Film Directing Fundamentals : See Your Film Before Shooting

Review
"Just bring your talent, add a touch of luck, and the rest you will find in this book." - Milos Forman, director (One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Amadeus)
"Nick Proferes doesn't tell you how to direct--which would be as silly as telling you what to direct. Instead, he does something much more valuable: he explains how directors actually think their way through the job." - James Schamus, producer and screenwriter (The Ice Storm, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon)


Review
"An admirable overview of the nuts and bolts of directing, Film Directing Fundamentals takes a unique approach in discussing the craft...Full of interesting observations, this book could be a welcome addition to the aspiring director's bookshelf." - Videomake Magazine

"For the aspiring director looking to develop craft and technique, this book would be a step in the right direction." - Kurt Patrick Turner

Advanced Praise:

“Just bring your talent, add a touch of luck, and the rest you will find in this book.” —Milos Forman, film director

“I am amazed by the simplicity with which Professor Proferes explicates complex ideas. Film Directing Fundamentals is valuable not only for film directors, but also for actors and anyone interested in the creation of dramatic art.” —Andrie Serban, international theatre and opera director, and Professor at Columbia University’s Theater Division

“Nick Proferes doesn’t tell you how to direct—which would be as silly as telling you what to direct. Instead, he does something much more valuable: He explains how directors actually think their way though the job.” —James Schamus, Associate Professor of Film at Columbia University, producer and screenwriter (The Ice Storm and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon)

“There are many books on directing, but none in my opinion have the depth and accessibility of Nick Proferes’s. This treasure trove of insight and inspiration is a master class from a master teacher that clearly illuminates, step by step, the building blocks necessary to create meaningful cinematic storytelling with dramatic punch.” —Alex Zamm, director and screenwriter (Chairman of the Board, My Date with the President’s Daughter), and former student of the author


Book Description
Unique among directing books, Film Directing Fundamentals provides a clear-cut methodology for translating a script to the screen. Using the script as a blueprint, Proferes leads the reader through specific techniques to analyze and translate its components into a visual story. A sample screenplay is included that explicates the techniques. The book assumes no knowledge and thus introduces basic concepts and terminology.

* Unique, focused approach to film directing that shows how to use the screenplay as a blueprint
* Clear-cut methodology for translating a script to the screen
* Case studies featuring famous films


From the Publisher
A cornerstone of this methodology is the assumption that the blueprint of a film, the screenplay, informs everything the director does. The reader will discover how to unlock the dramatic potential in the screenplay by careful reading and analysis. A short screenplay is provided to take you step by step through the detective work necessary to uncover the strengths and weaknesses in the script and the psychology of the characters, and to break down the actions they perform in pursuit of their goals. This investigation leads to an overall design for rendering the film, as well as identifying the essence of each moment that must be conveyed to an audience. In subsequent chapters the methodology applies the knowledge gained in the detective work to the staging of actors for the camera and the use of the camera as an active narrator. Using floorplans and storyboards to aid in the previsualization of a film is also stressed. Part Two features a scene by scene analysis of three feature films by master directors, to be used in conjunction with the viewing of the films on video. This will enable the aspiring director to see how the conceptual investigation is rendered on the screen. In addition, nine films that are readily available on video are analyzed for the use of a distinctive style in the rendering of a story. An appendix is included, containing the grammatical rules for the film language, as well as a thorough explanation of the cinematic categories of time and space and how they can be used to maximize the effect of any story on an audience.


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Film Directing Fundamentals gives the novice director an organic methodology for realizing on the screen the full dramatic possibility of a screenplay. Unique among directing books, this book provides clear-cut ways for translating a script to the screen. Using the script as a blueprint, the reader is led through specific techniques to analyze and translate its components into a visual story. A sample screenplay is included that explicates the techniques. The book assumes no knowledge and thus introduces basic concepts and terminology.


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