Film Directing: Cinematic Motion: A Workshop for Staging Scenes (Paperback)

by Steven Katz (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
A sequel to Steven Katz's Film Directing Shot by Shot, this book tackles specific problems of staging cinematic scenes. How should directors shoot scenes in confined spaces, such as small rooms or the interior of a car, in large open spaces, or with a number of characters involved in busy dialogue? As in his previous book, Katz addresses these problems by storyboarding hypothetical scenes for the camera, laying out a drawing of each shot in the sequence for readers to study. As a bonus, the book is peppered with interviews about creating shot sequences that Katz conducted with a number of professional filmmakers, including Allen Daviau, Ralph Singleton, and John Sayles.

Product Description
This is practical guide addresses problems encountered when staging and blocking scenes. Includes discussions of scheduling, staging without dialogue, choreography, sequence shots, and more.

Product Details

• Paperback: 294 pages
• Publisher: Michael Wiese Productions (January 25, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0941188140
• ISBN-13: 978-0941188142
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 7 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #379,201 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A practical how-to guide with plenty of examples, April 2, 2001

By	S. Casner (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in learning to compose better pictures of any kind. This unusual book takes a "through-the-lens" approach to presenting ideas about how to compose pictures. This is a refreshing break from abstract "art-babble" discussions that offer the reader little practical guidance about where to point the camera. In addition to video and film, still photographers will find this book especially interesting.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Workshop in a Book!, July 12, 2004

By	E. English (Boulder, Colorado USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Film Directing: Cinematic Motion, Second Edition (Paperback)

Cinematic Motion, by Steven Katz, published by Michael Wiese Productions, is another one of those absolutely must-have books for serious filmmakers. The subtitle, A Workshop for Staging Scenes, is just what this valuable resource and reference manual is...a workshop in a book! It's unique in that it is written from the film director's viewpoint. The focus of the book is on creative visual staging of each scene, and the storyboards and diagrams are clear, consistent and workable. Katz shows you how to choreograph scenes and create illusions, as needed, through blocking, camera movement, moving an actor or actors in a scene, and staging, in scenes with confined spaces up to large spaces, interiors and exteriors. The interviews with director John Sayles (The Secret of Roan Inish; Passion Fish; City of Hope) and production manager Ralph Singleton (Pet Sematary II; Clear and Present Danger; Last Man Standing) are very informative and helpful for the beginning filmmaker and the experienced filmmaker alike.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Clears Away the Cobwebs!, May 17, 2002

By	Elizabeth English "mermaid7cs" (Boulder, CO United States) - See all my reviews

This fine, detailed & user-friendly book opens up a director's view of the world of cinematic movement & how it relates to good story-telling through film. Staging scenes, blocking, camera movement, choreography of scene movent, reverse shots, camera angles, tracking, exterior & interior shooting, staging multiple characters in a scene...it's all here, with drawings that clearly illustrate the informative text.