Directing: Film Techniques and Aesthetics

Review
"This is the single most valuable guide for both novice and seasoned practitioner...The new edition continues to be the comprehensive text for learning directing, integrating the rapid changes in technology with what was already a superbly detailed step-by-step text." -- Jameson Goldner, professor of cinema at San Francisco State University

"This is the only comprehensive book on filmmaking that I recommend to my students", Jeremy Kagan, USC Graduate Film School; Artistic Director Sundance Institute

"It is an inspirational and comprehensive book that also goes into the art of story construction for the screen ..."


Review
"This is the single most valuable guide for both novice and seasoned practitioner…The new edition continues to be the comprehensive text for learning directing, integrating the rapid changes in technology with what was already a superbly detailed step-by-step text." -- Jameson Goldner, professor of cinema at San Francisco State University

"This is the only comprehensive book on filmmaking that I recommend to my students", Jeremy Kagan, USC Graduate Film School; Artistic Director Sundance Institute

"It is an inspirational and comprehensive book that also goes into the art of story construction for the screen ..."


Book Description
Directing: Film Techniques and Aesthetics is a comprehensive manual that teaches the essentials of filmmaking from the perspective of the director. Ideal for film production and directing classes, as well as for aspiring and current directors, Directing covers all phases of preproduction and production, from idea development to final cut. Thoroughly covering the basics, Directing guides the reader to professional standards of expression and control, and goes to the heart of what makes a director. The book outlines a great deal of practical work to meet this goal, with projects, exercises.



The third edition emphasizes the connection between knowing and doing, with every principle realizable through projects and exercises. Much has been enhanced and expanded, notably: aspects of dramaturgy; beats and dramatic units; pitching stories and selling one's work; the role of the entrepreneurial producer; and the dangers of embedded moral values. Checklists are loaded with practical recommendations for action, and outcomes assessment tables help the reader honestly gauge his or her progress. Entirely new chapters present: preproduction procedures; production design; script breakdown; procedures and etiquette on the set; shooting location sound; continuity; and working with a composer. The entire book is revised to capitalize on the advantages offered by the revolutionary shift to digital filmmaking.

*Comprehensive manual that dissolves the barriers between the aesthetic, conceptual, and technical

*Completely updated to reflect the revolutionary shift to digital filmmaking

*Practical exercises throughout along with detailed outcomes assessments to judge progress


From the Publisher
This new edition is extensively revised in structure and expanded in content. It contains new sections on screen grammar, the basics of screen production, and story editing. Blocking and camera movement get more attention, and there is more information about how actors control the inner lives of their characters. Greater emphasis is given to how a director must think, feel, and act in order to create a work for the screen with a unified voice and point of view. Directing also includes an expanded guide to international film schools and a career guide. Since the why is as important as the how, Directing contains many practical exercises and projects, each with its own conceptual instructions, technical and artistic goals, and judgement criteria to help both student and teacher monitor strengths and weaknesses.


About the Author
Michael Rabiger worked in the cutting rooms at Pinewood and Shepperton studios in England, as an editor and BBC director in documentaries, then as a production and aesthetics educator in the USA for many years. He has been department chair of the Film/Video Department at Columbia College Chicago during a period of great expansion, and before that founder of Columbia's Michael Rabiger Center for the Documentary. He has directed or edited more than 35 films, given workshops in many countries, and led a multinational European documentary workshop for CILECT, the international association of film schools. As Visiting Professor at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, he taught idea development, directing, and advanced production. He is presently writing the libretto for an opera.


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"Directing: Film Techniques and Aesthetics is a comprehensive manual that teaches the essentials of filmmaking from the perspective of the director. Ideal for film production and directing classes, as well as for aspiring and current directors, Directing covers all phases of preproduction and production, from idea development to final cut. Thoroughly covering the basics, Directing guides the reader to professional standards of expression and control, and goes to the heart of what makes a director. The book outlines a great deal of practical work to meet this goal, with projects, exercises, and outcomes assessment tables to judge progress." The third edition has been completely revised to capitalize on the advantages offered by the revolutionary shift to digital filmmaking. This new edition also emphasizes the connection between knowing and doing, with every principle realizable through projects and exercises. Much has been enhanced and expanded, notably, aspects of dramaturgy, beats and dramatic units, pitching stories and selling one's work, the role of the entrepreneurial producer, and the dangers of embedded moral values. Checklists are loaded with practical recommendations for action, and outcomes assessment tables help the reader honestly gauge his or her progress. Entirely new chapters present preproduction procedures, production design, script breakdown, procedures and etiquette on the set, shooting location sound, continuity, and working with a composer.


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