STILL ROLLING

Little, an American television and film director, recounts his career in a notoriously cutthroat industry in this debut memoir.

After working a variety of smaller jobs, the author broke into his profession by directing a title sequence to ensure that a feature film reached its desired 90-minute running time. This job led to his directorial debut, a low-budget mid-1980s spy thriller titled KGB—The Secret War. Little would go on to make several Hollywood movies and score some hits while suffering a few box-office disappointments. Many of his films have been notable—they include a sequel in the popular Halloween franchise (Halloween 4:The Return of Michael Myers); a Steven Seagal vehicle (Marked for Death); a grim take on Phantom of the Opera with horror icon Robert Englund; and the actioner Rapid Fire with Brandon Lee. He later shifted to TV (the author makes it bracingly clear that television directors have much tighter schedules and considerably less authority than their cinematic counterparts), directing episodes for such series as Bones, The X-Files, Nikita, and 24. Little aptly illuminates the “competitive” nature of the entertainment industry, providing behind-the-scenes looks at everything being a director entails. He writes of projects that he passed on or that fell through, the various edits that movies undergo, and anxiously awaiting everyone’s reactions to the completed project. This tautly written memoir isn’t a scathing tell-all but rather an upbeat chronicle of one man practicing his beloved craft. Little excelled at working with others; even when describing challenging actors, he often focuses his anecdotes on describing how he resolved potential conflicts. He advises aspiring filmmakers to stay positive and maintain reasonable expectations: “If you didn’t get a lot of hugs as a child, don’t expect to get them on a movie set.” While Little’s career focus is consistent, he occasionally touches on aspects of his personal life, including a not-so-secret romance that didn’t end well. The text is accompanied by a wonderful array of on-set photos.

A revealing, wholly absorbing spotlight on an unforgiving but seductive profession.