One Spark Could Start A Fire
 

CRAIG’S BOOKS

 

Welcome to my BOOK page…

I’ve been a voracious reader since the age of seven, devouring everything I could get my hands on — biographies, history, tales of the Civil War and World War II (The Great Escape was a favorite), espionage thrillers, travel narratives, murder mysteries (The Hardy Boys kept me up late at night), sports stories, and the wit and wanderlust of Mark Twain (Tom Sawyer especially). Along the way, I developed a fascination with geography and a love of maps — an early sign that my mind was already charting far-off places.

At sixteen, an unexpected moment changed everything: I won a prestigious sportswriting award. The surprise wasn’t the prize itself, but the realization that I had a talent for writing — a gift I hadn’t recognized until that day. That spark ignited a career that would take many forms: writing scripts, advertising copy, TV spots, promotional campaigns, columns & blogs, and, eventually, screenplays.

From the written page, my work naturally evolved into producing and directing television and documentary films. Soon I was behind the camera, mastering lighting, composition, and editing — the tools to tell stories not just with words, but with images and sound.

On this webpage, you’ll find five books. Two are collections of my travel adventures, chronicling a life lived in motion. Two are devoted to filmmaking and the art of visual storytelling. The fifth is historical fiction inspired by my late grandfather’s service at the Battle of the Somme in 1916 — one of World War I’s most harrowing battles.

(There’s also a specialized work not listed — a scholarly study of Scottish-American film director Alexander MacKendrick — written for the academic world of film studies and published in Europe by VDM Verlag.)

So, dear reader — or young creative just setting out — I hope you find in these pages both the thrill of bold adventures and the weight of hard-earned lessons. May they inspire you to tell your own stories, in whatever form they take.

TIRANA, ALBANIA

AVAILABLE NOW!!!

DANGEROUS ASSIGNMENTS…EXOTIC ADVENTURES…TESTS OF FAITH!

This dramatic book of colorful journeys is a talented filmmaker’s poignant memoir of spiritual battlegrounds, political borders, and the human soul under fire. 

Over a far-ranging 50 year professional career, award-winning TV director & documentary filmmaker, Craig D. Forrest, has crisscrossed 111 countries with equal parts camera and calling. 

He’s captured a rare catalogue of powerful, visual imagery: from miraculous healings across Africa, exorcisms in Argentina, war zones in Iraq, Haitian voodoo rites, tribal cults in South Africa, the open secret of Fidel’s sex trafficking in Cuba, cold mass graves in Bosnia, ethnic cleansing in Burundi, surreal Hindu ceremonies along the Ganges, and Cambodia’s horrific Killing Fields. 

Told in the spirit of Paul Theroux and Werner Herzog, Craig’s reflective book offers readers a raw, revealing look at the places most tourists never see–with both the light and darkness a lens can sometimes only catch. 

Available soon on Amazon - Apple Books - IngramSpark - Barnes & Noble - Draft2Digital

ROAD TO MACHU MICCHU picks up the journey where NIGHT TRAIN TO CAIRO leaves off.

Readers are propelled into the next whirlwind chapters of Craig’s life behind the camera and on the road. From grueling, dust-choked assignments deep in Africa to zigzagging across the vast landscapes of South America, each trip brought new challenges — and unexpected stories. There were covert operations in Asia’s shadowed red-light districts, where filming had to be done in whispers and quick glances; tense returns to the simmering streets and deserts of North Africa; and hair-raising switchbacks along Europe’s twisting roads.

The adventures didn’t stop there. Back in the States, Craig found himself arm-wrestling with high-powered American ad agencies over creative vision, then pivoting to produce heavy metal and rock music videos, where the lights, volume, and egos were all turned up to eleven. Through it all, a new horizon was opening for Craig and Rebecca: a bold chapter devoted to teaching media techniques and pioneering digital strategies in classrooms, workshops, and conference halls around the globe.

Part travelogue, part behind-the-scenes filmmaking diary, and part personal memoir, Road to Machu Picchu is a vivid ride through war zones, boardrooms, back alleys, and mountaintops — chronicling a life lived with a camera in hand and a passport never far away.

COMING IN 2026

 

COMING IN 2027

A BRAVE CANADIAN FARM BOY SHIPS OFF TO WAR

At nineteen, Clifford Forrest — the eldest of four hardy Manitoba farm boys — shocked his Scottish father, William, by enlisting to fight in The Great War. In 1916, he would find himself in the mud and carnage at the Battle of the Somme, one of World War I’s bloodiest confrontations. There, along the shattered trenches of France, Clifford’s courage would be tested beyond measure.

Through the Wire is a sweeping family saga that begins in the soot-darkened streets of Glasgow, Scotland, before crossing the Atlantic to the new frontiers of Ontario, then Manitoba.

Woven into Clifford’s tale is the parallel journey of his future bride, Marjorie Cummings, whose life is marked early by tragedy. Losing her mother, Esther, before her first birthday, Marjorie is raised with love and resilience by a devoted aunt. Her path will lead her from the prairies of Manitoba to the rolling landscapes of Washington State and the rugged beauty of British Columbia.

Told in vivid flashbacks that move between the roar of battle and the quiet endurance of home, Clifford’s and Marjorie’s stories slowly converge — a union forged by survival, sacrifice, and hope. Clifford endures wounds that might have ended another man’s service, yet rises to the rank of Company Sergeant Major. Marjorie navigates loss and upheaval with grace and determination.

Through the Wire is at once a tale of war and romance, perseverance and passion — an intimate portrait of two lives shaped by history’s most violent century.

 

A PRODUCTION BENCHMARK

In his signature book, Craig D. Forrest, award-winning television producer, director, writer, and documentary filmmaker, offers a comprehensive field manual packed with invaluable production insights. This guide is filled with strategies, wisdom, tips, and tactics designed to help you elevate your next digital film or video shoot to a truly professional, organized, and effective level.

Drawing from his extensive career that spans the globe and includes diverse media projects and high-risk overseas assignments, Craig shares lessons from both his successes and failures. His advice, honed over years of working with leading networks, agencies, and organizations, covers essential topics such as Story, Directing, Communication, Planning, Decision-Making, Clients/Talent, Interviewing, Camera, Sound, Lighting, Budget, Editing, Travel, Culture, Teamwork, and Taboos.

Each chapter also includes insider knowledge from renowned directors, experienced creative professionals, and notable filmmakers, offering practical wisdom to enrich your filmmaking journey. Whether you're a novice or a seasoned professional, this book is a production benchmark that provides invaluable insight.

Also available as an eBook on Apple iBooks.

EN Español

En su cautivador libro, el productor, director, autor y documentalista veterano Craig D. Forrest ofrece una rica colección de conocimientos valiosos (en una especie de manual práctico), que incluyen estrategias, consejos sabios y tácticas para llevar tu próxima producción digital a un nivel verdaderamente profesional, organizado y efectivo.

Cada capítulo de TÁCTICAS DE COMANDO PARA FILMACIÓN DIGITAL incluye también información privilegiada de parte de directores reconocidos, talento creativo experimentado y cineastas notables. Ya seas un novato o un profesional, los conocimientos prácticos que comparten añaden perspectivas de valor inestimable a este libro sobre filmación que se convertirá en un punto de referencia en el ámbito de la producción.

También disponible como Libro Electrónico en Apple iPad.