Directing Feature Films: The Creative Collaborarion Between Director, Writers, and Actors [Paperback]

Mark W. Travis (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 10, 2004

Learn how to read a script, find its core, determine your vision, communicate with writers, actors, designers, cinematographers, editors, composers, and all the members of your creative team in order to insure that your vision reaches the screen.

Product Details

• Paperback: 350 pages
• Publisher: Michael Wiese Productions (June 10, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0941188434
• ISBN-13: 978-0941188432
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #126,186 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

MARK W. TRAVIS - BIOGRAPHY
Director, Writer, Author, Consultant

Acclaimed as "the director's director", Mark W. Travis is regarded by many Hollywood and International professionals as one of the world's leading authorities in the art and craft of film directing. Drawing from his impressive background in design, writing, acting, and his wide range of experience directing theater, film and television, Mark is able to bring new insights and exceptional clarity to the complex task of directing the feature film.

DIRECTING
Mark W. Travis earned a B.A. degree in Theatre at Antioch College and did his graduate training in Directing in the MFA program at the Yale School of Drama. Mark is a creative consultant to film directors Mark Rydell, George Tillman, Cyrus Nowrasteh and many other notable writers and directors.

Mark's television directing credits include The Facts of Life, Family Ties, Capitol and the Emmy Award-winning PBS dramatic special, Blind Tom: The Thomas Bethune Story. In 1998 he directed the pilot for LifeStories.
In 1990 he completed his first film, Going Under, for Warner Bros., starring Bill Pullman and Ned Beatty. In 2001 he wrote and directed The Baritones (parody of The Sopranos) as well as the short documentary, Earlet. In 2006 he co-directed the documentary, Ancient Light.

TEACHING
Mark's unique approach to working with actors and characters (The Travis Technique) has gained the attention of directors, writers and actors worldwide and is becoming a standard approach for stimulating powerful performances.

Since 1992 Mark has been sharing his techniques on writing, acting and directing worldwide. USA: The Directors Guild, American Film Institute, Pixar Animations Studios, UCLA Extension, Taos Talking Pictures Film Festival, Denver Film Festival, Hollywood Actor's Workshop, Hollywood Film Institute. JAPAN: Film & Media Lab and Vantan Film School. GERMANY: UW Filmseminares, ActionConcept, IFS, and HFF, the Munich Film School. POLAND: The Film Farm in Kotla. ENGLAND: Raindance, Paradigm Film Productions, Hurtwood House, Metropolitan Film School, National Film and Television School, London Film School, Lionhead Studios, London Film Academy. FRANCE: The Cannes Film Festival, NETHERLANDS: The Maurits Binger Institute. UKRAINE: HSU in Kiev, OIFF in Odessa; RUSSIA: International Film Actors Workshop, IRELAND: FAS Screen Training Ireland, NORWAY: The Norwegian Film School, DENMARK: The National Film School of Denmark, SPAIN: afilm International Film Workshops, CZECH REPUBLIC: FAMU Academy of Film and Television.

CONSULTING
Mark has served as a Creative Consultant on several feature films including: Here's Herbie; Notorious; Not Forgotten; The Stoning of Soraya M,; Black Irish; Men of Honor; Barbershop; Barbershop 2; The Day Reagan Was Shot; Norma Jean, Jack and Me and television episodes of: Lois and Clark; The Pretender; Picket Fences, 90210, Melrose Place; Strong Medicine; NYPD Blue; The Practice and Ally MacBeal.

WRITING
Mark is the author of the Number-One Best Seller (L.A. Times), THE DIRECTOR'S JOURNEY: the Creative Collaboration between Directors, Writers and Actors. His second book on directing, DIRECTING FEATURE FILMS (published in April of 2002) is currently used as required text in film schools worldwide. His next book, THE FILM DIRECTOR'S BAG OF TRICKS will be published in September 2011.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Efficient and Inspiring, August 26, 2009

By 

Benjamin Manning "Genovo" (Tucson) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Directing Feature Films: The Creative Collaborarion Between Director, Writers, and Actors (Paperback)

Mark shows the secrets of how to inspire actors well beyond their natural instincts to create the emotional journey so the camera can capture it; and he works so efficiently!

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A "Must-Have" Book for Your Collection, November 30, 2006

By 

Christopher S. Burns "Raconteur" (Burbank, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Directing Feature Films: The Creative Collaborarion Between Director, Writers, and Actors (Paperback)

About 12 years ago, my directing partner (who is also my wife) and I attended an incredible, intensive directing workshop. For three days we ate, drank, slept, and lived filmmaking from script analysis to post-production, under the tutelage of a very intimidating instructor - Mark Travis. I say intimidating because this guy was direct, succinct, focused and INTENSE. Not only that, but he was brilliant. His insights, technique, innovations, and even the simple fundamentals were so solid, and straight-forward, there was NO way you could have walked away from the experience without being a better director. If there every was one, Mark Travis is a virtuoso director... a Mozart of actors, stage and celluloid, if you will.

Now, 12 years, 4 films, 19 theatrical productions, and a handful of awards later, we use this book nearly every day. Be it on the set or stage, or just from inspiration and brush-up, this magnificent book encapsulates everything about Mark's talents. He is no primadonna, unwilling to divulge more than a few vaguaries of his techniques, nor does he preach to you about his own successful career and how wonderful he is. What he does do if layout technique, approach, execution and adjustment in a no-nonsense fashion that yields one of the best "How-To" books on directing (not only film but more specifically actors), and achieving the vision of a director, ever written.

If you are looking for a book to keep in your hip-pocket on the set, or something to refer back to for inspiration, ideas, and fixes, then look no further. This is it.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best book on directing ever written, November 30, 2006

By 

Marty Pasetta "Pasetta" (Los Angeles) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Directing Feature Films: The Creative Collaborarion Between Director, Writers, and Actors (Paperback)

Mark Travis has written what is in my opinion the best book on directing ever published. I've been a working and very sucessful director for 25 years and I can tell you that the insight contained in this book is fantastic.