The Beginning Filmmaker's Guide to Directing

This book provides the orientation and training you need to get a film project off the ground. For the writer, actor, or cinematographer who wants to earn the right to wear the director's hat, here's the commonsense, nuts-and-bolts advice necessary to get a movie from the idea stage to the screen. This is an ideal training manual for the beginner or recent film school graduate with only limited funds, written by a professional moviemaker active in the low-budget field. This book covers such key topics as the economics of directing, how not to waste money, how to cast and rehearse actors, ways to handle disputes, the development of an approved script into an actual shooting script, practice scenes for camera setups and movement, location and scene breakdowns, elements of editing, trick shots, what you need to know about crews and equipment, and pre- and post-production essentials. The interest in filmmaking continues to burgeon, as do markets for film and trained film professionals. Directors and their skills are needed in many rapidly growing arenas of the entertainment industry: cable, TV, domestic video, and home video markets overseas as well as in the United States, plus industrial and educational filmmaking. Renee Harmon has over a dozen years of experience as a producer and director. With her at your side, you will have one of the best teachers in the business guiding you every step of the way.