weekly podcast, Maltin on Movies, with his daughter, Jessie. He lives in Los Angeles, California.

Table of Contents

Preface Nicolas Cage ix

Remembrances Peter Arnold xii

Remembrances Deana Martin xvii

Remembrances Randal Kleiser xix

Remembrances Caleb Deschanel xxi

Foreword Leonard Maltin xxiii

Prologue xxvi

Part 1 Production

1 The Humanities of Film 2

2 The Total FilmMaker 12

3 The Money Man 21

4 Script and Writer 34

5 Actors 40

6 The Million-Dollar Hug 51

7 Preproduction Chores 64

8 The Crew 78

9 Homework 88

10 Filming It! 94

Part 2 Postproduction

11 Editing 106

12 Music and Dubbing 112

13 Distribution and Exploitation 120

14 Other Filmmakers, Other Films 127

Part 3 Comedy

15 Laughs Are Our Thing 138

16 The Visuals of Comedy 149

17 The Comedians 160

Kind of a Wrap 166

Appendix: Storyboards and Script Notes 169

Acknowledgments (2021) 193

Jerry's Acknowledgments (1971) 194

About the Author 195