Directing for the Screen is a collection of essays and interviews exploring the business of directing. This highly accessible guide to working in film and television includes perspectives from industry insiders on topics such as breaking in; developing and nurturing business relationships; the director’s responsibilities on set and in the field; and more. Directing for the Screen is an ideal companion to filmmaking classes, demystifying the industry and the role of the director with real-world narratives and little-known truths about the business. With insight from working professionals, you’ll be armed with the information you need to pursue your career as a director.
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- Contains essays by and interviews with television directors, feature directors, documentary filmmakers, commercial directors, producers, and professors.
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- Offers expert opinions on how to get started, including landing and succeeding in an internship and getting your first gig.
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- Reveals details about working with actors, overseeing the work of often hundreds of crewmembers, writing last-minute on set, and developing a working relationship with producers and screenwriters.
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- Explores strategies for doing creative work under pressure, finding your directorial voice, financing shorts and independent films, breaking down barriers and overcoming discrimination, shooting in less-than-ideal situations, and recovering from bad reviews or box office results.
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- Illuminates the business of directing in the United States (New York and Los Angeles) as compared to other countries around the globe, including England, Ireland, Spain, Australia, Denmark, Pakistan, Belgium, and Canada.
Table of Contents:
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
INTRODUCTION
CHAPTER 1: GETTING STARTED
TAKING RISKS AND FINDING MENTORS
Beginning With School
An Interview With Elizabeth Allen Rosenbaum
SHORT ’N SWEET
The Short Film as a Calling Card
By Susan Liddy
GETTING A SEAT AT THE TABLE
Interning, Script Supervising, and Approaching a Producer With a Project
An Interview With Chiemi Karasawa
YOU AND YOUR DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY (DP)
Finding and Working With Your DP
By David Waldman and David Landau
BREAKING IN TO FEATURES
Working With Comedic Actors and Developing New Projects
An Interview With Peter Segal
CHAPTER 2: STICKING IT OUT
WHAT’S AN ASSISTANT DIRECTOR ANYWAY?
Roles and Responsibilities
By Peter D. Marshall
FILM FESTIVALS AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS
The Basics
By Karen Dee Carpenter
GETTING FISCAL SPONSORSHIP
An Interview With Dianne Debicella
DEVELOPING A BUSINESS ACUMEN
An Interview With Quincy Newell
DIRECTING FOR TELEVISION
A Global Perspective
By Phoebe Hart
DIRECTING THE ONE-HOUR TELEVISION DRAMA
How It Works in Los Angeles and New York
An Interview With Jeremy Podeswa
CHAPTER 3: FINDING SUCCESS
PURSUING TRUTH IN STORYTELLING
A Lifelong Career in Documentaries and Features
An Interview With Michael Apted
DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKING IN PAKISTAN
When Directing Can Be Dangerous
An Interview With Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy
DIRECTING THE PERSONAL DOCUMENTARY
An Intersex Adventure
By Phoebe Hart
DIRECTING FOR STUDIOS VS. INDEPENDENT FILMMAKING
Reflections on Thirty Years the Film Industry
An Interview With Boaz Yakin
BECOMING INDEPENDENT
Distribution After the Multiplex
By Max Sexton and Dominic Lees
CHAPTER 4: GETTING AHEAD
INDEPENDENT FILM DISTRIBUTION
An Interview With Orly Ravid
INDEPENDENT FILMMAKING
By Pieter Aquilia
THE EVOLUTION OF A DIRECTING CAREER
From Australia to Hollywood and Back Again
An Interview With Gillian Armstrong
ROLLING WITH THE PUNCHES AND DISCOVERIES
Filmmaker David Gordon Green’s Journey
By Chris Vognar
DIRECTING TELEVISION COMMERCIALS
Guidelines for a Fruitful Career
By Bill Linsman
DIRECTING DOCUMENTARIES
Notes From the Field
By Timothy A. Powell
CHAPTER 5: STARTING AGAIN
TRANSMEDIA STORYTELLING
The Next Step in Directing
By Jean Desormeaux and Randall Kapuscinski
NAVIGATING THE CREATIVE PROCESS
Insights on Gender and the Business of Directing
An Interview With Susanne Bier
PROCESSNG BOX OFFICE RESULTS
Building a Career in Unconventional Storytelling
An Interview With Jaco Van Dormael
BOUNCING BACK AFTER A SETBACK
The Determination to Begin Again
An Interview With Isabel Coixet
DIRECTING SITCOMS AND THEATER
From Stage to Screen
An Interview With Sheldon Epps
INDEX
About the Author :
Anna Weinstein is a screenwriter and educator based in Atlanta. She works as a writer-for-hire to develop features and television series, and she is on the screenwriting faculty in the English Department at Kennesaw State University, where she teaches and mentors undergraduate and graduate students. Anna is the Founding Editor of the PERFORM: Succeeding as a Creative Professional book series.
Review :
"This is not a 'how to' book, but an absorbing read which takes you on many different routes into directing. Full of insights, the range of interviewees is impressive. They all urge would-be directors to observe and learn, be persistent and find their voice."
—Claire Barwell, Former Chair of NAHEMI, Course Leader of Film Production at the Farnham Film School, University for the Creative Arts
"Directing for the Screen offers lively and astute advice from the insiders. Anna Weinstein has mixed with some of the best and probes them about their success—and learning from loss."
—Matthew Sorrento, Lecturer, Film Studies at Rutgers University in Camden, NJ
