Directors Tell the Story

Reviews / Votes

"Bethany and Mary Lou have written the ultimate guide for anyone who wants to direct episodic television. As an executive who builds pathways for emerging talent,this is essential reading and provides a wealth of practical knowledge and intangible insights that their collective careers have resourced over the years. A must read!"

Grace Moss, VP

DE&I, Pipeline Programs

Warner Bros. Discovery

"Directors Tell the Story is the best book ever written about the technical, logistical, and political skills every filmmaker must master to sustain a career behind the camera. For aspiring filmmakers and beginners, the book provides an invaluable road map containing detailed and useful information about every step of the process from prep to post. For more experienced directors the book is no less valuable, as taking a deep dive into Belli and Rooney's methodology helps focus one's own theories and point the way toward new ways of working. Essential reading."

Jim Hemphill

Filmmaker & Film Historian

Features Writer, IndieWire

Author, The Art & Craft of TV Directing: Conversations with Episodic TV Directors


"This is one of the most specific and pragmatic books about directing television I've ever read. Now with added sections addressing augmented reality, new prep applications, and post-pandemic protocols, this book has it all from the very best. As experts in directing both comedy and drama, and hundreds of television shows between them, Mary Lou Belli and Bethany Rooney have deftly translated their years of hands-on knowledge and acquired skills to the page, giving insightful instructions that would benefit all television directors at any level."

Jennifer Warren,

Associate Professor of Practice in Directing, School of Cinematic Arts, USC, Chair and Founder of The Alliance of Women Directors

"As a new director, you are constantly feeling like you want a refresher course on things you've previously learned. The thing I love about Bethany and Mary Lou's book is that it's so accessible. It's packed with so many jewels that you employ throughout every stage of the director's process. From an actor's perspective, Chapter 8 is invaluable. I wish it was mandatory for every director to read that chapter before their first day on the set."

-Regina King

Actress, Director

"Directors Tell the Story is the one book that every TV Director, whether aspiring or seasoned, needs to have in their library. Written with a generosity of spirit and years of knowledge and practical experience, directors Bethany Rooney and Mary Lou Belli demystify every aspect of the process of being a TV Director. Insightful and clear, it outlines all the essential skills and synthesizes the process necessary to become a storyteller."

-Lesli Linka Glatter

Producer, Director, Executive Producer - Zero Day, Love and Death, Homeland

President, Directors Guild of America "Bethany and Mary Lou have written the ultimate guide for anyone who wants to direct episodic television. As an executive who builds pathways for emerging talent, this is essential reading and provides a wealth of practical knowledge and intangible insights that their collective careers have resourced over the years. A must read!"

-Grace Moss, VP, DE&I, Pipeline Programs, Warner Bros. Discovery

"Directors Tell the Story is the best book ever written about the technical, logistical, and political skills every filmmaker must master to sustain a career behind the camera. For aspiring filmmakers and beginners, the book provides an invaluable road map containing detailed and useful information about every step of the process from prep to post. For more experienced directors the book is no less valuable, as taking a deep dive into Belli and Rooney's methodology helps focus one's own theories and point the way toward new ways of working. Essential reading."

-Jim Hemphill, Filmmaker & Film Historian, Features Writer, IndieWire, Author, The Art & Craft of TV Directing: Conversations with Episodic TV Directors


"This is one of the most specific and pragmatic books about directing television I've ever read. Now with added sections addressing augmented reality, new prep applications, and post-pandemic protocols, this book has it all from the very best. As experts in directing both comedy and drama, and hundreds of television shows between them, Mary Lou Belli and Bethany Rooney have deftly translated their years of hands-on knowledge and acquired skills to the page, giving insightful instructions that would benefit all television directors at any level."

-Jennifer Warren, Associate Professor of Practice in Directing, School of Cinematic Arts, USC, Chair and Founder of The Alliance of Women Directors

"As a new director, you are constantly feeling like you want a refresher course on things you've previously learned. The thing I love about Bethany and Mary Lou's book is that it's so accessible. It's packed with so many jewels that you employ throughout every stage of the director's process. From an actor's perspective, Chapter 8 is invaluable. I wish it was mandatory for every director to read that chapter before their first day on the set."

-Regina King, Actress, Director

"Directors Tell the Story is the one book that every TV Director, whether aspiring or seasoned, needs to have in their library. Written with a generosity of spirit and years of knowledge and practical experience, directors Bethany Rooney and Mary Lou Belli demystify every aspect of the process of being a TV Director. Insightful and clear, it outlines all the essential skills and synthesizes the process necessary to become a storyteller."

-Lesli Linka Glatter, Producer, Director, Executive Producer, Zero Day, Love and Death, Homeland; President, Directors Guild of America