The Wisdom of Stupidity is an introduction to the art of filmmaking for you, the filmmaker.

Successful chick-lit author and TT journalist Roy Devon leads you through the videographic process, using the life and work of Smile Orange Films (Fatliners, I'llkillya!, The Hunt for the Yorkshire Grimace, Channel 4’s Focus North), as a case study. Devon tracks down the legendary masters of celluloid (cathode ray and Hi8) and, with their guidance, learns how to gain wisdom through stupidity.

In the process, you are given an original insight into the pre-YouTube British filmmaking scene of the 1990s, a time when the increased availability of camcorders meant that anybody could make a feature film, advertise it in a fanzine and sell it to fans around the world.

Smile Orange Films, from humble beginnings, soon became hot property. Their head-spinning journey through DIY filmmaking led eventually to the Cannes Film Festival, detailed here. When television came knocking, the jump to stardom was inevitable. Or so they thought.

Avoid the same mistakes. Using jargon-free terminology this book guides you through the filmmaking process. Here you will learn how to get ideas, pitch to a commissioning editor, deal with an unprofessional crew and celebrity strops, shoot on the moors, survive financial collapse and so much more.

Authors: Julian Butler / Robert Priestley
Publisher: Headpress
Page Count: 264pp
Size: 6.75 x 8.75 x .5
Notes: paperback, b/w
Date of Publication: March 15, 2019
ISBN: 978-1909394384