Reviews of The Big Picture

American Cinematographer Magazine

"One of the pleasures of Reilly’s book is its smooth integration of practical, on-set tips with aesthetic insight; for all of his talk of meal penalties, budgets and strip boards, Reilly never loses sight of the ultimate goal: the lasting work of art all the administrative work generates on screen...The set may be the best school, as Bertolucci claimed, but Reilly’s instructive guide is the next best thing."

-Jim Hemphill, American Cinematographer Magazine
Click here to read the full review.

From Strand Bookstore

In this remarkably original exploration of the art and craft of filmmaking, production veteran Tom Reilly shares his insider experiences from many of the last three decades worth of notable movies. The Big Picture is drawn from a remarkable career spent along side more than 60 Oscar winning professionals, and nearly seventeen years working with director Woody Allen. Among the lessons and techniques in this groundbreaking book, Reilly gives readers a behind-the-scenes glimpse at the inner-working of many of Hollywood's most treasured films and, in turn, offers readers and filmmakers a chance to learn about the realities of making a feature film and the ways to make it well.

DGA Quarterly Summer 2009

Assistant director Tom Reilly started as a DGA trainee on Woody Allen’s Stardust Memories in 1979 and worked with Allen for the next 16 years up until Mighty Aphrodite. Since then, he’s worked with Taylor Hackford, James Toback and James Foley, among others, acquiring a depth of knowledge and experience that makes The Big Picture, his guide to working both on- and off-set, one of the most valuable books of its kind. Unlike many similar volumes, this one feels like a labor of love, a lifetime’s experience generously distilled into practical advice for assistant directors—tyros and old hands alike. Reilly starts with the vocabulary of the set, moving on to the perils and rewards of location versus studio shooting, the vicissitudes of changing light, working in awkward locations, period shoots, and setting back-ground performers...

A chapter on choosing a great cinematographer is especially illuminating in analyzing how the look of Allen’s movies changed with every new cinematographer from Gordon Willis’ visual austerity and tableau setups to Carlo Di Palma’s more questing, fluidly mobile camera, and Sven Nykvist’s Bergman-influenced respect for the close-up as facial landscape. Throughout the book, Reilly conveys a sense of being in the room with his directors, and his clear, unadorned prose should forewarn and forearm any newbie stepping on set for the first time.

Praise for The Big Picture

“This book is full of wisdom, insight, and practical filmmaking experience. It’s really what goes on day to day in the trenches. Where was this book when I was starting out?”
—WOODY ALLEN
“Every page is packed with such practical tips and insider information...this is a book that could well become a bible and standard reference text for aspiring filmmakers.”
—Publishers Weekly
“A veteran of over 40 films, Reilly earned his chops on the set and here delivers sage advice with the patient tone of a mentor. He uses real movies and contexts to exemplify real solutions to real problems; this could also be viewed as a primer in applied analytical thinking. This should be considered a valuable supplement to textbook instruction. Highly recommended.”
—Library Journal
“This is the best book on the nuts and bolts—and art— of filmmaking I’ve read. Tom Reilly is a consummate pro. His insightful practical instruction and explanation will rivet anyone who cares about movies and wants to know how sometimes mundane but often astonishingly difficult work on the set ends up as magic on the screen. Reilly’s vivid behind-the-camera descriptions of great directors and cinematographers at work will enlighten and entertain you. If this were a movie, I’d say to see it twice.”
—ERIC LAX
Woody Allen Biographer