Introduction to Directing: Home

This industry bible provides an accessible overview of the fundamental techniques and aesthetic considerations in different areas of filmmaking. Covering video formats from old school to digital, two award-winning filmmakers and teachers address all aspects of filmmaking. The book explains technical aspects of and common issues with film, video, lenses, sound recording, editing and lighting, including its practical appendices with tables on digital data rates, depth of field, lens angle and monitor calibration.

Now in full color for the first time, The Visual Story offers a clear view of the relationship between script structure and visual structure in film, video, animation and video games. Learn visual vocabulary from an expert, allowing cinematographers, directors, designers and editors to communicate moods and emotions more effectively, strengthening the overall story. This guide divides screen visuals into tangible sections: contrast and affinity; space, line and shape; movement and rhythm; and tone and colour.

Imagemaking for Cinematographers and Directors
While some aspects of visual storytelling, lighting and colour are constant over time, shooting methods, workflow and cameras have changed radically. These changes affect cinematographers and technicians, but also the director. This book and its companion website cover everything from visual languages to continuity to lighting methods, with both introductory essentials and advanced content.

A complete catalogue of motion picture techniques for filmmakers. It concentrates on the 'storytelling' school of filmmaking, utilizing the work of the great stylists who established the versatile vocabulary of technique that has dominated the movies since 1915. This graphic approach includes comparisons of style by interpreting a 'model script' created for the book, in storyboard form.

The sequel to 'Film Directing Shot by Shot', this book tackles specific problems of staging cinematic scenes. How should directors shoot scenes in confined spaces, or busy dialogue? Katz storyboards hypothetical scenes for the camera, laying out a drawing of each shot in the sequence for readers to study. Find explanatory illustrations on creating extended sequence shots, elaborate moving camera choreography, and tracking shots with multiple story points.

Gathered over Hauser's long career and polished by Reich, the 130 "Notes" address a range of topics from "understanding the script" and "defining the director's role" to casting, how to handle the first read-through, rules for rehearsal, how to talk to actors, how to get a laugh and key elements of staging.

From one of America's most acclaimed directors comes a book that is both a professional memoir and a definitive guide to the art, craft, and business of the motion picture.

Foreword by Martin Scorsese
In this edited volume, the myriad materials that built Mackendrick's reputation as a film school instructor are collected for the first time. An invaluable analysis of the director's art and craft, both professionals and students will find herein a filmmaking methodology that is challenging, yet refreshing in its clarity.

Calling on his unique perspective as playwright, screenwriter, and director of critically acclaimed movies, David Mamet illuminates how a film comes to be. He looks at every aspect of directing - from script to cutting room - to show how they achieve their prime objective: presenting a story that will be understood by the audience and has the power to be both surprising and inevitable at the same time.

This is a key text for anyone interested in film. It provides invaluable and fascinating insight into the way the elements of a film - image, sound and story - are put together. Cherry Potter has used her extensive experience as a writer and film school teacher to provide a combination of analysis and inspiration.

Regularly updated and filled with practical advice for all stages of production, this comprehensive manual helps filmmakers realise their artistic vision and produce well-constructed films. The book's core is the human, psychological, and technical knowledge that every director needs. Practical tools and exercises show how to: develop credible and compelling stories with your cast and crew; tell stories with a distinctive voice and style; and engage with the conceptual and authorial sides of filmmaking.

Russian director Andrey Tarkovsky sets down thoughts and memories, revealing the inspirations for some of his extraordinary films, including Ivan's Childhood, Solaris and The Sacrifice. He discusses their history and his methods of work; explores the many problems of visual creativity; and sets forth the deeply autobiographical content of part of his oeuvre.

Weston demonstrates what constitutes a good performance, what actors want from a director, what directors do wrong, script analysis and preparation, how actors work, and shares insights into the director/actor relationship.

Acclaimed director Judith Weston offers a deeply creative exploration on how to access and stimulate the filmmaker's most precious assets: instincts, imagination, and intuition.