What I Really Want to Do is Direct

This unique book follows seven enthusiastic would-be moviemakers through three years of struggle, misadventure, and triumph in the film business. All are talented, ambitious, and driven by the desire to direct movies. All have come to the ultimate dream factory, Hollywood, to realize their dreams. Exactly what happens to them and their illusions is told in their own excruciatingly honest words, making this a most intimate and revealing look inside the system of moviemaking.

Lights, camera, inaction!--as we follow seven recent, and surprisingly dull, film-school grads trying to succeed in Hollywood. As it now exists, the American movie industry is predicated largely upon saying ``No.'' And if you're fresh out of film school, like the seven in this book, the odds against you are overwhelming. Over the three-plus years they were tracked by Frolick, an entertainment journalist and New York University film school graduate, only one of them managed to direct a feature film. The rest eked out semi-precarious livings in a variety of freelance film jobs. Most of these filmmakers hardly seem the sort to inspire confidence in a studio exec. While they may be a diverse group (black, white, gay, straight), they are almost identical in their unreflective narcissism and their obsession, not so much with films, as with the idea of being FILMMAKERS! In fairness, they aren't helped by Frolick's style of writing. All too rarely does he break into their otherwise ceaseless monologues to provide perspective, commentary, or the occasional brief but revealing interview with an industry professional. And he neglects one of screenwriting's cardinal rules: Create characters the audience cares about. There is also very little here on the film school experience and how it prepared (or didn't prepare) these filmmakers for the realities of Hollywood. Frolick does succeed in capturing the strange, arbitrary nature of the business: He makes clear that any of these seven could become established filmmakers. Once you've cleared the low talent hurdle, he suggests that success is more a question of luck, persistence, and good connections than any special gifts or abilities. Frolick's debut effort features some boffo scenes, but it's much too talky, and poor performances and awkward editing will likely limit its box-office appeal. (7 b&w photos, not seen) -- Copyright ©1996, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

A writer for entertainment magazines and a film school graduate himself, Frolick tracks three years in the lives of two women and five men who attended the American Film Institute and film schools at the University of Southern California, UCLA, Columbia, and New York University. After meeting the principals, we move among them as they attempt to establish their credentials and direct films. Their fascinating journey reveals once again that talent is hardly enough to succeed in Hollywood. Perseverance, tact, confidence, and the ability to compromise are also necessary. Interspersed among the entries are the views of successful directors, writers, and agents whose comments were especially solicited for this book. One wonders whether young film school graduates have the life experiences to make compelling films, and this question is broached. Perhaps more to the point is the question, Do studio executives have the vision to commission and support such films? Sadly, the answer seems to be, not really. For most public library film collections and for all academic libraries supporting film studies.
Kim R. Holston, American Inst. for Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters, Malvern, Pa.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.