Mackendrick on Film-Making Series with Paul Cronin
Paul Cronin is the editor of the book: ON FILM-MAKING: AN INTRODUCTION TO THE CRAFT OF THE DIRECTOR by Alexander Mackendrick
I. An Introduction to the Craft of the Director
II. Mackendrick Script Surgery
Additional Resources
Alexander Mackendrick
Alexander Mackendrick is regarded as one of Britain's most important film directors. Between 1949 and 1967 he directed nine features, including the classic comedy THE LADYKILLERS with Alec Guinness and the cult favourite SWEET SMELL OF SUCCESS.
He left film-making in 1969 and spent nearly twenty-five years teaching at the California Institute of the Arts. There he guided students through the disciplines he called Dramatic Construction and Film Grammar ('the narrative and visual devices that have been developed through inventive direction and performing during cinema's short history').
A legendary teacher of cinema, Mackendrick's writings were designed specifically for students, and are masterful studies of the two primary tasks confronting the film director: how to structure and write the story he wants to tell, and how to use those devices particular to the medium of film in order to tell that story as effectively as possible. Devoid of obscurantism, concentrating on the tangible rather than abstract and theoretical concepts of cinema as art, they reveal that Mackendrick had the talent not only to make films, but also to articulate with clarity what that process involved.
His book ON FILM-MAKING has been translated into several languages, and is used at the London Film School and film schools worldwide.
Paul Cronin - Tutor Profile
Paul Cronin spent three years editing Mackendrick's notes to his students and interviewing former students and colleagues of Mackendrick to produce ON FILM-MAKING and the unique illustrated lecture MACKENDRICK ON FILM. He has published several other volumes, including an interview book with Werner Herzog. His documentaries have been seen at festivals worldwide and on the BBC, PBS and the Sundance Channel. One of his current projects is the multi-volume WORDS ON PICTURES: THE INTERVIEWS AND WRITINGS OF ALEXANDER MACKENDRICK. Go to www.alexandermackendrick.com for more details.
Reviews for ON FILM-MAKING:
"Anyone contemplating a film career can do no better than read Mackendrick's On Film-Making: An Introduction to the Craft of the Director. It offers the lifetime experience and thoughts of one of cinema's greatest masters." Sean Connery
"Invaluable… I can easily imagine a college without a film program building a curriculum around these writings." Martin Scorsese
"Exhilarating"' - The Guardian
"Mackendrick had a gift for lucidity of thought and language that helped to demystify film-making while retaining a sense of its magic and wonder. This book is as vital and enjoyable for the watcher of films as their potential maker" - The Times
"An invaluable analysis of the director's art and craft" - Screen International
"This eminently accessible collection of teaching notes and sketches lays bare the myth of moviemaking, and should prove essential reading for anyone with an interest in its art and craft" - Empire
Further Reading
Go here for an in-depth breakdown of the workshop:
http://www.thestickingplace.com/pdf/film/study_sheets.pdf
For more about Mackendrick's teachings, go here:
www.alexandermackendrick.com
THE ‘SECRET’ IS OUT! BINGER EUROPEAN DEBUT FOR ‘MACKENDRICK ON FILM’ LECTURE. ‘Mackendrick on Film’ Binger à la Carte Lecture with Paul Cronin (2-4 December 2010). Report by Matthew Curlewis.
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