The vast majority of screenplay and writing books that focus on story development have little to say about the initial concept that inspired the piece. Developing Story Ideas: The Power and Purpose of Storytelling, Third Edition provides writers with ideational tools and resources to generate a wide variety of stories in a broad range of forms. Celebrated filmmaker and author Michael Rabiger demonstrates how to observe situations and themes in the writer's own life experience, and use these as the basis for original storytelling. This new edition has been updated with chapters on adaptation, improvisation, and cast collaboration's roles in story construction, as well as a companion website featuring further projects, class assignments, instructor resources, and more. Gain the practical tools and resources you need to spark your creativity and generate a wide variety of stories in a broad range of forms, including screenplays, documentaries, novels, short stories, and plays Through hands-on, step-by-step exercises and group and individual assignments, learn to use situations and themes from your own life experience, dreams, myth, and the news as the basis for character-driven storytelling; harness methods of screenplay format, dialogue, plot structure, and character development that will allow your stories to reach their fullest potential

Directing the Documentary is the definitive book on the documentary form, that will allow you to master the craft of documentary filmmaking. Focusing on the hands-on work needed to make your concept a reality, it covers the documentary filmmaking process from top to bottom, providing in-depth lessons on every aspect of preproduction, production, and postproduction. The book includes dozens of projects, practical exercises, and thought-provoking questions, and offers best practices for researching and honing your documentary idea, developing a crew, guiding your team, and much more. This fully revised and updated 7th edition also includes brand new content on the rise of the documentary series, the impact of video on-demand and content aggregators, updated information on prosumer and professional video (including 4K+), coverage of new audio & lighting solutions and trends in post-production, coverage of the immersive documentary, and provides practical sets of solutions for low, medium, and high budget documentary film productions throughout. The companion website has also been fully updated to a variety of new projects and forms. By combining expert advice on the storytelling process, the technical aspects of filmmaking and commentary on the philosophical underpinnings of the art, this book provides the practical and holistic understanding you need to become a highly regarded, original, and ethical contributor to the genre. Ideal for both aspiring and established documentary filmmakers, this book has it all.

Directing: Film Techniques and Aesthetics is a comprehensive exploration into the art and craft of directing for film and television. It's filled with practical advice, essential technical information, and inspiring case studies for every stage of production. This book covers the methods, technologies, thought processes, and judgments that a director must use throughout the fascinating process of making a film, and concentrates on developing the human aspects of cinema to connect with audiences. The fully revised and updated 6th edition features new sections on using improvisation, the development of characters for long form television series, visual design, the role of the digital imaging technician, film promotion and distribution, alongside expanded information on contemporary color grading tools, stylistic approaches and genre, workflows, blocking scenes for the camera and more. The book emphasizes independent and short form cinema which allows cutting-edge creativity and professionalism on shoestring budgets. Recognizing that you learn best by doing, it includes dozens of practical hands-on projects and activities to help you master technical and conceptual skills. Just as important as surmounting technological hurdles is the conceptual and authorial side of filmmaking. This book provides an unusually clear view of the artistic process, particularly in working with actors and principle crew members. It offers eminently practical tools and exercises to help you develop your artistic identity, find credible and compelling stories, choose and work with your cast and hone your narrative skills. Directing shows you how to surpass mere technical proficiency and become a storyteller with a distinctive voice and style. The accompanying companion website includes film analysis exercises, shooting projects, checklists and assignment forms, analytical questionnaires, updated production forms and logs for all phases of a project with links to additional resources and set safety advice.

Directing the Documentary is the definitive book on the documentary form, that will allow you to master the craft of documentary filmmaking. Focusing on the hands-on work needed to make your concept a reality, it covers the documentary filmmaking process from top to bottom, providing in-depth lessons on every aspect of preproduction, production, and postproduction.

The book includes dozens of projects, practical exercises, and thought-provoking questions, and offers best practices for researching and honing your documentary idea, developing a crew, guiding your team, and much more. This fully revised and updated 7th edition also includes brand new content on the rise of the documentary series, the impact of video on-demand and content aggregators, updated information on prosumer and professional video (including 4K+), coverage of new audio & lighting solutions and trends in post-production, coverage of the immersive documentary, and provides practical sets of solutions for low, medium, and high budget documentary film productions throughout. The companion website has also been fully updated to a variety of new projects and forms.

By combining expert advice on the storytelling process, the technical aspects of filmmaking and commentary on the philosophical underpinnings of the art, this book provides the practical and holistic understanding you need to become a highly regarded, original, and ethical contributor to the genre. Ideal for both aspiring and established documentary filmmakers, this book has it all.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Seventh Edition

BOOK I: GETTING STARTED

PART 1: YOU AND YOUR IDEAS

Chapter 1 You and Film Authorship

Chapter 2 The Nature of Documentary

PART 2: DOCUMENTARIES AND FILM LANGUAGE

Chapter 3 How the Documentary Developed

Chapter 4 Constructing Reality

Chapter 5 Story Elements and Film Grammar

PART 3: PREPRODUCTION

Chapter 6 Developing Story Ideas

Chapter 7 Hypothesis, Research and Plan

Chapter 8 Developing Ideas for a Short Documentary

PART IV PRODUCTION

Chapter 10 Capturing Sound

Chapter 11 Lighting

Chapter 12 Camera

Chapter 13 Directing and Interviewing

PART 5: POSTPRODUCTION

Chapter 14 Creating the First Assembly

Chapter 15 Developing the Edit

Chapter 16 Fine Cut, Music, Audio and Color Correction

BOOK II: ADVANCED CONCEPTS

PART 6: DOCUMENTARY AESTHETICS

Chapter 17 Point of View and Storytelling

Chapter 18 Dramatic Development, Time and Story Structure

Chapter 19 Using Form and Style

Chapter 20 Reconstruction, Reenactment and Docudrama

Chapter 21 Values and Ethics

PART 7 ADVANCED PRODUCTION ISSUES

PART 7A ADVANCED PREPRODUCTION

Chapter 22 Handling Larger Projects

Chapter 23 Relations with Participants, Story Development and Funding Proposals

Chapter 24 Advanced Technology, Budgeting, Scheduling

Chapter 25 Preparations before Directing

PART 7B: ADVANCED PRODUCTION

Chapter 26 Optics and Perception

Chapter 27 Advanced Cameras and Support Equipment

Chapter 28 Advanced Location Sound

Chapter 29 Advanced Directing: Participants

Chapter 30 Advanced Directing: Camera

Chapter 31 Advanced Interviewing

PART 7C ADVANCED POSTPRODUCTION

Chapter 32 From Transcript to Assembly

Chapter 33 Creating Narration

Chapter 34 Original Music

Chapter 35 Editing Refinements and Structural Solutions

Chapter 36 The Final Sound Mix

PART 8: WORK

Chapter 37 Developing a Career

Chapter 38 Starting up on Your Own

Index/

Directing: Film Techniques and Aesthetics is a comprehensive exploration into the art and craft of directing for film and television. It’s filled with practical advice, essential technical information, and inspiring case studies for every stage of production. This book covers the methods, technologies, thought processes, and judgments that a director must use throughout the fascinating process of making a film, and concentrates on developing the human aspects of cinema to connect with audiences.

The fully revised and updated 6th edition features new sections on using improvisation, the development of characters for long form television series, visual design, the role of the digital imaging technician, film promotion and distribution, alongside expanded information on contemporary color grading tools, stylistic approaches and genre, workflows, blocking scenes for the camera and more. The book emphasizes independent and short form cinema which allows cutting-edge creativity and professionalism on shoestring budgets. Recognizing that you learn best by doing, it includes dozens of practical hands-on projects and activities to help you master technical and conceptual skills.

Just as important as surmounting technological hurdles is the conceptual and authorial side of filmmaking. This book provides an unusually clear view of the artistic process, particularly in working with actors and principle crew members. It offers eminently practical tools and exercises to help you develop your artistic identity, find credible and compelling stories, choose and work with your cast and hone your narrative skills. Directing shows you how to surpass mere technical proficiency and become a storyteller with a distinctive voice and style.

The accompanying companion website includes film analysis exercises, shooting projects, checklists and assignment forms, analytical questionnaires, updated production forms and logs for all phases of a project with links to additional resources and set safety advice.

Table of Contents

CONTENTS

Introduction

PART 1: THE DIRECTOR AND ARTISTIC IDENTITY

1 THE WORLD OF THE FILM DIRECTOR

2 DEVELOPING AS A DIRECTOR

PART 2: THE STORY AND ITS DEVELOPMENT

3 ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF DRAMA

4 SHAPING THE STORY INTO DRAMA

5 PLOT, TIME, AND STRUCTURE

PART 3: THE DIRECTOR AND THE SCRIPT

6 SCREENPLAY GROUND RULES

7 RECOGNIZING THE SUPERIOR SCREENPLAY

8 SCRIPT ANALYSIS AND DEVELOPMENT

PART 4: AUTHORSHIP AND AESTHETICS

9 CINEMATIC POINT OF VIEW

10 FORM AND STYLE

11 TONE, STYLE AND GENRE

PART 5: A DIRECTOR’S SCREEN GRAMMAR

12 FILM LANGUAGE

13 THE FRAME AND THE SHOT

14 THE MOVING CAMERA

15 LANGUAGE OF THE EDIT

16 THE HUMAN VANTAGE OF CINEMATIC LANGUAGE

PART 6: PREPRODUCTION

17 EXPLORING THE SCRIPT

18 CASTING

19 ACTING FUNDAMENTALS 227

20 DIRECTING ACTORS

21 REHEARSALS

22 ACTING EXERCISE

23 PLANNING THE VISUAL DESIGN

24 DEVELOPING THE SHOOTING SCRIPT

25 LINE PRODUCING AND LOGISTICS

PART 7: PRODUCTION

26 DEVELOPING A PRODUCTION CREW

27 THE DIRECTOR AND PRODUCTION TECH

28 ON SET: PRODUCTION BEGINS

29 DIRECTING ON THE SET

30 MONITORING CONTINUITY AND PROGRESS

PART 8: POSTPRODUCTION

31 POSTPRODUCTION OVERVIEW

32 EDITING BEGINS: GETTING TO KNOW THE FOOTAGE

33 THE ROUGH CUT

34 GETTING TO FINE CUT AND PICTURE LOCK

35 WORKING WITH MUSIC

36 THE FINISHING TOUCHES

37 GETTING IT OUT THERE

Filmography

Photograph and Illustration Acknowledgements

Index

The vast majority of screenplay and writing books that focus on story development have little to say about the initial concept that inspired the piece. Developing Story Ideas: The Power and Purpose of Storytelling, Third Edition provides writers with ideational tools and resources to generate a wide variety of stories in a broad range of forms. Celebrated filmmaker and author Michael Rabiger demonstrates how to observe situations and themes in the writer's own life experience, and use these as the basis for original storytelling. This new edition has been updated with chapters on adaptation, improvisation, and cast collaboration's roles in story construction, as well as a companion website featuring further projects, class assignments, instructor resources, and more. Gain the practical tools and resources you need to spark your creativity and generate a wide variety of stories in a broad range of forms, including screenplays, documentaries, novels, short stories, and plays Through hands-on, step-by-step exercises and group and individual assignments, learn to use situations and themes from your own life experience, dreams, myth, and the news as the basis for character-driven storytelling; harness methods of screenplay format, dialogue, plot structure, and character development that will allow your stories to reach their fullest potential

Directing the Documentary, Sixth Edition is the definitive book on the form, offering time-tested principles to help you master the craft. Ideal for documentary courses as well as aspiring and established documentary filmmakers, this book has it all, with in-depth lessons and insider perspectives on every aspect of preproduction, production, and postproduction. Focusing on the hands-on work needed to make your concept a reality, this new edition covers the fundamentals all the way to advanced elements of directing. It includes dozens of projects, practical exercises, and thought-provoking questions, and provides best practices for researching and honing your documentary idea, developing a crew, guiding your team, maintaining control throughout the shoot, and much more.

This new edition features:

• A two-stage cinematic learning process: camera observation skills, then advanced storytelling
• Dozens of real-world exercises and case studies to demystify production processes and enhance your skills
• Easy to comprehend guidance in the creative, technical, and artistic aspects of directing
• Fresh coverage of the latest filmmaking technology
• Expanded sections on grant writing and fundraising, emphasizing proposal and pitching skills
• A self-assessment of your interviewing skills and expanded coverage of narration-writing
• A companion website (www.directingthedocumentary.com) that includes handy production checklists and forms, updated projects, exercises, and video examples

In Directing the Documentary, Sixth Edition Michael Rabiger combines expert advice on the storytelling process and technical aspects of documentary filmmaking with sound commentary on the philosophical underpinnings of the art, providing the practical and holistic understanding you need to become a highly-regarded, original, and ethical contributor to the genre.