How I Made A Hundred Movies In Hollywood and never lost a dime

I really loved this book. It is well written, with some interesting snippets from famous faces Corman worked with over his career. These snippets often give a funny and contradictory viewpoint to that put forward in the main text. I had never heard of Corman before reading the book, I simply bought it because of the title. I feel very lucky to have tripped over a real gem.

Great example for indie film makers. It's become my bible! I have read this a few times now with great stories on how he made his movies.

good book

Great book.....for any film fan............extraordinary and important character in film history. Shows up much of the bland product and accountant led fodder prevalent today in cinema.

Great book about good and bad movie making by a legendary Roger Corman.

If you're interested in the process, and the business, of making films, then this is a book for you. Corman has worked with many of the great names of modern cinema before they made it.Scorcese, Jack Nicholson, Coppola, Bogdanovich, Jonathan Demme, etc., etc. They contribute testimony to the extent Corman's pragmatic approach to the monster task of making a film informed and educated them in their own careers. Some amusing anecdotes, and masses of information about many many films you may never have seen - "Attack of the Crab Monsters", anyone?

I just finished the book in a couple of days. This book is not just well written, personal or intreaging. It is a MUST for all of us wannbe filmmakers to read. By reading this book I was taken on a three decades long rollercoaster journey of an outlow into hollywood. This man's life, work and influence around the world is incredible. He did it all, directing, producing, distributing, writing,... by creating his own possibilities. He never asked anybody for anything and never complained of anything. Money nor lack of time stopped him to make films. Djee this is quiet a lesson. Now we don't have any excuse. WRITE A SCRIPT, GAT A CAMERA AND PHONE SOME PEOPLE AND GET STARTED.Thank you mister Corman.

interesting

As fast-paced and fun as this memoir is, it still probably took me longer to read than it took Corman to make some of his movies.Before reading this, I didn't know much about Corman and figured he was just a low-budget schlockmeister whose only concern was turning a buck. And while it is true he was very business savvy and motivated by profit, making movies was always about more than the money. Corman emerges as a very funny, creative, and ambitious filmmaker, whether directing, producing, or distributing.This book offers great insight into the business side of movies in tandem with hilarious behind the scenes anecdotes. Corman discovered and/or nurtured the fledgling careers of dozens of future Hollywood giants, including Jack Nicholson, Francis Ford Coppola, Dennis Hopper, Ron Howard (as director), Jonathan Demme, Martin Scorcese, Sylvester Stallone, and James Cameron, to name just a few. In a town known for backstabbing, fleeting loyalty, and dirty dealing, it's telling that Corman seems to be universally hailed as a fair and generous collaborator, as attested by the many testimonials in this book. (Of course, they wouldn't include the negatives, if any, but even outside of this book I haven't found anything to besmirch his reputation.) He had a great eye for talent and gleefully exploited it by paying more in opportunity than cash, but those opportunities launched many to great heights they might never had achieved if they'd had to work their way up gradually within the more bureaucratic and less meritocratic studio system.After reading this I watched Corman's original Little Shop of Horrors (1962) (purportedly made in just two days and one night of shooting) and laughed harder at a movie than I have in years. Corman, educated as an engineer, placed efficiency foremost and famously didn't waste words on set, preferring to move quickly to the next setup rather than dribbling time away in piddling "thank you that was great" fluffing of cast and crew egos. He was a master of maximizing budgets, often scripting and shooting entire new films if he had time remaining on a set, which apparently was the case with Little Shop, hence its rushed production. But that sort of headlong gung ho push to keep creating and take advantage of every opportunity resulted in more than one masterpiece.Corman's story is fascinating and inspiring. It would be hard, if not impossible, to replicate his career trajectory today, but with new filming and distribution technologies, there are unique avenues for today's hungry filmmakers to make a splash, and this book might just serve as an impetus for them to get out there and make it happen.

rférence pour le cinéma "indépendant " et pour la logique de production à moindre coût.

bought as a gift

Having watched as a teenager the Poe movies starring Vincent Price and Ray Milland made by Corman and becoming a life-long fan of Corman and his unique ways of making movies it's a very interesting book on learning how Corman became Corman. The only sad point is, that the book does not include the later later years as Corman is still working and a second book or an update would be great.

I am a big fan of Roger Corman. I figured I would like this but didn't think it would be as good as it is.PROS- CRAFTSMAN & SAVVY BUSINESSMAN: I learned that Corman is much more than a man who has been behind the production of over 400 movies. He is also a crafty businessman who has done his research on how to get movies made affordably while still having a great time along the way.- GREAT BTS STORIES: Great anecdotes and Behind The Scenes recollections of the production of some of his movies. I really like that there are numerous additional parts from the various people who have worked for him over the years giving their take on the same events that he is recalling. Corman has helped well over 100 people in the industry to get started, really big names, and a number of them have their take on these recollections which really helps to make the stories even that much more rich.- FUNNY: I often find myself laughing at the things that have gone into these productions. I have been a part of a few indie movies and hundreds of photo shoots so I know crazy things can happen, especially when you're doing a run&gun kind of shoot. The results are really funny and sometimes leave you wondering how they survived it.- INSPIRATIONAL: If you sit home thinking you can't chase your dreams or have a long list of excuses for not living your best life then Roger Corman is going to shoot down some of those excuses. He has managed to find ways and just gets it done.CONS- The only one I can think of is that I wish he would have followed this book up with more of them.CONCLUSIONWarning: This is going to sound sappy but it is sincere.- Like a lot of people I thought of Roger Corman as the King of the B-Movies. Now that I've read this book I realize he is far more. He is clever, courageous, always learning, ambitious, funny, and as he says, a craftsman. I love reading inspirational books and this is definitely one of them. Jack Nicholson, Peter Fonda, Bruce Dern, James Cameron, Martin Scorsese, Francis Ford Coppola, Peter Bogdanovich, and so many more have worked with him, learned from him, and most got their start with him.This book just scratches the surface as to why Roger Corman is a legend. I hope you enjoy it as much as I.