The Cheerful Subversive's Guide to Independent Filmmaking

Rezensionen / Stimmen

"Learning how to produce ultra-low-budget feature films is a demanding and complicated task. Even earning a Bachelor's degree in Film, from any of the nation's best film schools, often fails to provide the intricate methodology of professional producing. Dan Mirvish remedies this inadequacy by providing all the information you need to know in this erudite, anecdotal and humorous book. Brevity is the essence of wit, and Mirvish imparts his philosophy with a poignancy that becomes part of your filmmaking DNA."


-Rob Goald, Senior Editor, Film Festival Today


"What Mirvish has accomplished in this book, is to regale the reader with one man's journey in how to become a 'wildly successful' independant filmmaker. But, he doesn't hold his journey out as a map for everyone to follow; As he concludes in the book's epilogue, 'Find your own way...'"


-Michael Ogden, Journal of Media Education


"Hands down the most fun book on filmmaking I've read. I wish this book existed when I first started making films."


-Caveh Zahedi, award-winning filmmaker, Assistant Professor in Screen Studies, The New School


"My students would not only buy the book, but they'd hang onto it after the class was over."


-Lise Raven, Associate Professor, School of Communication & Media, Montclair State University

"An extremely realistic (not to mention funny) look at how to make a truly memorable independent film...or at least have fun trying! Dan's insight into the independent film world is invaluable, mostly because he's made all the mistakes he wants you to avoid!"
-Stephen Dest, award-winning filmmaker; Professor of Film Studies, University of Connecticut

"Dan Mirvish is Hollywood's Merry Prankster: a guerrilla filmmaking guru whose wisdom and insights are as valuable as they are entertaining."
-Kevin DiNovis, award-winning filmmaker; Writing faculty, New York Film Academy

"Dan's book explains the current independent film industry from a producer-director's perspective in a thorough yet highly-accessible manner that is sorely lacking in most film industry books. The fact that the book is presented in a conversational and even irreverent manner which never sacrifices the book's strengths is a pleasant bonus for any reader."
-Robert L. Seigel, entertainment attorney

"Dan cast Julia Stiles for a bag of peanuts! I also did not realize that the author is the co-founder of the Slamdance Film Festival. Those two facts, each individually and by themselves, made whatever he had to say gospel. More importantly, he wrote about something that he actually did and not just heard about."
-Christopher C. Odom, Professor, Full Sail University

"The biggest thing that Mirvish's approach offers is the fact that he has already done all this. Unlike most authors of filmmaking books, Mirvish has made several feature films, he has been to dozens of festivals with his movies, he has negotiated countless deals with representatives and he has founded and run his own major film festival. I can't think of any other writer of filmmaking books that has that pedigree. So he offers what the audience most craves: inside information. And he drops truth bombs constantly - filmmaking is really hard; doing things the ordinary way will probably result in failure. He's not afraid to be negative, but he also offers ingenious ways around the typical land mines in the path of every filmmaker."
-Marc Pilvinsky, veteran film and video editor

"I've found myself referring to it, remembering it, listening to it as I finish post-production and enter the festival realm with my film. It is completely applicable, very accessible and totally useful. I think it will come in handy to a great many filmmakers who are looking for guidance. The book makes it feel like something which can, and will, be conquered. The book makes filmmaking understandable, like a how-to guide, while still allowing freedom for the filmmaker to explore and create."
-Daniel Moya, USC School of Cinematic Arts; Director of indie feature, Rental



"Dan is a true pioneer of the independent spirit. With one foot in a hot tub and the other on a mountain top he plants his independent flag somewhere between heaven and hell. In the great independent tradition of father John Cassavetes, Dan does what he has to do to exist in the inhospitable world of the true independent film artist. He is a fellow combatant against mediocrity in motion pictures and any upstart dreamer can benefit from what he has learned in the trenches of the 'just fucking do it' school of Cinema."
-Alexandre Rockwell, Sundance Award-winning director of In the Soup; Associate Arts Professor/Academic Director, NYU Tisch School of the Arts


"The last 25 years has been the most turbulent period in the film industry's history, and Dan has continued to navigate through it and survive. He is a legitimate insider with a wealth of information and knowledge."
-Sean Baker, Spirit and Gotham Award-winning director of Tangerine, Starlet and Take Out


"Dan Mirvish's experience along with his intelligence and humor makes The Cheerful Subversive's Guide to Independent Filmmaking indispensable in the library of every filmmaker. If you have a budget for only one book, this is the one. This investment will pay off and help you not only make money, but to build a career and keep your focus where it should be. The Cheerful Subversive's Guide to Independent Filmmaking is insightful, filled with knowledge, wisdom, and real filmmaking experience. It's perfect for the independent filmmaker."
-Patricia Cardoso, Sundance Award-winning director of Real Women Have Curves; Adjunct faculty at USC School of Cinematic Arts


"Spend your hard-earned cash on Dan's book, read it, and then go make your movie."
-Matthew Harrison, Sundance Award-winning film and TV director of Rhythm Thief and Sex and the City; UCLA Extension instructor


"Both a brutally realistic view of the state of indie film and a remarkably comprehensive and aspirational step-by-step guide to the filmmaking process, Mirvish's book is essential reading for all working filmmakers. Equally applicable to traditional indie filmmaking and the brave new world of digital content creators working at any level, from YouTube to network TV. With Mirvish's quirky sense of humor and shoestring-budget approach to filmmaking, it's an essential addition to any film school curriculum that wants to quickly engage their students with an accessible and relevant text."
-Jon Reiss, award-winning director of Better Living Through Circuitry; author of Think Outside the Box Office; Film directing faculty at CalArts


"If making a feature film is your dream, but nobody is banging on your door to offer you a deal, this book is an invaluable guide on how to never take 'no' for an answer and make it happen yourself. Dan Mirvish demystifies the nitty gritty aspects of making your own film with enthusiastic DIY flair. Seriously, I wish I had this book when we were trying to figure out what K-1s were for the first time!"
-Claire Carre, Gotham Award-nominated writer/director of Embers


"This is the guidebook that belongs in the proverbial rucksack of anyone embarking on the perilous adventure of making an independent feature film. Read for advice, inspiration, and to remind yourself that with enough willpower and a little ingenuity - it can be done."
-Charles Spano, writer and producer of the award-winning feature Embers