Director
and action coordinator Art Camacho has been a mainstay in the marital
arts world for several decades, recently however, with the release of
The Chemist (Assassin X) Art's name has been mentioned more as a
talented filmmaker. Art has had his share of set backs in his career
path, but manages to stay above the fray and keep positive. His first
book, 'A Filmmaker's Journey is an honest, and realistic account of
the trials and tribulations of working on independent films, and
detailed stories from his humble background.
A
Filmmaker's Journey is divided into 18 chapters and at 160 pages is a
smooth afternoon read, yet I found myself going back and revisiting
several chapters, as Art is keen on realistic advice without being
preachy. Art is not afraid to pull the curtain back on his own
failures and perhaps allow his own journey help others be better at
theirs. Art is brutally honest, yet his refreshing take on making
films and learning along the way. Chapter 6 - Confronting My
Failures, is Art's revelation of the various difficulties he had in
school and including the actress on his film not being able to
memorize her lines, nor read her cue cards. What is nice is the fact
that Art never dwells on the subject of negativity nor the people
involved, he chalks it up to a learning experience. Listen and Learn
and Rising Above the Negativity, are two chapters that really hit
home for me and also I am sure will resonate loudly to those who have
had to deal with the obligatory yet ever present haters in the
business. Again, Art keeps it respectful, and rather than being mired
in the sadness of things out of his control he offers hope and
solutions to things he can change.
The
end of the book offers advice to those who wish to be filmmakers. Art Is encouraging, yet unapologetic to those not willing to
take the time, to learn and hone their craft. Art is quick with
examples and provides some cool photos as well from his various
films.
Overall,
A Filmmaker's Journey is a great read, a must for action fans and is
currently going into the second printing, visit
http://martialartsmuseum.com/
for more information as The Martial Arts History Museum and Michael
Matsuda are the publishers. For more information on Art, check out
his IMDB page: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0131064/
