Grammar of the Film Language [Paperback]

Daniel Arijon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1991

This unique magnum opus -- 640 pages and 1,500 illustrations -- of the visual narrative techniques that form the "language of filmmaking has found an avid audience among student filmmakers everywhere. This "language" is basic to the very positioning and moving of players and cameras, as well as the sequencing and pacing of images. It does not date as new technologies alter the means of capturing images on film and tape. Basic to the very scripting of a scene or planning of a shoot Arijon's visual narrative formulas will enlighten anyone involved in the film industry -- including producers, directors, writers and animators etc.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Daniel Arijon

Product Details

• Paperback: 624 pages
• Publisher: Silman-James Press; First Edition edition (September 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 187950507X
• ISBN-13: 978-1879505070
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #240,140 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best technical and creative book on blocking and shots, May 2, 2003

By 

Hal Trussell - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grammar of the Film Language (Paperback)

Unequivocally the best reference for shots and blocking. Strickly for the professional director and cinematographer; this is a highly technical book. I refer to this book during my prep for each film, and no matter how many times I have read it, I am always reminded of something dynamic and valuable. Each page has storyboard drawings that show camera position, screen direction, and sequence of cuts. Also shown are dolly moves and character movement. These diagrams are accompanied by clear and detailed commentary. Do not be misled by the selected sample pages above. Fully 35% of the book is diagrams; the text explains the diagrams. The book is organized with the most basic coverage at the beginning, and each chapter thereafter presents increasing complexity of blocking. The shots presented are all from actual films, a factor that gives the material and the book an aliveness and vitality. Some of these films are complete unknowns, others are classics. Yet the source is inconsequential; what is amazing is that Mr. Arijon has essentially put into this book every possible combination of camera placement and character arrangement that has ever been done in cinema. Every director I have shown this book to has immediately gone out and gotten their own copy for reference. Anyone planning to direct or shoot a film will find this book an invaluable contribution to their ideas and creativity. Again due to its highly technical content, this is for professionals or serious students. The bible of blocking for cinema.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sexist? Probably. Invaluable? Oh yeah., April 18, 2005

By 

K. Triplett "Kevin Triplett" (Austin, TX) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Grammar of the Film Language (Paperback)

I have to say that the illustrations are odd. A significant number have scantily-clad women and naked women but there are also illustrations of naked men. It's kinda bizarre but if you look on the illustrations as artist sketchings of the nude form and focus on the information being presented, it's an invaluable guide to camera motivation and how to tell a story in a way that engages the audience.

It's difficult to get this information from any source. Schools typically don't teach this stuff and I've never seen it presented to the depth available in this book. It's literally a linguistic guide to cinema, treating motion pictures as a language that the audience has learned from past movies, a language that's apparently innate within our brains. Aspiring filmmakers would be wise to absorb the principles in this book before spending a lot of time and money making movies.

The principles in this book explain how camera shots and editing help tell your story. How to compose your shot to show a character's reaction to another character's action. How to reveal story points to the audience at the right time. How to convey time, space and relationships between characters and objects. Great stuff!

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A magnum Opus, ......directors Elysium, December 8, 2001

By 

[e-mail] (Swansea WALES) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grammar of the Film Language (Paperback)

Are you an amateur film maker, prehaps you have not attended film school, and your looking for a book to guide you through the rudimentaries of directing? Well, look no further, this book is a directors panacea, a klodike filled with sound advice, superb diagrams and clear chapters taking you through all techniques.

It's 600 pages of diagrams that will explain in detail how to set up shots, what techniques one can utilise and unconventional methods of composing pictures, playcing actors etc.

I have bought numerous books on directing, this is the first one which actually helps a director transfer a scene from a script on to film/storyboard. It can be quite sophistocated and requires some effort to get aquainted with certain intricate techniques. Even seasoned directors would be advised to have a copy of this fine book.

As a college lecturer I have found this book invaluable. I recommend it, it's worth every penny.