The Movie Making Book gives kids ages 7-12 the necessary skills and tips for becoming a movie maker all on their own. These fun movie-making projects cover all the stages of developing and executing a vision for a movie. In the first section of this book, you will learn about movie shots; there are lots of short projects that will help you master your skills and knowledge of shots as a movie maker. In the second section of this book, you will learn about movie skills—learn how to write a script just like professional movie makers and discover how to use your different shots to create a storyboard. In section three of this book, you will learn about special effects—lots of tricks and techniques that will help you re-create some impressive stunts and special effects. In the fourth section of this book, you will learn about editing your movies—lots of ideas and projects to build up your skills in movie editing. You will learn how to show flashbacks, create slow-motion effects, and add in green-screen visual tricks.

In the fifth section of this book, you will learn about super sounds—useful techniques for working with sound. You will find tips on choosing the perfect music, how to create your own convincing sound effects, and how to record your own voiceovers. In the sixth section of this book, you will learn about movie making projects—it’s time to put your movie-making skills to good use in your own projects. In the seventh section in this book, you will learn about making programs—learn how a movie maker can help people tell their stories. In the eighth section of this book, you will learn about movie-making stories—make your own movie masterpiece. In the ninth section of this book, you will learn how to share your movies—how to export your movies and how to set up an online channel.

Each project is designed to offer you the tools to become an accomplished movie maker at home. You can follow through the projects one by one, or pick and choose the areas you need to work on the most or that need the most improvement.

Although this book is written for kids ages 7-12, I would like to say, even my 14-year-old had a lot of fun with these projects, and her movie-making skills have improved! The Movie Making Book is a book for young movie makers who want to develop their skills, imagination, creativity, and visual literacy. You don’t need fancy equipment or training to become a filmmaker. Just grab your phone, tablet, or video recorder and a friend or two; open this book; and start making movies today!

Product review by Susan Reed, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, July 2017