Foreword
Acknowledgments
Introduction
Part 1 Film Language and a Directing Methodology 1
Chapter 1 Introduction to Film Language and Grammar 3
The Film World 3
Film Language 3
Shots 4
Film Grammar 4
The 180-Degree Rule 4
The 30-Degree Rule 7
Screen Direction 8
Film-Time 9
Compression 10
Elaboration 10
Familiar Image 11
Chapter 2 Introduction to the Dramatic Elements Embedded in the Screenplay 13
Spines 13
Whose Film Is It? 14
Character 15
Circumstance 16
Dynamic Relationship 16
Wants 16
Expectations 17
Actions 17
Activity 17
Acting Beats 17
Dramatic Blocks 18
Narrative Beats 18
Fulcrum 19
Chapter 3 Organizing Action in a Dramatic Scene 20
Dramatic Elements in Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious Patio Scene 20
Notorious Patio Scene Annotated 21
Chapter 4 Staging 28
Patterns of Dramatic Movement 30
Changing the Stage within a Scene 30
Staging as Part of a Film's Design 31
Working with a Location Floor Plan 31
Floor Plan for Notorious Patio Scene 31
Chapter 5 Camera 36
The Camera as Narrator 36
Reveal 36
Entrances 36
Objective Camera 37
Subjective Camera 37
Where Do I Put It? 38
Visual Design 40
Style 41
Coverage 41
Camera Height 42
Lenses 43
Composition 44
Where to Begin? 44
Working toward Specificity in Visualization 44
Looking for Order 45
Dramatic Blocks and Camera 45
Shot Lists, Storyboards, and Setups 45
The Prose Storyboard 46
Chapter 6 Camera in Notorious Patio Scene 49
First Dramatic Block 49
Second Dramatic Block 53
Third Dramatic Block 57
Fourth Dramatic Block and Fulcrum 59
Fifth Dramatic Block 63
Part 2 Making Your Film 67
Chapter 7 Detective Work on Scripts69
Reading Your Screenplay 69
A Piece of Apple Pie Screenplay 70
Whose Film Is It? 75
Character 75
Circumstance 75
Spines for A Piece of Apple Pie 76
Dynamic Relationships 76
Wants 77
Actions 77
Acting Beats 77
Activity 78
Tone for A Piece of Apple Pie 78
Breaking A Piece of Apple Pie into Actions 78
Designing a Scene 79
Visualization 79
Identifying the Fulcrum and Dramatic Blocks 79
Supplying Narrative Beats to A Piece of Apple Pie 80
Director's Notebook 86
Chapter 8 Staging and Camera for A Piece of Apple Pie 87
Staging 87
Camera 89
Conclusion 115
Chapter 9 Marking Shooting Script with Camera Setups 116
Chapter 10 Working with Actors 123
Casting 124
Auditions 125
First Read-Through 126
Directing During Rehearsals 127
Directing Actors on the Set 130
Chapter 11 Managerial Responsibilities of the Director 132
Delegating Authority While Accepting Responsibility 132
The Producer 132
The Assistant Director 133
A Realistic Shooting Schedule 134
Working with the Crew 134
Working with the Director of Photography 134
Chapter 12 Postproduction 136
Editing 136
Music and Sound 138
Locking Picture, or, How Do You Know When It's Over? 138
An Audience and a Big Screen 139
Part 3 Organizing Action in an Action Scene 141
Chapter 13 Staging and Camera for Over Easy Action Scene 143
Development of Screenplay 146
Director's Preparation for Directing an Action Scene 147
Where to Begin? 147
Over Easy Action Scene/Staging and Camera Angels for Storyboard Artist 148
Part 4 Organizing Action in a Narrative Scene 185
Chapter 14 Staging and Camera for Wanda Narrative Scene 187
What Is the Scene's Job? 187
Choosing a Location 188
Staging 188
Camera Style in Wanda 189
Part 5 Learning the Craft Through Film Analysis 219
Chapter 15 Alfred Hitchcock's Notorious 221
Overview of Style and Design 221
First Act 222
Second Act 224
Third Act 235
Summary 236
Chapter 16 Peter Weir's The Truman Show 237
Overview of Style and Design 237
First Act 238
Second Act 243
Third Act 252
Summary 256
Chapter 17 Federico Fellini's 8 1/2 257
A Masterpiece? 257
The Director as Auteur 257
Dramatic Construction 258
Overview of Style and Design 258
Detective Work 260
First Act 260
Second Act 269
Third Act 281
Summary 284
Chapter 18 Styles And Dramatic Structures 285
Style 285
Narrative, Dramatic, and Poetic Visual Styles 286
The Variety of Dramatic Structures 286
Tokyo Story, Yasujiro Ozu (1953, Japan) 287
Some Like It Hot, Billy Wilder (1959) 288
The Battle of Algiers, Gillo Pontecorvo (1965, France) 289
Red, Krzysztof Kieslowski (1994, Poland, France, Switzerland) 290
Sex, Lies, and Videotape, Steven Soderbergh (1989) 292
Shall We Dance?, Masayuki Suo (1996, Japan) 294
The Celebration, Thomas Vinterberg (1998, Denmark) 295
The Insider, Michael Mann (1999) 297
The Thin Red Line, Terrence Malick (1998) 299
In the Mood for Love, Kar Wai Wong (2001, China) 300
Little Children, Todd Field (2006) 302
Chapter 19 What Next? 304
Building Directorial Muscles 304
Writing for the Director 305
Begin Thinking about Your Story 305
Concocting Your Feature Screenplay 306
"Writing" Scenes with Actors 307
Shooting Your Film before You Finish Writing It 307
The Final Script 308
Shooting without a Screenplay? 308
Questions Directors Should Ask about Their Screenplays 308
Conclusion 309
Bibliography 311
Index 313
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