TEXTBOOKS for
Directing Courses

FilmCraft: Directing
Michael Goodridge
ISBN: 978-0-240-81858-0

The hardest job in the industry, directing demands powerful personalities with determined visions. Get access to the processes of directors including US legends Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese, and Woody Allen, cerebral Canadian iconoclast David Cronenberg, the genius Coen Brothers, first female Oscar-winning director Kathryn Bigelow, French masters Bertrand Tavernier and Olivier Assayas, and brilliant Asian stylists Wong Kar-wai and Johnnie To. Whether a director writes their films (like Mike Leigh or Allen, employing unique styles of dialogue and characterization) or creates inimitable visual and tonal styles which unmistakably mark his films (like Pedro Almodovar, David Lynch, or Tim Burton), see how directing requires an unwavering creative vision. This book gives you a view into the director's psyche.... [more]

Directors Tell the Story: Master the Craft of Television and Film Directing
Bethany Rooney
Mary Lou Belli
ISBN: 978-0-240-81873-3

Directors Tell the Story offers rare insight and advice straight from two A-list television directors whose credits include Monk, Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Weeds, and more. They direct dramas and comedies using the same process that Steven Spielberg (or any other movie director uses)-just with less money and time.

Students will learn what it takes to become a director: how to master the technical aspects, appreciate the aesthetic qualities, and practice leadership, all while exuding that "X" factor that distinguishes the excellent director from the merely good one. Covering everything from prep, the shoot, and post, the authors emphasize how aspiring directors can develop a creative vision-because without it, they are just technicians... [more]

Directing and Producing for Television: A Format Approach, 4th Edition
Ivan Cury
ISBN: 978-0-240-81293-9

Directing and Producing for Television is based on the author's years of experience working in television and academia. Finding that many newcomers were adept at handling equipment but often lacking in actual production technique, this guide addresses what outlines are needed by whom and why; how to mark a script; what a rehearsal agenda ought to be; and more. This approach to television production, which outlines the demands of each format, gives readers the tools they need to help them direct and produce efficiently in a variety of settings. Written with both the director and producer in mind, but particularly relevant for the television director, Directing and Producing for Television gives a comprehensive overview of the facility (studio, control room, and/or support areas) and provides who's who information covering the various jobs and personnel involved in creating television programs. It addresses critical production techniques for popular television formats including reality television, panel programs, demonstrations, scripted productions, music, commercials, PSAs, news, documentaries, remote broadcasting, and sports...[more]

Directing the Documentary, 5th Edition
Michael Rabiger
ISBN: 978-0-240-81089-8

Directing the Documentary is the definitive and comprehensive book on the form of documentary, offering timeless principles that will improve students' work. Ideal for documentary courses as well as for aspiring and current directors, Directing the Documentary covers all phases of preproduction and production. The emphasis is on the hands-on work needed to make the concept a reality, and to that end dozens of projects, exercises, and idea-provoking questionnaires are included. Covering both the fundamental basics and advanced issues in documentary production, the book includes researching and honing a documentary idea, developing a crew, directing the team, and maintaining control through shooting... [more]

Film Directing Fundamentals: See Your Film Before Shooting, 3rd Edition
Nicholas T. Proferes
ISBN: 978-0-240-80940-3

Film Directing Fundamentals is a step-by-step guide for aspiring filmmakers and directors on developing a methodology for translating a screenplay to the screen. Using the script as a blueprint, readers are lead through specific techniques to analyze and translate its components into a visual story…[more]

Directing: Film Techniques and Aesthetics, 4th Edition
Michael Rabiger
ISBN: 978-0-240-80882-6

The updated fourth edition of this best-selling classic is a must for film students. This is the book they will turn to again and again throughout their career. Directing: Film Techniques and Aesthetics is a comprehensive manual that goes to the heart of what makes a director and outlines the practical work needed to achieve professional standards of expression and control. There is an emphasis throughout on the connection between knowing and doing; every concept is made accessible and realizable through the dozens of hands-on projects and exercises. The book begins with a discussion of discovering artistic identity and honing it through story development and writing exercises, as well as discussion of aesthetics... [more]

The Director's Idea: The Path to Great Directing
Ken Dancyger
ISBN: 978-0-240-80681-5

As a director, you must have a concept, a "director's idea", to shape your approach to the actors, the camera, and the script. With this clear idea your film will be deeper and more effective, and you will be able to differentiate—and therefore make the choice—between competent directing and great directing. Using case studies of famous directors as real-world examples of "director's ideas", the author has provided the theory and the practice to help directors immediately improve their work and for students that aspire to be great directors!... [more]

Changing Direction: A Practical Approach to Directing Actors in Film and Theatre
Foreword by Ang Lee
Lenore DeKoven
ISBN: 978-0-240-80664-8

The approach presented in this book, honed after years of on-set experience and teaching at UCLA, NYU, and Columbia, and endorsed by many in the industry, including director Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) and producer/actor Edward Asner, aims to provide a helpful reference and resource for directors and actors alike. It combines underlying theory with dozens of exercises designed to reveal the actor’s craft. There is material on constructing the throughline, analyzing the script, character needs, the casting and rehearsal processes, film vs. theater procedures as well as the actor and the camera... [more]