New Film and Television Books
Check out these new books on filmmaking and behind-the-scenes stories. As always, these are free to borrow with your library card!
Newly added books on film and TV.
Learn filmmaking techniques, theory and history
Explore curated film lists, lessons on how to make a short film, and the creative process of an iconic film director.
Dive into the rich, reference-heavy, world of film auteur Wes Anderson. Anderson's films have become iconic, going on to inspire many other filmmakers, leaving fingerprints all over the modern movie landscape. This book will be of great interest to anyone who wants to know more about what inspires this filmmaker's vibrant body of work, as well as learn more about how a director at the top of their game combines disparate sources of inspiration into a fresh and innovative artistic voice.
You can't really become an expert in anything in 12 hours, but if you give this book the approximated 12 hours of reading time then you'll certainly know a lot more. This book starts with an overview of the history of film, then explores a variety of iconic film tropes and genres. The author has also curated some movie recommendation lists, highlighting classics that they believe exist as prime examples of their genre. A great introduction into being a film enthusiast, you're sure to go away with great movies to watch and fun facts to bring up at movie nights.
Austin Bunn is an award-winning screenwriter; in this book he gives budding filmmakers a guide to writing and creating a short film. Bunn also provides case studies in the form of screenplays from successful shorts, and interviews with filmmakers about their production process. An alum of the highly respected Sundance Film Festival, this writer provides an in-depth look at this commonly forgotten about, but often career-making, step of being a screenwriter.
Behind-the-scenes stories and memoirs
An extravagantly long biography, fitting of such an extravagant Hollywood couple. A memoir written with both irreverence, and deep thoughtful observation. Described by reviewers as a high-wire act, self-indulgent, a fever dream and deeply interesting. Sure to be a divisive title; critics seem torn between being unable to put the book down and wanting to throw this memoir out a window.
Carrie Fisher. Tennessee Williams. Joan Didion. Sean Connery. Martin Scorsese. The description of this memoir feels like a Hollywood Forest Gump-esque story where we follow the life on one individual who somehow grew up in the middle of an unbelievable amount of society changing events. Griffin Dunne’s memoir is described as both a peek into the lives of the rich and famous, while also being a deeply personal look into family tragedy. This title is sure to be difficult to get a copy of over the summer reading season.
The West Wing was a political drama TV series which made a huge mark on pop culture and is considered one of the most iconic TV shows of its time. It's a show with a huge, dedicated fanbase, and has also garnered a large amount of critical acclaim. A show that often commented upon current political issues, The West Wing has even been analysed by political science academics. This book is split into two parts; it offers a behind-the-scenes look into the creation and production of this TV show, and also deep-dives into its legacy as a part of American culture and political commentary.