I’ve been a Badham fan for a long time now. Saturday Night Fever and War Games are special favorites of mine. That’s why I practically devoured I’ll Be in My Trailer: Creative Wars between Directors and Actors. Although expecting to learn a lot about filmmaking by reading this book, I was quite surprised at how much I enjoyed it. For example, here’s the first paragraph of my review:

“Much of the time while reading I’ll Be in My Trailer, I heard questions shouted at me from another room. ‘What are you laughing at now?’ my husband yelled almost every few minutes from his hallowed place in front of the television set. So I would take the book into the living room and read aloud one of John Badham’s amusing experiences directing movie stars like John Travolta, Richard Pryor, Emilio Estevez and Johnny Depp.”

In I’ll Be in My Trailer, Badham passes on helpful information about how to work with actors, and not just from his own point of view. He also includes advice from numerous directors and actors. That was back in 2006 – and this book is now being used in film schools worldwide.  

Which brings us to 2013 and John Badham On Directing. Happily, Badham is back with his delightful breezy style – this time explaining the importance of trust between actors and directors, effective techniques for directing action and suspense scenes, and the tools that keep actors and directors on the path to success. In the process, Badham relates wonderful behind-the-scenes details as well as fascinating film-related discussions with creative folks like Jodie Foster, Steven Soderbergh and Oliver Stone. Part of the charm of this book involves Badham’s candor about mistakes he’s made. And for film students, the summaries at the end of each chapter are pure gold.    

As enlightening and entertaining as John Badham On Directing is, I admire most the way Badham emphasizes humanistic virtues -- like respect, courtesy and open mindedness – in the lessons he covers so skillfully in this excellent book. Of course, he has a wealth of experience to draw from. Badham has amassed over 50 directing credits for movies and television shows. Two of his films – Blue Thunder and War Games – received four Academy Award nominations in 1983. Plus, his TV work earned two 1973 Emmy nominations – one for The Senator and one for The Law.

Badham currently serves as Professor of Media Arts for the Dodge School of Film and Media at Chapman University in California. After reading John Badham On Directing, I know how lucky his students must feel.     

(Both of John Badham’s books are published by Michael Wiese Productions. For more information, please click on the website below.)