[Quick Summary: Philadelphia sports writer Michael Bamberger meets M. Night Shyamalan at a 2004 dinner party, and follows him over two years during the creation of Lady in the Water.]
A few weeks ago, I saw this book mentioned on Twitter.
I was curious because they said this was a "cautionary" tale.
I didn't see it the same way.
I thought it was an excellent look at how decisions are made behind-the-scenes.
The author covers it all:
- The tense dinner with studio execs over Shyamalan's script
- The good and bad on set
- Shyamalan's angst when readers didn't get his story, etc.
If nothing else, read this book for:
1) How Shyamalan outsmarted Harvey Weinstein (p.20-21)
2) An amazing primer on how to handle a NYU student director who saw a private rough cut and posted a review without Shyamalan's knowledge (p. 255-258; Shyamalan turned it around in a big way.)
3) Dealing with doubt and desperation
WHAT I'VE LEARNED: I will not forget the priceless story on how to truly apologize to a crew member (p. 238-239).
The Man Who Heard Voices, Or, How M. Night Shyamalan Risked His Career on a Fairy Tale (2006)
by Michael Bamberger
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