On Locations Reader’s Guide
By Mark Kamine
READERS GUIDE
READING GROUP GUIDE- Does On Locations make a career in film production sound like something you’d want? What would you enjoy doing? What would you find challenging or disagreeable?
- The book opens with a chapter about Mark Kamine’s father. What was the effect, in a book primarily about working in the film business, of starting with a personal story? Did it prepare you for what was to follow?
- Among the stars, directors, writers and showrunners, which of these “bigger-than-life” people did you find most appealing? Which least? Which would you want to meet for coffee and what questions would you ask if you did?
- The “New Jersey Family” chapters include painful and embarrassing elements but also moments of understanding and reconciliation. Do you think Mark ended up in a good place? How do you think his upbringing and home-life affected his work?
- Mark relates acts of petty theft and dishonesty he engaged in at the start of his film career, and in the “Crime Series” chapter talks frankly about more lucrative scams his superiors perpetrated. What does this tell you about the film business? Did you expect it? Do you think that kind of activity is likely more prevalent in the entertainment world than others?
- Over the course of the six “Sopranos Years” chapters, the show and its cast go from anonymity to acclaim and fame. Were the effects of success what you expected on the people involved, on the way we look at TV series, and on the author?
- In Mike White’s forward, he disagrees with Mark’s observation in the second of the “Sopranos Years” sections that beyond a small circle of key cast and creative leaders, everyone on a film shoot is replaceable. Who’s right?
- Did you like the way David Chase handled his showrunning duties on The Sopranos? Did they way he treated the writers he worked with make sense to you? What about the crew he worked with? What would you have done differently?
- James Gandolfini, another central pillar of Sopranos success, often shows great generosity and occasionally lapses into bad behavior. How did you feel about him at the end of On Locations? Did you appreciate his accomplishments more or were they tarnished by what you learned?
- What other shows or movies would you welcome a behind-the-scenes look at? Are there particular aspects that went into the making of those shows you’d be curious to learn more about?
- What effect do you think reading On Locations would have on someone interested in working in this field? If you had a friend or relative who wanted a career in film and TV, would you give them this book? Why or why not?
- Does learning about what goes on behind the scenes deepen your understanding of some of your favorite movies or TV shows? Do you think you’ll look at the next series or movie you watch differently?
