Yes you read that title right. I'm honestly saying that the schlockmeisters at Troma can teach you a thing or two about filmmaking. Actually they can teach you a LOT about filmmaking.
To begin with, there are the books written by Lloyd Kaufman and various co-writers. All I Need To Know About Filmmaking I Learned From the Toxic Avenger, Make Your Own Damn Movie, Direct Your Own Damn Movie, Produce Your Own Damn Movie, and Sell Your Own Damn Movie are all hilarious, easy to read and filled with tons of handy tips accumulated over 30+ years of truly independent filmmaking. These useful tomes cover everything from how to write a script to how to ensure your lead actress won't back out of her topless scene. As a bonus, most of these books also feature added advice from Troma sympathetic filmmakers like Eli Roth and Whit Stillman!
And since there is always a drastic difference between theory and practice, there are several documentaries available which allow you to watch the Troma gang in action! Farts of Darkness: The Making of Terror Firmer, Apocalypse Soon: The Making of Citizen Toxie and Poultry in Motion all succeed in capturing the unique chaos that is life on a film set. The fights, the food, the accidents, the waiting around. You go through the wringer right along with the cast and crew. And when it comes time to sell your movie, there is All The Love You Cannes which chronicles one of Troma's annual guerrilla marketing campaigns at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.
All of these documentaries are feature-length and can be found through Netflix either on their own or as part of the bonus material to the film they are documenting. Oh and don't forget the commentary tracks too!
And so, as Lloyd would say...LET'S MAKE SOME ART!
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