Edward Jay Epstein Books

No one has written a book like this about the film industry, providing a panoramic and insightful view; renowned author Edward Jay Epstein reveals the true magic behind the scenes of cinema: how Hollywood studios actually make money. The only art that Hollywood values is the art of business: big productions make big profits not just from box office sales, but from various other ventures, including video games, soundtracks, fast food tie-ins, and theme park attractions. While studios may compete for big stars and Oscars, their parent companies are vying for less glamorous markets, such as cable television, home video, and pay TV. However, money is just a minor character in the Hollywood legend; the social and political atmosphere—power and status—must also be considered to fully understand Hollywood. This book not only reveals financial secrets unknown to outsiders but also paints a vivid picture of the pioneers who built Hollywood, filled with insider information that will astonish readers. To understand the current state of Hollywood and its complex and fascinating survival history, this book is essential.

In a Freakonomics meets Hollywood saga, veteran investigative reporter Edward Jay Epstein goes undercover to explore Hollywood’s “invisible money machine,” probing the dazzlingly complicated finances behind the hits and the flops, while he answers the surprisingly puzzling How do the studios make their money?Along the way we also learn much about star system and what makes the business + What it costs to insure Nicole Kidman’s right knee ...+ How and why the studios harvest silver from old film prints ...+ Why stars do—or don’t do—their own stunts ...+ Why Arnold Schwarzenegger is considered a contract genius ...+ How Hollywood goes about doping outside investors and hedge fund managers ...+ Why Lara Tomb Raider is considered a “masterpiece” of financing ...

"A biography of Lee Harvey Oswald, the alleged assassin of President John F. Kennedy. This book succeeds in finally breaking the legend created for Oswald. It begins by revealing an incredible series of contacts between rival intelligence officers concerning the JFK assassination and culminates in a series of events that turn the CIA inside out. Investigative author Edward Jay Epstein managed to obtain Oswald's address book and interview more than 150 people who knew him." -- Barnes & Noble

"After details of American government surveillance were published in 2013, Edward Snowden, formerly a subcontracted IT analyst for the NSA, became the center of an international controversy: was he a hero, traitor, whistleblower, spy? Was his theft legitimized by the nature of the information he exposed? When is it necessary for governmental transparency to give way to subterfuge? Edward Jay Epstein [examines] these and other questions, delving into both how our secrets were taken and the man who took them"--Amazon.com.

Co dnes živí velká hollywoodská studia? Už to nejsou jen tržby z pokladen kin, ale především prodej autorských práv, která je možno odkoupit. Současný Hollywood není jen o umění, jde především o byznys. Jeho lesk, úspěch a bohatství nevzniká ve filmových ateliérech, ale na tichých schůzkách filmových producentů s agenty herců, zástupci multiplexů a výrobci občerstvení. Novinář Edward J. Epstein ve své knize odkrývá původ ohromných příjmů hollywoodských studií a odpovídá na otázky, které si možná občas klade každý, byť sváteční, návštěvník kina. Jak vypadá smlouva pro hereckou hvězdu? Znamená sex ve filmu výhodu nebo spíš problém? Proč má většina kinosálů méně než 300 křesel? Speciální kapitola je věnována produkci nezávislých filmů, která mj. přináší i několik rad jak nezávislý film financovat.