Multi-Emmy Award winning filmmaker Shane Stanley has
worked in almost every capacity on and off the set starting with hit shows like
“Entertainment Tonight” and “Seinfeld.”
Along with his father, Stanley produced “The Desperate
Passage Series,” which was nominated for 33 individual Emmy Awards and won 13
statues. In this series, five of the seven specials went No.1 in Nielson
Ratings, which included “A Time for Life” and “Gridiron Gang.”
Stanley has produced films starring Marlon Brando,
Mira Sorvino, Thomas Hayden Church, Donald Sutherland, Marisa Tomei and Martin
Sheen. He co-wrote two of the films and has worked closely with top Hollywood executives.
Stanley has taught workshops at many film schools and
universities. He is the founder of Visual Arts Entertainment, a production
company based in Los Angeles. He is still active in teaching, working with
several schools, film students, and recent grads as a mentor and guide.
His latest book is What
You Don’t Learn in Film School: A Complete Guide to Independent Filmmaking.
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About the Book:
Title: WHAT YOU DON’T LEARN IN FILM SCHOOL: A COMPLETE GUIDE
TO INDEPENDENT FILMMAKING
Author: Shane Stanley
Publisher: Industry Insider, LLC.
Pages: 199
Genre: Nonfiction/Film
Author: Shane Stanley
Publisher: Industry Insider, LLC.
Pages: 199
Genre: Nonfiction/Film
BOOK BLURB:
Multi
Emmy-Award winning filmmaker Shane Stanley, a lifelong entertainment industry
insider, has worked in every aspect of the film industry, covering a multitude
of movies, television shows, and other projects. In his valuable new book, WHAT YOU DON’T LEARN IN FILM SCHOOL: A COMPLETE GUIDE
TO INDEPENDENT FILMMAKING, Stanley takes a
candid look at the film business and offers ambitious young filmmakers
important information on how to navigate every aspect of making movies, from
initial pitch to distributing a finished product. The book “is written for
anyone who hopes to have a career in the industry at any position, but (is)
geared for (the) total filmmaker,” Stanley says.
Producer Neal H. Moritz (“Fast & Furious,” “S.W.A.T.,” “21 and 22 Jump Street”), says that WHAT YOU
DON’T LEARN IN FILM SCHOOL “pulls no punches. It's one of the most insightful and accurate
books ever written on the subject, a master class bridging the gap between
school and real-life experience that will save you years of heartache. A
must-read for anyone interested in pursuing a career in film.”
Jane Seymour, two-time Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner, actress, producer and founder of the Open Hearts Foundation, declares that Stanley’s “step-by-step guide is a must-read for anyone hoping to break into the world of independent cinema, along with many useful tips for those who desire to work within a studio or network system.”
Jeff Sagansky, former president of Sony Entertainment and CBS Entertainment, notes that “Shane Stanley takes you to a film school that only years of practical experience can teach. He covers both the business of independent filmmaking as well as the hard-earned secrets of a successful production. A must-read for anyone who wants to produce.”
Jane Seymour, two-time Golden Globe and Emmy Award winner, actress, producer and founder of the Open Hearts Foundation, declares that Stanley’s “step-by-step guide is a must-read for anyone hoping to break into the world of independent cinema, along with many useful tips for those who desire to work within a studio or network system.”
Jeff Sagansky, former president of Sony Entertainment and CBS Entertainment, notes that “Shane Stanley takes you to a film school that only years of practical experience can teach. He covers both the business of independent filmmaking as well as the hard-earned secrets of a successful production. A must-read for anyone who wants to produce.”
A
lifelong veteran of the film world, Stanley has directed
and produced hundreds of film and television projects, including the 2006 No. 1
Box Office hit “Gridiron Gang,” starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. His
clearly-written guide to navigating the shoals of independent filmmaking comes
from his hands-on experience, covering such topics as choosing what material to
produce, raising independent capital, hiring a production crew and selecting
the right cast.
WHAT
YOU DON’T LEARN IN FILM SCHOOL is an essential book written by someone
who clearly understands the independent film business from the inside.
ORDER YOUR COPY:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble
Can we begin by having you tell us about
yourself from a writer’s standpoint?
As a storyteller, my background comes from a visual
medium, working primarily in film and television. I have always been attracted
to telling stories I can personally relate to, so when the opportunity to write
a book about the business of my business came about, it felt like a very
natural transition into publishing.
When not
writing, what do you like to do for relaxation and/or fun?
I find each day I am writing one thing or another but
if I am able to completely pry myself away from the computer, I like to hike with
my wife, snowboard with my family and spend time on the water. Coming from an
extreme sports background and now, needing to slow down due to a laundry list
of injuries, I find those kind of activities fill that void, relax me and
really get my batteries recharged. I’ve also been known to just jump into the
car and drive through the desert, as nothing inspires me like a sunrise over
the Arizona Mountains.
Can you give us the
very first page of your book so that we can get a glimpse inside?
I don’t know what it is about this godforsaken
industry that makes people so crazy. Actually, maybe I do.
Think about it; if you encounter someone who’s
striving to be a mechanical engineer, a biologist, or an architect, chances are
they’re pretty grounded and seem to have a realistic, yet solid game plan when
it comes to achieving their career goals.
Now, do you ever notice the difference when you speak
to an artist with (or without) a career plan? Maybe it’s the passion that comes
within creativity or perhaps their attempt to bury deep-seeded doubt with rays
of hope. However, if you ask me, I think we’re all nuts…in our own way. It
seems this business can bring out the worst or the crazy in some of the most
levelheaded people…and I don’t think that diminishes when someone becomes
successful…it only gets worse.
Can you think of any other industry in the world where
being deemed successful is essentially the equivalent of winning the lottery?
You could be working as a dishwasher who is writing a script in your spare time
when it falls into the right hands…then suddenly you’re the next Shane Black or
Eli Roth.
Maybe you’re crashing on your friend’s couch
(technically homeless) then you get that one audition and you’re co-starring alongside
Gal Gadot. I guess those odds can make anyone crazy living this way on a
day-to-day basis, but it’s not just the artists. As we’ve seen recently the
upper echelon of Ho-Ho Wood have their own problems in which how they behave
(thanks to the media frenzy of late), and I don’t think I need to elaborate on
that too much. However, I do hope this time there is a lasting change in the
behavior on set and behind the golden gates. It’s long overdue.
Would you say it’s been a rocky road for you in regards
to getting your book written and published or pretty much smooth sailing? Can you tell us about your journey?
My book came from years of
personal experience in the motion picture and television industry, so writing
it wasn’t much of a struggle. It came about because I do a lot of teaching and
consulting and felt I could save time by starting to write down answers to the
most commonly asked questions I got to make it easier for those I was
mentoring. I never had any illusions of grandeur as, once it took shape, was
originally intended to be a blog that somehow got loose from me and turned into
a 200-page book. Most everything I have done in the entertainment industry has
been self-produced or pushed from within, so the steps I had to take to get it
finished and into a book people could buy and read wasn’t too difficult just a
lot of new experiences for me having never put out a book before.
If you had
to summarize your book in one sentence, what would that be?
An in-depth, no holds barred look at making movies
from ‘concept to delivery’ in today’s ever-evolving climate while breaking down
the dos and don’ts of (independent) filmmaking.
What makes
your book stand out from the rest?
I think the book stands alone because of the hands on
experience I share that comes from a lifetime in the industry (over 40 yrs) and
a from a perspective that comes from every angle of the business of making
movies. At first I wasn’t sure how it would be received but after the
endorsements from some of the most respected people in the industry and reviews
came in, my confidence in the book and its importance skyrocketed.
If your book
was put in the holiday section of the store, what holiday would that be and
why?
Christmas/Hanukah. Because there’s no better time to
get the help you need in order to launch a great career in an industry your
passionate about – especially when people are inspired and ready for great
things in a brand new year.
Would you
consider turning your book into a series or has that already been done? I most certainly would and am already considering it
as the business is ever evolving and continues to teach me something new each
day.
What’s next
for you?
What You Don’t Learn in Film School Summer Sessions,
where I am offering seminars and workshops, at no cost, to film school grads to
help them find their voice and navigate a career in the entertainment industry
- something the film schools are not teaching them.
