Directors Tell the Story
Master the Craft of Television and Film Directing
1st Edition
Published on 12. September 2011
Book
Paperback/Softback
326 pages
978-0-240-81873-3 (ISBN)
Description
Move over, movies: the freshest storytelling today is on television, where the multi-episodic format is used for rich character development and innovative story arcs. Directors Tell the Story offers rare insight and advice straight from two A-list television directors whose credits include Monk, Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Weeds, and more. They direct dramas and comedies using the same process that Steven Spielberg (or any other movie director uses)-just with less money and time.
Learn what it takes to become a director: master the technical aspects, appreciate aesthetic qualities, and practice leadership, all while exuding that "X? factor that distinguishes the excellent director from the merely good one. Covering everything from prep, the shoot, and post, the authors emphasize how aspiring directors can develop a creative vision-because without it, they are just technicians.
Hands-on and practical, this book lets you not only read about the secrets of directors, it also includes exercises using original scripted material. The companion web site includes scenes from the authors' own TV shows, along with the scripts, shot lists, and other materials that made the scenes possible.
Key Features
* Highly experienced Hollywood directors share inside information about what it really takes to be a director, giving the advice that readers covet.
* Covers everything a director needs to know: the creative vision, how to translate script into a visual story, establishing the look and feel, selecting and leading a crew, coaching actors, keeping a complex operation on time and on budget, overseeing the edit, and troubleshooting through the whole shoot.
* "Insider Info? sections feature interviews, advice, and tips from film and TV luminaries whose productions include Private Practice, Monk, Brothers & Sisters, Desperate Housewives, The Informant, American Beauty, and more!
* Hands-on exercises help you understand and master the craft of directing.
Learn what it takes to become a director: master the technical aspects, appreciate aesthetic qualities, and practice leadership, all while exuding that "X? factor that distinguishes the excellent director from the merely good one. Covering everything from prep, the shoot, and post, the authors emphasize how aspiring directors can develop a creative vision-because without it, they are just technicians.
Hands-on and practical, this book lets you not only read about the secrets of directors, it also includes exercises using original scripted material. The companion web site includes scenes from the authors' own TV shows, along with the scripts, shot lists, and other materials that made the scenes possible.
Key Features
* Highly experienced Hollywood directors share inside information about what it really takes to be a director, giving the advice that readers covet.
* Covers everything a director needs to know: the creative vision, how to translate script into a visual story, establishing the look and feel, selecting and leading a crew, coaching actors, keeping a complex operation on time and on budget, overseeing the edit, and troubleshooting through the whole shoot.
* "Insider Info? sections feature interviews, advice, and tips from film and TV luminaries whose productions include Private Practice, Monk, Brothers & Sisters, Desperate Housewives, The Informant, American Beauty, and more!
* Hands-on exercises help you understand and master the craft of directing.
Reviews / Votes
".Bethany Rooney and Mary Lou Belli's Directors Tell the Story sets out to fill the void; as directors of series, including Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives and Monk, the authors have hundreds of hours of experience between them and, thus, have first-hand knowledge of what it takes to mount television productions on tight schedules and modest budgets."--TheASC.com"This is a precise and smart book about directing in general and directing television specifically. It is filled with common sense information that becomes second nature to a skilled, experienced director and can be so easily overlooked by a newcomer or even a working director who ought to think of another field of endeavor all together." -Sally Field
"Finally-- Actual, Working Hollywood Directors Share their 'Inner-Door' Secrets of the Craft. These two ladies have worked on some of the most critically-acclaimed current shows, and still made time to write this 'Can't-Miss' book! Call it-'The 'Hollywood Rules' for Up & Coming Directors'!!? -Dave A. Anselmi: Director, Producer, and Instructor, PracticalMysticProductions.com
"[Directors Tell the Story] has been referred to as "film school in 320 pages," offers a different approach than most other "directing" textbooks by offering how-to's from working professional directors. The authors designed a step-by-step format, breaking down the directing essentials to emphasize how aspiring directors can develop a creative vision:- Prep: Break-down, Casting, Production Design, Blocking, Scouting, etc; Shoot: Directing the Actors, Below the Line, Running the Set; Post: Working with Editors & Post Supervisors; Being a Director: The Demands of the Job, & Getting Started."--TribecaFilm.com
"Trust me, this is a book that should be required reading for anyone who has aspirations in pursuing a career as a director. On the other hand, for readers as myself that have no intention of becoming directors, Directors Tell The Story: Master The Craft of Television and Film Directing will no doubt force you to watch television film from a much different perspective and appreciate the intense collaboration that takes place between the director and everyone else that plays a role in its production."--BookPleasures.com
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Oxford
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Taylor & Francis Ltd
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Beginner-Intermediate level filmmakers, directors, producers, and enthusiasts - anyone trying to learn the craft of film and tv directing.
Illustrations
75 s/w Abbildungen
75 Illustrations, black and white
Dimensions
Height: 229 mm
Width: 152 mm
Weight
454 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-240-81873-3 (9780240818733)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
New editions
Bethany Rooney | Mary Lou Belli
Directors Tell the Story
Master the Craft of Television and Film Directing
Book
04/2016
2nd Edition
Routledge
€50.50
Article exhausted; check for reprint
Persons
In an environment where less than ten percent of dramas on television are directed by women, Bethany Rooney has enjoyed a long and esteemed career. She has directed over one hundred and fifty episodes of prime-time network shows, including Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Brothers and Sisters, Castle, and Private Practice. For cable television, she has directed In Plain Sight, Weeds, and Drop Dead Diva. She began her directing career on the 1980's iconic television show, St. Elsewhere, where she had served as associate producer.
She has also directed eight television movies, including three Danielle Steel adaptations for NBC. Her movies have earned reviews such as the following from Variety: "Bethany Rooney's sensitive direction makes for some vivid and understated moments,? and the Hollywood Reporter noted her "carefully paced and involving direction (featuring) magnificent acting.? She has directed Oscar winners and contenders Denzel Washington, Hilary Swank, Mary Tyler Moore, Angela Bassett, George Clooney, Alfre Woodard, Felicity Huffman, Sally Field, and Robert Downey Jr., among many others.
Ms. Rooney also wrote the television movie "Absolution? which aired on Lifetime Television.
Ms. Rooney graduated from Bowling Green State University in Ohio with a masters' degree. She taught directing at UCLA Extension and numerous acting workshops in the LA area, most recently through Steppenwolf Theatre West. She is a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and has served on several committees for the Directors Guild of America.
Ms. Rooney lives with her husband and son in Los Angeles.
Mary Lou Belli is an Emmy Award winning producer, writer, and director as well as the author of two books. Most recently she directed Monk starring Emmy award winner Tony Shalhoub and The Wizards of Waverly Place on the Disney Channel. On the CW she directed The Game, the spinoff to Girlfriends- a series Mary Lou directed for 7 consecutive seasons. She directed the pilot of the Web series 3Way, winner of 2 Logo awards and the AfterEllen.com 2008 Visibility Award. With over 100 episodes to her credit, Mary Lou directed Living with Fran starring Fran Drescher, Misconceptions starring Jane Leeves, and Eve starring hip hop artist Eve, as well as The Hughleys, Charles in Charge, Major Dad, and Sister, Sister. Mary Lou received BET nominations for directing Girlfriends and One on One as well as a Prism Award for Girlfriends.
After receiving a BA in theatre from Penn State, Mary Lou acted in musical theatre and soaps in New York, followed by a Los Angeles career producing and directing theatre with over 75 play productions to her credit. She lectures frequently throughout the United States including many universities such as AFI, NYU, Northwestern, and UConn.
She is the co-author of two books: The Sitcom Career Book and Acting for Young Actors. She has been a judge for the Miss America Outstanding Teen Pageant, a lecturer at the Chautauqua Institute, and a panelist for Women In Film, the DGA, SAG, and AFTRA. She's judged the California Independent Film Festival, the Sapporo Short Film Festival in Japan, and CSU Media Arts Fest.
She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two teenage children..all actors!
She has also directed eight television movies, including three Danielle Steel adaptations for NBC. Her movies have earned reviews such as the following from Variety: "Bethany Rooney's sensitive direction makes for some vivid and understated moments,? and the Hollywood Reporter noted her "carefully paced and involving direction (featuring) magnificent acting.? She has directed Oscar winners and contenders Denzel Washington, Hilary Swank, Mary Tyler Moore, Angela Bassett, George Clooney, Alfre Woodard, Felicity Huffman, Sally Field, and Robert Downey Jr., among many others.
Ms. Rooney also wrote the television movie "Absolution? which aired on Lifetime Television.
Ms. Rooney graduated from Bowling Green State University in Ohio with a masters' degree. She taught directing at UCLA Extension and numerous acting workshops in the LA area, most recently through Steppenwolf Theatre West. She is a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and has served on several committees for the Directors Guild of America.
Ms. Rooney lives with her husband and son in Los Angeles.
Mary Lou Belli is an Emmy Award winning producer, writer, and director as well as the author of two books. Most recently she directed Monk starring Emmy award winner Tony Shalhoub and The Wizards of Waverly Place on the Disney Channel. On the CW she directed The Game, the spinoff to Girlfriends- a series Mary Lou directed for 7 consecutive seasons. She directed the pilot of the Web series 3Way, winner of 2 Logo awards and the AfterEllen.com 2008 Visibility Award. With over 100 episodes to her credit, Mary Lou directed Living with Fran starring Fran Drescher, Misconceptions starring Jane Leeves, and Eve starring hip hop artist Eve, as well as The Hughleys, Charles in Charge, Major Dad, and Sister, Sister. Mary Lou received BET nominations for directing Girlfriends and One on One as well as a Prism Award for Girlfriends.
After receiving a BA in theatre from Penn State, Mary Lou acted in musical theatre and soaps in New York, followed by a Los Angeles career producing and directing theatre with over 75 play productions to her credit. She lectures frequently throughout the United States including many universities such as AFI, NYU, Northwestern, and UConn.
She is the co-author of two books: The Sitcom Career Book and Acting for Young Actors. She has been a judge for the Miss America Outstanding Teen Pageant, a lecturer at the Chautauqua Institute, and a panelist for Women In Film, the DGA, SAG, and AFTRA. She's judged the California Independent Film Festival, the Sapporo Short Film Festival in Japan, and CSU Media Arts Fest.
She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two teenage children..all actors!
Content
Introduction
Section One: Prep
Chapter 1 - Breaking Down the Script for Story
Chapter 2 - Breaking Down the Script for Character
Chapter 3 - Casting
Chapter 4 - Production Design
Chapter 5 - Organizing the Shoot with the First Assistant Director
Chapter 6 - Sharing the Vision
Chapter 7 - Blocking and Shot Listing, Part One
Chapter 8 - Blocking and Shot Listing, Part Two
Chapter 9 - Scouting Locations
Section One Review
Section Two: Shoot
Chapter 10 - Directing the Actor
Chapter 11 - Below the Line
Chapter 12 - All the Other Stuff
Chapter 13 - Running the Set
Section Two Review
Section Three: Post
Chapter 14 - Working with the Editor
Chapter 15 - Working With the Post Supervisor
Section Three Review
Section Four: Being a Director
Chapter 16 - Being a Director
Chapter 17 - The Demands of the Job
Chapter 18 - Getting Started
Section Four Review
Glossary
Section One: Prep
Chapter 1 - Breaking Down the Script for Story
Chapter 2 - Breaking Down the Script for Character
Chapter 3 - Casting
Chapter 4 - Production Design
Chapter 5 - Organizing the Shoot with the First Assistant Director
Chapter 6 - Sharing the Vision
Chapter 7 - Blocking and Shot Listing, Part One
Chapter 8 - Blocking and Shot Listing, Part Two
Chapter 9 - Scouting Locations
Section One Review
Section Two: Shoot
Chapter 10 - Directing the Actor
Chapter 11 - Below the Line
Chapter 12 - All the Other Stuff
Chapter 13 - Running the Set
Section Two Review
Section Three: Post
Chapter 14 - Working with the Editor
Chapter 15 - Working With the Post Supervisor
Section Three Review
Section Four: Being a Director
Chapter 16 - Being a Director
Chapter 17 - The Demands of the Job
Chapter 18 - Getting Started
Section Four Review
Glossary