Shooting Water: A Memoir of Second Chances, Family, and Filmmaking

Book Description

This debut memoir, an intimate story of second chances, love and redemption, spans three continents and four countries, as a daughter rekindles her relationship with her filmmaker mother during the production of Water, Deepa Mehta's most controversial movie.

Introducing a new literary voice, Shooting Water recounts Devyani Saltzman's remarkable story of reconnecting with her mother, international award-winning filmmaker Deepa Mehta. When Devyani was eleven, her parents divorced, and the courts required her to choose which parent to live with. She chose to live with her father in Toronto and then spent the next eight years navigating between two religions (Hinduism and Judaism), two cultures (Indian and Canadian), two traditions and two people—belonging to both and to neither at once.

In late 1999, at the age of nineteen, Devyani was invited by her mother to join her in the holy city of Benares, India, to work on Water, the final installment in Mehta's acclaimed Elements trilogy (which started with Fire and Earth). After only a week of shooting, Waterbecame the target of a series of politically motivated attacks. The movie was shut down. Devyani went off to Oxford and, then, three years later rejoined her mother when production resumed in Sri Lanka. What began as a journey to heal deep wounds from the past turned into a five-year odyssey to complete the film.

Transformative and inspiring, Shooting Water chronicles Saltzman's life-changing experience in India, the struggle to produce a film, and, through that struggle, the emergence of a deeper love between mother and daughter. 16 b/w photographs.

Customer Reviews:

An interesting memoir from a young woman.......2007-08-26

I received this book, a signed copy, from the author at a book fair last year. With my daughter doing field work in India for her Master's in Public Health, I finally picked it up. It was beautifully written and and evoked many of the same interesting tales of an exotic country.

Devyani Saltzman writes of a difficult childhood and how the divorce of her parents scarred her. She chose to live with her father. Despite a strained relationship with her mother, she is asked by her mother to help make the film, Water. Deepa Mehta, the filmaker, is an interesting woman in her own right and her films are progressive and feminist and beautifully filmed.

This insightful book unfolds as the film is pulled from shooting due to its feminist theme. Ms. Saltzman then explores India, goes to college and experiences a breakdown and finally gets to help make this film four years later, in Sri Lanka. The beautiful, ultimate reunion between mother and daughter help to make this book meaningful.

If you love film, especially art house film, read this "behind the scenes" exploration. Amid the family turmoil, you will get an in depth education about making a movie.

A revealing story .......2006-09-24

In late 1999 when the author was almost twenty her filmmaker mother Deepa Mehta invited her to come to India to work as a third assistant cameraperson on her new controversial film Water. SHOOTING WATER: A MEMOIR OF SECOND CHANCES, FAMILY, AND FILMMAKING chronicles this season where mother and daughter worked to repair a strained relationship affected by divorce and separation. The fallout of such a relationship was to affect not just their relationship but Saltzman's own choice of religion (Hinduism and Judaism), culture (Indian and Canadian) and more. Anticipate a revealing story in SHOOTING WATER which covers not just the art of filmmaking in India, but how families are separated and come back together.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

Fascinating .......2006-08-29

Shooting Water by Devyani Saltzman is the touching story of the making of the film Water of which Ms. Salzman's mother, Deepa Mehta, is the writer/director. The film documents the deplorable life of widows in India in the 1930's. The shooting began in Benares, India's most holy city where many of these widows lived. However, within a couple of days dangerous demonstrations shut down the production and four years later the film was finished in Sri Lanka. The book documents the events surrounding the shooting while the mother and daughter team work out the stresses and pain of a lifetime between them, since Devyani chose to live with her father after her parents divorced. The struggle with the film-making parallels the struggle with their hearts, and as they resolved the production problems they also resolved their relationship pains. It is a touching book, timely, as the film is just being released in the U.S

Captivating.......2006-07-20

I read this book straight through in a day and a half. A beautifully written account of the shooting of the film Water, the author's relationship with her family, and her life experiences, the narrative invokes powerful images, sounds, and emotions. The book recognizes the imperfections, the struggles, the injustices--in the world, in relationships--and is ultimately hopeful and uplifting.

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Shooting the Actor
Simon Callow
Manufacturer: Picador
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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Being an Actor

ASIN: 031242244X

Book Description

When Simon Callow met the Yugoslav film director Dusan Makavejev to discuss his new film Manifesto, they both greatly looked forward to working together. Only months later the two were barely speaking.

A companion volume to Being An Actor, Shooting the Actor is a funny and disastrous account of a film made in the former Yugoslavia, together with new essays on film and film acting including Callow’s work in Amadeus and Four Weddings and a Funeral.

Shooting the Actor reveals more about the process of filmmaking and the highly complex nature of the role of both actor and director than any formal guide could ever provide.

A Photographer's Guide to Shooting Model and Actor Portfolios

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Photographer's Guide to Shooting Model and Actor Portfoli9s
This is an average book at best

A Photographer's Guide to Shooting Model and Actor Portfolios
Alan Lowy , C. J. Elfont , Alan Lowry , and Edna A. Elfont
Manufacturer: Amherst Media
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1584280050

Product Description

Learn all about shooting model and actor portrolios with this new book, which teaches you how to determine what the needs of the model and agency are, through to the shooting process and the final design and presentation.

Customer Reviews:

Photographer's Guide to Shooting Model and Actor Portfoli9s.......1999-12-05

"There is more to successfully shooting and producing a model's portfolio than taking good photographs of people. It requires a combination of artistic talent, technical knowledge business and communication skills, basic psychology, and imagination." This first paragraph of the introduction to the Photographer's Guide to Shooting Model and Actor Portfolio tells photographers right up front that the business of portfolio work is not to be taken lightly. It's hard work. If you decide this is the work in which you want to be proficient, however, this soft cover book can be a definite asset to your library. The book covers subjects such as how attract clients and how to best serve and build a professional relationship with your client and their agency. Chapter two gives pointers on preparing the contract, " . . . the most significant piece of paperwork you can generate." A list is presented stating all the things that need to be discussed and put in the contract to protect yourself and your client. Along with this information pricing practices are suggested. Preparation for the shoot, the shoot and how to handle the film after the shoot are covered in detail. The use of props, posing and lighting and how to use each to best show case your clients are discussed in detail and generously illustrated. Lighting set-ups are diagramed with photographs showing the effect of each set-up. The last chapter is about the design, printing, packaging and delivery of the portfolio. Written in clear and concise terms, words are not wasted. Subjects, however, are covered thoroughly. If you had no other material but this book to refer to for your first portfolio shoot, I think you could successfully handle the job from start to finish.

This is an average book at best.......1999-11-26

This book is extremely weak in its photography and style. Pictures and fashions are dated, and creativity of poses and lighting makes for bland entertainment, or instruction for that matter.

It starts to show some glimmer of hope when it mentions how to pose hands and shows pictures of does and don'ts for posing them. But it stops short and doesn't offer much more (a little yes, but not much) for other parts of the body either. It never lends advice to subtle but important aspects of arrangements of posture or eye placement.

The good news about this book, is Amazon will take it back!

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Interesting Collection of Biographical Essays on Western Film Stars

Shooting Stars: Heroes and Heroines of Western Film
Archie McDonald
Manufacturer: Indiana University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: 0253204151

Customer Reviews:

Interesting Collection of Biographical Essays on Western Film Stars.......2006-06-25

This is an interesting collection of essays on the people who worked in front of the camera making western films during the first three-quarters of the twentieth century. Much of the volume presents biographical articles on ten western film stars, with two overview chapters discussing women in westerns and television westerns. The actors profiled include William S. Hart, Ken Maynard, Randolph Scott, Gary Cooper, Gene Autry, John Wayne, Audie Murphy, Burt Lancaster, and Clint Eastwood. Curiously, a chapter on Ronald Reagan seems out of place since he made only six insignificant westerns. Even more curious, such major stars as Tom Mix, Harry Carey, Roy Rogers, and Hopalong Cassidy are absent.

What results from this collection is a dramatic building of the western from its earliest representations through its most mature form in the work of John Wayne and Cline Eastwood. Wayne, of course, was the epitome of the western film star, "embodying personal power, flint-like resolution, resourcefulness, uncanny endurance, and above all, heroism" (p. 109), according to essayist Archie P. McDonald.

The best essay in the collection may be Gary A. Yoggy's "When Television Wore Six-Guns: Cowboy Heroes on TV." It offers a fascinating glimpse into the psyche of the United States when westerns ruled the airwaves during the 1950s and 1960s. For instance, in 1958 seven of the top ten shows on TV were westerns, and eighteen new westerns began airing that year. Yoggy discusses such stalwarts as "Gunsmoke," "Death Valley Days," "Bonanza," "Rawhide," "Wagon Train," "Maverick," and "The Big Valley." What is it about the America of this era that made these shows so popular? The sense of justice, irreverence, and equality, laced with a certain humor went far in making these shows so popular.

This is a very interesting collection of essays on an important topic in the history of film. Also, they are fun to read. Despite the omissions and the lack of an index (unforgivable in a work of non-fiction) this is a truly interesting book. Enjoy.

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Straight Shooting
Robert Stack , and Mark Evans
Manufacturer: MacMillan
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0026133202

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"Tribute to "A" & "B" Western Saddle Heroes ... Rutherford & Smith III ... Empire Publishing"
Great Service
Great reference for serious collectors or anyone interested

More Cowboy Shooting Stars
John A. Rutherford , and Richard B. Smith
Manufacturer: Empire Pub
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0944019110

Customer Reviews:

"Tribute to "A" & "B" Western Saddle Heroes ... Rutherford & Smith III ... Empire Publishing".......2006-09-21

Empire Publishing presents "MORE COWBOY SHOOTING STARS", from authors John A. Rutherford & Richard B. Smith III, an encyclopedic film credits tribute to 240 "A" and "B" Western Saddle Heroes plus 24 Low-Budget series of the sound era ... a super film reference book from 1928 involving both lead and support roles in films and television features ... which is intended as an available guide for film collectors, film fans and film historians who are personally devoted to the oater genre ... listing the name of each actor who appeared and who rode along side the heroes of B-Westerns --- note the actors in alphabetical order with their films listed according to chronological release, studio abbreviations are included with running times given an additional range where applicable, westerns in color are designated with a (C) before the year of release ... features two reels or less have been omitted, whereas TV movies where a studio or network can't be identified are so noted with the abbreviation TVM ... all in all a wonderful guide for the official closing chapters of the long run of the oaters years.

Each Western-Star has a short synopsis, film title, the year, the studio and running times ... listed below is a sample from the book:

WILLIAM BOYD (1898 - 1972)
He became millions of youngsters "Hopalong Cassidy" series favorite in 66 features for Paramount (1935-1941) and United Artists (1942-1944; 1946-1948) ... Boyd was a Top Money Making Western star (1936-1945, 1947-1950) in addition to doing 52 half our episodes of the Clarence Mulford character (1952-1954) for TV syndication.
HOP-A-LONG CASSIDY (aka: Hopalong Cassidy Enters) ... 1935 ... Paramount ... 59-62 mins.

Hats off to our friends at Empire Publishing as the authors John A. Rutherford & Richard B. Smith III put down on paper the trails these western heroes followed ... we remember their charm, grace, style and wit but also their courage, daring, dignity and professionalism that helped make the B-Western great --- If you're into the memories of the B-Western, this is the one you've been anxiously waiting for --- Many of the stars within this publication gave us hours of entertainment...their careers of excellence and dedication to the craft of acting...the audiences who were so faithful for several decades...all the cast members took their job very seriously and the audience would not settle for anything less than the best...and it showed up there on the big screen. --- another winner from Empire Publishing --- Western Classics, all my heroes have been cowboys!

Total Page: 214 Pages ~ Empire Publishing ISBN: 0944019110 ~ (January 1993)

Great Service.......2005-09-14

I was so pleased to receive this book in a timely manner, thanks.

Great reference for serious collectors or anyone interested.......1999-10-11

For anyone interested in the Saturday matinee cowboy stars of the thirties through fifties, this is a great reference book.Organized by actor, includes every movie with date, studio, and lenght of film. Highly recommended

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The Actors (Shooting Script Series)
Conor McPherson
Manufacturer: Nick Hern Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1854597361

Book Description

A struggling Irish actor helps an actor friend con a significant amount of cash out of Dublin gangster. They find themselves unwittingly drawn into a large-scale heist which requires all their acting talents and more to avoid being rumpled.

From the author of The Weir and based on a story by Neil Jordan.

Professional Headshots: How to Make Money Shooting Portfolios for Actors

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Lights Camera Action
My Headshots get me countless Commercial Auditions
The real thing is still to come

Professional Headshots: How to Make Money Shooting Portfolios for Actors
John Hart
Manufacturer: Amphoto Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0817456066

Customer Reviews:

Lights Camera Action.......2002-03-01

I am a beginning Photographer. I found this book accidentally and I like it. He is telling you to know your subject: their personality, quirks, etc. It's not about gloss and phoney smiles.

It is a good beginning to learn about photography. Your not photographing apples and oranges, you are photographing people in the most natural way.

E. Wizzola

My Headshots get me countless Commercial Auditions.......1999-07-27

John Hart stands by what he writes in this informative book. I am a Character Actress/Singer/Commedianne. Our sessions have never been rushed and he takes the time to examine wardrobe, Hair choices, makeup and creates a very relaxed environment. You can see my picture on page 72 in his book PROFESSIONAL HEADSHOTS: HOW TO MAKE MONEY SHOOTING PORTFOLIOS FOR ACTORS. I am called for countless Commercial auditions as well as Sitcom and theatre work.

The real thing is still to come.......1998-10-31

As a person seriously interested in photographing professional headshots, I am quite deceptioned by this book. The teacher has allocated very few words in fully explaining to the readers the pictures he shows, how do you start business, how to market your work, how a starter without those great reception and changing rooms can nevertheless start. Additionally, how Mr Hart has himself started, a good and really interesting point, is not described at all. Most of the covered topics could in principle make a good book, but too much space is waisted time and again in praising his photos and his models, shown in the book, as if we, the readers, were in fact his prospective clients. Or, worse than that, as if his main interest in writing his book, was to guarantee that his clientele, hereby displayed, come back. Instead of telling us that "Stella Pierce exudes glamour without even trying", according to Mr Hart's taste, perhaps next time he can teach us how to make a glamorous image of a woman that does not look like at first impression. The headshot of Mss DeCristofaro (page 73) emphasizes her already broad chin, instead of minimizing it. Ok, perhaps the pitfall was Mss DeCristofaro's compelling the photographer to lower his camera in order to catch our eye with a bit of her breast, but why displaying such a pitfall over a full page, or at all, and tell the readers about her "cool self assurance and quiet strength" - virtues the photo doesn't communicate? On the other hand some headshots are interesting, as the 4-photos composite of James Douglas in which 4 really different looks are obtained from the same person. What a pitty that in this sample Mr Hart limits his explanations to hair-style/make up/clothing, only, and superficially. What "The top NY headshot photographer" has to say about establishing rapport with the people comming to his studio, is left as everithing else, in broad generalities. So I cannot but conclude that the real good point of this book is in being a living example of how to make money with lousy work. It sounds very nice, Mr Hart, specially for your clientele's ears, that you recommend us "to help actors getting started". Perhaps if you invest a bigger effort in helping readers learn your technique, we would.

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Shooting Star
Kate Green
Manufacturer: HarperCollins
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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Night Angel

ASIN: 0060179880

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EWAN MCGREGOR FANS
This book seems a little made up.
gettin to know ewan

Shooting Star
Janine Poveroy
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Mass Market Paperback

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ASIN: 0345427246
Release Date: 1998-11-28

Book Description

AN EXTRA-ORDINARY BLOKE

A sexy Scottish sensation, Ewan McGregor is poised for stardom as the young Obi-Wan Kenobi in the new Star Wars prequels. With an inimitable style that defies stereotyping, he's quickly becoming the British "It Boy" for the coming millenium. From his notable role as the troubled Renton in 1995's smash hit Trainspotting to his much-anticapted turn as a Jedi Knight, Ewan McGregor is proving himself to be the coolest import of the decade!

Now here's all the info on Ewan's rise to fame: from his small-town childhood in Scotland and his training at London's Guildhall School of Music and Drama to his early acting gigs and his emergence as the ultimate GenX icon--as well as his unique take on life, love, and the Hollywood scene.

Ewan still considers himself to be just a regular guy. After SHOOTING STAR, you'll beg to differ.

Customer Reviews:

EWAN MCGREGOR FANS.......1999-06-10

I ENJOYED THE BOOK A LOT, BEING A MCGREGOR FAN MYSELF,BUT I WOULD PREFER THAT IT HAD MORE INFO ON HIM AND NOT AS MUCH ON HIS FILMS AND THE PEOPLE IN THEM. OVER ALL, THE BOOK WAS GOOD AND HAD A LOT OF INTERESTING FACTS IN IT AND ANY EWAN MCGREGOR FAN WOULD AGREE WITH ME THAT HE IS PRETTY HOT IN THE COLOR PICTURES IN THE BOOK!

This book seems a little made up........1999-06-10

When I saw this book at the library, I checked it out right away, being a huge fan of Ewan. when I started reading it though, I had a different suprise. Some of the information kind of clashed with what the rest of the book would say. Being an unauthorized biography, I can't help but wonder: was some of the information made up just for the book. Another thing that kind of bothered me was instead of focusing on Ewan, the focus was more on the plot of the movies, tv shows, and everything else that was going on around him. I will say this though, the color photos in the center are perfect for any fan!

gettin to know ewan.......1999-03-27

very much for the ewan-worshipper. interesting facts on the movies ewan made and ewan's feelings on the movies he's made. a few pictures of ewan certainly for the EWAN-WORSHIPPER!!

Book Description

The 12 new essays in this volume explore the relationship between text and music in Alban Berg's works. The book examines the biographical issues that made such expressive choices attractive to the composer, and explores ways in which works not involving explicit verbal texts create signification, allusion, and reference.

Customer Reviews:

In-depth study of Alban Berg's Music.......2000-03-25

This book is the most valuable study of Alban Berg's music available in English language. Each chapter in this book is written by an eminent scholar/musicologist from Austria, Canada or US. The book is the most in-depth study of this underrated member of the second Viennese School. The four parts of this volume address four aspects relating to the ability of Berg's music to speak without words. The essays in part 1 deal with biographical issues that may have made such expressive choices particularly attractive to the composer. Part 2 explores various ways in which compositions not involving explicit verbal texts create signification, allusion, and reference, both to persons of importance in the composer's life and to literary works. Part 3 is dedicated to Berg's song cycles, and Part 4 examines Berg's operas. Many musical examples accompany the written text, and informative annotations conclude each chapter. The book is useful both to professionals and average listeners who want to better understand the beautiful music of this composer. There are two other similar studies of 20th century composers that can compare to this volume and they are Olivier Messiaen by Samuel and Henri Dutilleux by Caroline Potter.

Encrypted Messages in Alban Berg's Music.(Review): An article from: Notes

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Encrypted Messages in Alban Berg's Music.(Review): An article from: Notes
Allen Gimbel
Manufacturer: Music Library Association, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from Notes, published by Music Library Association, Inc. on March 1, 1999. The length of the article is 1900 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Encrypted Messages in Alban Berg's Music.(Review)
Author: Allen Gimbel
Publication: Notes (Refereed)
Date: March 1, 1999
Publisher: Music Library Association, Inc.
Volume: 55 Issue: 3 Page: 622(3)

Article Type: Book Review

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