Directing: Film Techniques and Aesthetic, Fifth Ed by Michael Rabiger & Mick Hurbis-Cherrier

Directing: Film Techniques and Aesthetic, Fifth Ed by Michael Rabiger & Mick Hurbis-Cherrier
Focal Press
2013
ISBN: 978-0-240-81845-0 (paperback)
ISBN: 978-0-303-07238-7 (e-book)

One of the fun things about this guide is seeing the back-end of films that I have enjoyed and I learned a lot about directing and films.  This excellent book is an extensively detailed guide steps through process of directing a film.    From choosing a project to the final marketing, this book covers the entire process of directing a film and the many choices a director will face at each step of the way. 

This book has so much valuable information that a summary doesn’t do the book justice.  The main parts of the book include Part 1: The Director and Artistic Identity, Part 2: The Story and its Development, Part 3: The Director and the Script, Part 4: Authorship and Aesthetics, Part 5: A Director’s Screen Grammar, Part 6: Preproduction, Part 7: Production, and Part 8: Postproduction. 

Directing is more than just technical skill and this guide discusses the aspects of personal skills, experiences and artistic goals that have a major part in creating a film.

Each section of the guide contains enough material to be a book in itself. Throughout, many informative photographs illustrate specific techniques, shots and how they create a specific feel to a scene or film.   The aspiring director will find all of the basics described in this guide, and a great deal of timesaving techniques, tracking tools, and tips for avoiding traps and for smoothing the directing process.  Examples from films illustrate each point or technique throughout the guide.   The authors have melded personal experience and knowledge gathered from skilled professionals (of the various specialties of filmmaking) into an in depth walk-through of directing and producing a film. 

This is a wonderful tutorial and reference in one.  Additional exercises and information available on the supportive website, give teachers and students of film a complete package for their journey into growing new directors.  I liked the advice given throughout the book on the interactions with cast and crew.  There is a tendency for students to be focused purely on the technical skills and forget that a great deal relies on people skills.

The book is a bit technical for the curious dabbler but it is a wonderful resource for the aspiring director , the film teacher or the dedicated film buff.   

  

 Reviewer for Bookpleasures.com