If you dream of making a movie but don't know where to start or you're afraid that your film will end up being yet another unseen indie, this is the book for you. Based on the real-life experiences of Sundance award-winning screenwriter/director Diane Bell, SHOOT FROM THE HEART will guide you through the process of making an indie film successfully -- from writing a stand-out script to raising finance, from getting the most out of your shoot to planning a profitable release. Broken down into sixteen essential steps, this book provides you with a clear, actionable, real-world plan for turning your filmmaking dream into your reality. The method in this book is available to anyone, anywhere. You don't need a ton of money or industry connections, you just need to be willing to do the work of each step. In this book, you'll find ass-kicking inspiration and motivational tips for the long journey filmmaking is, as well as the practical knowledge and insider's information you need to make it happen. SHOOT FROM THE HEART will empower you to trust your creative instincts and leave you with no excuses for not making the best film you can. This guide is the only one you need if you seriously want to stop talking about making movies and actually make a great one.

Al Tompkins teaches students about broadcast journalism using a disarmingly simple truth—if you aim for the heart with the copy you write and the sound and video you capture, you will compel your viewers to keep watching. With humor, honesty, and directness, award-winning journalist and author Al Tompkins bottles his years of experience and insight in a new Third Edition that offers students the fundamentals they need to master journalism in today’s constantly evolving media environment, with practical know-how they can immediately put to use in their careers. Aim for the Heart is as close as you can get to spending a week in one of Tompkins’s training sessions that he has delivered in newsrooms around the world, from which students: • Learn how to build compelling characters who connect with the audience • Write inviting leads • Get memorable soundbites • See how to light, crop, frame, and edit compelling videos • Learn how to leverage social media to engage audiences • Gain critical thinking skills that move your story from telling the “what” to telling the “why”

NATIONAL BOOK CRITICS CIRCLE AWARD WINNER • A murder tale "from inside the house where murder is born." Haunting, harrowing, and profoundly affecting, Shot in the Heart exposes and explores a dark vein of American life that most of us would rather ignore. It is a book that will leave no reader unchanged. Gary Gilmore, the infamous murderer immortalized by Norman Mailer in The Executioner's Song, campaigned for his own death and was executed by firing squad in 1977. Writer Mikal Gilmore is his younger brother. In Shot in the Heart, he tells the stunning story of their wildly dysfunctional family: their mother, a black sheep daughter of unforgiving Mormon farmers; their father, a drunk, thief, and con man. It was a family destroyed by a multigenerational history of child abuse, alcoholism, crime, adultery, and murder. Mikal, burdened with the guilt of being his father's favorite and the shame of being Gary's brother, gracefully and painfully relates his story "from inside the house where murder is born... a house that, in some ways, [he has] never been able to leave." Shot in the Heart is the history of an American family inextricably tied up with violence, and the story of how the children of this family committed murder and murdered themselves in payment for a long lineage of ruin.

In the spring of 1950, 17-year-old South Korean high school senior Won Moo Hurh dreamed of studying law at Seoul National University after graduation. His life changed irrevocably on June 25 when North Korean forces invaded his homeland. After less than three months of training, Hurh was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Army of the Republic of Korea and sent to the front, where the casualty rate for such junior officers could reach 60 percent. In this exceptionally well written memoir, Hurh provides not only a descriptive chronicle of his wartime exploits, but also a social and psychological exploration of the absurdity of war in general. Hurh's vivid remembrances bring to life the "forgotten" Korean War from the viewpoint of a Korean officer, a perspective rarely available in English until now.

"Shooting Back caught my attention. Way to go, Jim Hubbard." --Oprah Winfrey "Shooting Back is wonderful and should be supported in every way possible." --Hillary Rodham Clinton "There is the photojournalism that is objective, and then there is the photojournalism that is purposefully provocative. Jim hubbard has found time to practice both." --The Washington Post "Jim and Shooting Back gives ... us all hope." --Maria Shriver, NBC news "His photos are powerful. His theme is strong and honest. Jim's faith story is compelling, enabled by the grace and love of God. There is a human joy. Jim Hubbard is a very special person, and I am proud to know him. --Martin Sheen "Jim Hubbard's photos are a worthy continuation of the tradition of American documentary photography that has tried to give voice to the voiceless. Through his sensitivity we feel that these are people and not just a problem. --Peter Howe, director of photography, LIFE magazine "Jim Hubbard reached a position which any photographer would envy. He has embarked on a task which is difficult and rarely lucrative. Jim spends his time in our ghettos, our poverty-filled streets. He is an artist photographing the poor, impoverished to heighten the public's awareness. Jim should serve as an example to us all." --US House of Representatives Majority Whip Tony Coelho, D-CA "I was very moved and touched by your book. God has redeemed, is redeeming, the searing pain of your loss. Your story greatly encourages me." --Rankin Wilbourne, senior pastor, Pacific Crossroads Church, Santa Monica, California

Amy Kinnard is young, athletic, and has everything going for her. She and her brother John have a special bond. It is this special bond that will save the life of a stranger who lives hundreds of miles away.

"I can think of no one else who writes with Cody's combination of savagery and tenderness, or who displays such a translucent style to such reverberant effect." --Brian Hall, "I Should Be Extremely Happy in Your Company."