ebook img

Directing, Fourth Edition: Film Techniques and Aesthetics PDF

585 Pages·2007·5.94 MB·English
Save to my drive
Quick download
Download
Most books are stored in the elastic cloud where traffic is expensive. For this reason, we have a limit on daily download.

Preview Directing, Fourth Edition: Film Techniques and Aesthetics

Prelims-K80882.qxd 7/31/07 5:24 PM Page i DIRECTING FILM TECHNIQUES AND AESTHETICS Fourth Edition This page intentionally left blank Prelims-K80882.qxd 7/31/07 5:24 PM Page iii DIRECTING FILM TECHNIQUES AND AESTHETICS Fourth Edition Michael Rabiger AMSTERDAM • BOSTON • HEIDELBERG • LONDON • NEW YORK • OXFORD • PARIS • SAN DIEGO • SAN FRANCISCO • SINGAPORE • SYDNEY • TOKYO Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier Prelims-K80882.qxd 7/31/07 5:24 PM Page iv Publisher: Elinor Actipis Publishing Services Manager: George Morrison Senior Project Manager: Brandy Lilly Developmental Editor: Cara Anderson Assistant Editor: Robin Weston Marketing Manager: Becky Pease Cover Design: Wendy Simpson Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier 30 Corporate Drive, Suite 400, Burlington, MA 01803, USA Linacre House, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8DP, UK Copyright © 2008, Michael Rabiger. Published by Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Permissions may be sought directly from Elsevier’s Science & Technology Rights Department in Oxford, UK: phone: ((cid:2)44) 1865 843830, fax: ((cid:2)44) 1865 853333, E-mail: [email protected]. You may also complete your request online via the Elsevier homepage (http://elsevier.com), by selecting “Support & Contact” then “Copyright and Permission” and then “Obtaining Permissions.” Recognizing the importance of preserving what has been written, Elsevier prints its books on acid-free paper whenever possible. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Rabiger, Michael. Directing : film techniques and aesthetics / by Michael Rabiger. — 4th ed. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-0-240-80882-6 (pbk. : alk. paper) 1. Motion pictures—Production and direction. 2. Motion pictures—Aesthetics. I. Title. PN1995.9.P7R26 2008 791.43(cid:3)0233—dc22 2007017582 British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN: 978-0-240-80882-6 For information on all Focal Press publications visit our website at www.books.elsevier.com 07 08 09 10 11 5 4 3 2 1 Printed in the United States of America Prelims-K80882.qxd 7/31/07 5:24 PM Page v For Lewis, Netta, Alma, Lauren, Freya, and Olivia with much love. This page intentionally left blank Prelims-K80882.qxd 7/31/07 5:24 PM Page vii CONTENTS Introduction ix PART 1:ARTISTIC IDENTITY AND DRAMA 1 The World of the Film Director 3 2 Identifying Your Themes 16 3 Dramaturgy Essentials 27 PART 2:SCREENCRAFT 4 A Director’s Screen Grammar 43 5 Seeing with a Moviemaker’s Eye 64 6 Shooting Projects 91 PART 3:THE STORY AND ITS DEVELOPMENT 7 Recognizing the Superior Screenplay 119 8 Analyzing a Screenplay 130 9 Director’s Development Strategies 137 10 Alternative Story Sources 146 11 Setting Creative Limitations 155 PART 4:AESTHETICS AND AUTHORSHIP 12 Point of View 165 13 Subtext, Genre, and Archetypes 175 14 Time, Structure, and Plot 181 15 Space, Stylized Environments, and Performances 192 16 Form and Style 201 PART 5:PREPRODUCTION 17 Acting Fundamentals 215 18 Directing Actors 223 19 Acting Improvisation Exercises 231 20 Acting Exercises with a Text 248 21 Casting 258 Prelims-K80882.qxd 7/31/07 5:24 PM Page viii viii CONTENTS 22 Exploring the Script 272 23 Actor and Director Prepare a Scene 284 24 Initial Meetings with the Cast 289 25 Rehearsals and Planning Coverage 297 26 Production Design 304 27 The Preproduction Meeting and Deciding Equipment 311 PART 6:PRODUCTION 28 Developing a Crew 333 29 Mise-en-Scéne 347 30 Producing a Shooting Script 369 31 Before the Camera Rolls 382 32 Roll Camera 385 33 Location Sound 400 34 Continuity 410 35 Directing the Actors 414 36 Directing the Crew 424 37 Monitoring Progress 428 PART 7:POSTPRODUCTION 38 Preparing to Edit 439 39 Getting Started on the First Assembly 450 40 Editing Principles 458 41 Using Analysis and Feedback 472 42 Working with Music 478 43 Editing from Fine Cut to Sound Mix 485 44 Titles, Acknowledgments, and Promotional Material 494 PART 8:CAREER TRACK 45 Planning a Career 501 46 Major Film Schools 510 47 Breaking into the Industry 517 Glossary 529 Bibliography and Useful Web Sites 543 Index 551 Prelims-K80882.qxd 7/31/07 5:24 PM Page ix INTRODUCTION Here is a practical, comprehensive film directing manual. It will prepare you like no other for the methods, thought processes, feelings, and judgments that a direc- tor must use throughout the fascinating experience of creating a film. By talking to you directly and respectfully as a colleague, and by offering hands-on projects as learning tools, it recognizes that you learn best from doing. Making films that speak with your own voice and identity will engage your head, your hands, and your heart, and enhance every aspect of your waking life. Film makes extreme demands on its makers so this book makes an ideal com- panion for the self-taught or for anyone going to film school. There, coursework of necessity focuses on surmounting technological hurdles, and courses will always leave significant gaps in the conceptual and authorial side of filmmaking. These the student must bridge alone. Commonly he or she can get no clear sight of the path- way from beginning to end of the artistic process, and find nobody to give help at moments when it’s most needed. This book makes accessible the context, explana- tions, and mentorship that everyone needs. FILM’S ARTISTIC PROCESS ENHANCED Digital technology has massively accelerated the film student’s learning experi- ence. Low cost shooting permits a fully professional shooting experience. The novice director can now experiment, improvise, solve problems collaboratively with cast and crew, revise earlier solutions, and treat crises as disguised opportu- nities. A guerilla approach like this—normal enough in documentary but alien to the cost-driven traditions of the features industry—empowers the low-budget independent to produce cutting-edge creativity. Even seasoned professionals are turning to digital filmmaking: George Lucas made his Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clonesusing high definition (HD) digital camcorders. Shooting the equivalent of 2 million feet of film in a third less time, he saved $2.5 million in stock and became an enthusiastic convert. You see the fruits of this liberation in the digitally-enabled work of Mike Figgis, Steven Soderbergh, Wim Wenders, Spike Lee, Michael Winterbottom, Gary Winock, Rick Linklater, as well as the leading lights in the Danish Dogme Group and many, many others.

Description:
Directing: Film Techniques and Aesthetics is a comprehensive manual that has inspired tens of thousands of readers worldwide to realize their artistic vision and produce well-constructed films. Filled with practical advice on every stage of production, this is the book you will return to throughout
See more

The list of books you might like

Most books are stored in the elastic cloud where traffic is expensive. For this reason, we have a limit on daily download.