In “DETOUR: Hollywood,” Dickerson puts the making of his “Underground Hit,” Detour, on display for all to see. He will teach you what you really need to know about making a microbudget film, or a film of any budget for that matter, from the nuts and bolts of directing, to getting your movie made and out into the world, including:
- The Director as the sole defense for the story
- Understanding the two main ingredients of filmmaking: Subtext and Point of View
- Beating out a script
- The template for creating the perfect Director’s Binder
- Action Verbs: How to adjust performance through severity and mildness
- Avoiding the trap of “style over substance”
- The importance of Theme
- Detailed “behind-the-scenes” of the Pre-Production, Production, Post-Production and Distribution of Detour
- How the distribution model has changed…for the better
As mentor, Dickerson is informative, but as a writer he is also truly entertaining. "DETOUR: Hollywood" is paced like a thriller, with all the plot twists, protagonists (the filmmakers) and antagonists (circumstance in general), that you would hope for.
I wish "DETOUR: Hollywood" had been written before I embarked on my beautiful and totally irrational microbudget filmmaking journey. The book surely would have helped spare me a few avoidable mistakes, and assured me that my struggles might be unusual, but are in no way unique.
This book is the most thorough and complete treatise on the art and craft of directing film for the newcomer who wants to learn directing. It’s written in a style that is understandable and interesting which brings clear truth and insights to the reader.
From just the introduction you’re pulled in. Throughout, "DETOUR: Hollywood," Dickerson speaks true words sprinkled with pinches of (sometimes) harsh realities that one faces when working in the industry. It’s written with a brilliantly balanced structure weaving nitty-gritty informational technicalities and well placed anecdotes, making it a half novel, half how-to-guide.
Whether you’re a cinema buff who wants to try his or her hand at making movies on evenings and weekends, a film school graduate without the first clue of how to break into the industry, or a student preparing for a life working in the movie business, Dickerson’s considerable advice and perspective is valuable and unforgettable.
A breezy guide that takes readers inside the sometimes-hair-raising world of do-it-yourself filmmaking, capturing its many frustrations and challenges.
A complete course of filmmaking instruction under one cover using Dickerson's own film as a template example, "DETOUR: Hollywood" is candidly practical, thoroughly 'user friendly', and an essential instruction guide -- especially for independent filmmakers working on shoestring budgets.
