FilmCraft: Directing [Paperback]

Michael Goodridge (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 8, 2012 | ISBN-10: 024081858X | ISBN-13: 978-0240818580 | Edition: 1

Ultimately responsible for the creative content on screen, directors are the captains of the ship on every film. All actors and heads of department report to them. Some directors are also writers, employing unique styles of dialogue. Others,
like Pedro Almodóvar, create inimitable visual and tonal styles that set their films apart from the crowd. Unlike the other volumes in the series, Directing covers all disciplines of film art that pass through the director's hands, from development and writing, to working with actors, designers and cinematographers, to post-production and distribution.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Focal Press; 1 edition (June 8, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 024081858X
• ISBN-13: 978-0240818580
• Product Dimensions: 6.1 x 0.6 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #223,030 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book! October 18, 2012

By David W. Menefee

Format:Paperback

Lights, camera, action!

Those three words have echoed throughout the history of worldwide filmmaking for a century, as directors from the silent era through modern day moviemaking call for their visions to unfold. Directors are the primary forces that drive this collaborative art. Directing by Mike Goodridge focuses on these men and women with a first-rate book that captures them in never-before-seen shooting scripts, diagrams, storyboards, and concept material from his first-hand interviews. The result compiles a spellbinding collection of profiles that will engage readers interested in the art.

The FilmCraft series provides a ground-breaking study of the art of filmmaking--the most collaborative and multidisciplinary of all the arts. Each volume covers a different aspect of moviemaking, offering in-depth interviews with a host of the most distinguished practitioners in the field. Previous titles included PRODUCTION, DESIGN, PRODUCING, and SCREENWRITING. For this next entry in the memorable collection, the series tackles the director, the quarterback behind the scenes.

Author Mike Goodridge is the Editor of Screen International and has been writing about film for more than twenty years. He is an accomplished critic and is a member of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association, the London Film Critics Circle, and FIPRESCI. Alastair Campbell, the series' Publisher, has selected the best author for this installment. Goodridge more than proved his salt as co-author of the first title in the FilmCraft series, Cinematography. Now, Goodridge unveils the next installment that edits into the series a comprehensive panorama of the best men and women directors the film industry has to offer.

The challenge the author faced at the onset seems to have been the task of whittling down his list of directors to a manageable length, and he has bravely narrowed the names down to twenty-two current and past directors from around the world. Each chapter gives the reader a brief biographical profile along with a discussion of the hardships, challenges, and achievements they encountered during their career. Goodridge succeeds in capturing the essence of the individual's strengths, yet he does not shy away from discussing their weaknesses and failures. Since the movie business primarily concerns images, each chapter appropriately illustrates their journeys through many rare photos varying from scene stills to candid shots. The overall portrait aptly colors his subjects in multi-hued rainbows of interest.

The interior design reflects the same outstanding commitment to excellence that characterized the other books in the series: stunning graphics, informative text, and heavy emphasis on photography, Glossary, and an Index. Creative Director James Hollywell, Senior Designer Kate Haynes, and Picture Manager Katie Greenwood superbly blend their command of cutting-edge design techniques to contour the overall manuscript into a visually enchanting experience. They so powerfully merge their techniques that you end up wanting to see, savor, and read more.

For buyers on a budget, the $29.95 list price is a bargain. The book outlays 192 pages in a large 8 ˝ x 11 format, which is double the size of an ordinary book. For the film aficionado in your family, this is no Christmas stocking stuffer. You'll have to wrap this big volume carefully, but rest assured that you'll be giving a gift that will keep on giving, for this outstanding publication by Focal Press will be on their coffee table for a long time.