money, you might as well discuss fundraising and the role of the producer.
Both subjects are in fact discussed in this book at length, and I make no
apologies. Someone once expressed it this way: "The successful filmmaker
has his head full of dreams, his eyes on the mountains, but his feet on the
ground." That puts it bluntly, but it makes sense.

Though I didn't climb any mountains to consult the sages, I did try to
talk to the best professionals around before writing this book. The questions
were always "How do you work?" and "Why do you do things this way?"
Occasionally I would also ask, "What is the most important thing that you
have learned over the year?" This book is a distillation of their answers and
advice and represent how experienced professionals tackle film and video
problems. But the book also comes out of my own experiences as a filmmaker
and is affected by my quirks, background, and experience. I have been mak-
ing films for about twenty years and have developed various techniques and
approaches that make sense to me. They represent an attempt to put logic
into that very peculiar process we call filmmaking.

However, a warning is in order.

First, all filmmakers are different. My method of filmmaking may not
work for you. Our temperament and our approaches to film may be light-
years apart. And that's fine.

Second, this book is not sacrosanct. There are no rules in filmmaking.
What is accepted as gospel today is rejected tomorrow. I hope that you will
read the book, accept what is useful, and then go out, break all the rule,
and make the greatest film ever.

-4-