Reddit mentions of On Film-making: An Introduction to the Craft of the Director

Robert McKee and Alexander Mackendrick are my references. I highly recommend these books. Mckee has a whole chapter (if my memory is correct) on voice-over and how lazy it is to explain exposition using it.

If you want a book written by successful filmmakers with tons of practical info there are two great ones.

On Filmmaking by Alexander Mackendrick (The Ladykillers, The Sweet Smell of Success) is amazing- you will learn a lot about storytelling from this book, it's very practical, and no-bullshit.

Making Movies by Sidney Lumet (Twelve Angry Men, Network), is a great guide on the practicalities, politics and boring ass paperwork that a film set lives and dies by.

Best one I've read. https://www.amazon.com/Film-making-Introduction-Craft-Director/dp/0571211259/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1469077095&sr=8-1&keywords=On+Film-making%3A+An+Introduction+to+the+Craft+of+the+Director

On Filmmaking by Alexander Mackendrick
http://www.amazon.co.uk/On-Film-making-Alexander-Mackendrick/dp/0571211259
It's dated but still has tons of applicable information, plus it's very inspirational to boot. Best book on filmmaking I've read.

EDIT:
And 'Directing Actors' by Judith Weston.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Directing-Actors-Memorable-Performances-Television/dp/0941188248/ref=pd_sim_14_3?ie=UTF8&dpID=41yw66m-xWL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR107%2C160_&refRID=0YW9TAV40SSECJTQY8ER

On Filmmaking by Alexander Mackendrick. I'm shocked it hasn't been mentioned already. Hands down the best, most pragmatic book on filmmaking and directing that I have ever read.

Stanley Kubrick: Interviews is also great. You get to hear his actual thoughts on his own films from interviews collected throughout his career, instead of someone else pontificating.

I'm a big fan of On Film-making by Alexander Mackendrick (Sweet Smell of Success). It collects the materials Mackendrick used while teaching at the California Institute of the Arts and covers writing and film grammer. It's a great read for advice on film-making and for Mackendrick's stories of working in the film industry.

The Filmmaker's Handbook

On Film-making

Making Movies by Sidney Lumet

On Film-making: An Introduction to the Craft of the Director
by Alexander MacKendrick, edited by Paul Cronin


How has this not been mentioned yet? Greatest, most balanced book on film-making I have ever read. It's based on Alexander MacKendrick's (Sweet Smell of Success, Ladykillers) lessons at CalArts, and gives excellent insight on both technique and theory.

Strongly, strongly recommend On Film-making: An Introduction to the Craft of the Director by Alexander McKendrick!

"On Film Making" by Alexander Mackendrick.

This is actually a book on directing, however, his philosophy and lessons on dramatic structure are incredible and very useful for a writer. You wont find too many screenplay structure lessons though. So it depends on what you want.

On Filmmaking by Alexander McKendrick, who was a Brit director who transitioned to teaching at UCLA. His book only has a couple of chapters on screenwriting - which you can read in half an hour - but hands down, they contain the most useful nuggets of screenwriting advice that I've ever read.

https://www.amazon.com/Film-making-Introduction-Craft-Director/dp/0571211259/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1543043889&sr=8-1&keywords=on+filmmaking

I will be reviewing Mckendrick's storytelling system on Scriptfella in the near future.

SCRIPTFELLA

Screenwriting. Storytelling. Hollywood.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC3uFGhMZ6jsnCb9agxzVxLw

For a broad and comprehensive overview with less technical information, go for Screenwriting 101 by Film Crit Hulk, along with any of his wonderful articles.

For the technical specifics of modern screenwriting, The Hollywood Standard by Christopher Riley is solid, though it's really not that complicated and I wouldn't worry too much. Just use a program like Celtx to do your formatting and you're sweet.

If you want to blow your mind with dogmatic but largely correct info on the structuring of effective stories in general go for The Art of Dramatic Writing by Lajos Egri, written about playwriting but incredibly relevant.

I also recommend you learn the basics of filmmaking. I personally believe it's vital to properly writing screenplays (rather than generic writing dressed in screenplay clothes). The stuff's got to be shootable, designed for a reasonable budget, and more importantly, suited to the film medium itself.

A great book for that is On Film-Making by Alexander Mackendrick.

I also highly recommend In the Blink of an Eye by Walter Murch, written about editing and invaluable. Editing is the essence of film as we know it, so it's in your interests to know it intimately.