Actors Turned Directors

Ten highly popular and acclaimed film directors whose careers began in front of the cameras candidly offer their insights into the all-important and unexplored subject of directing actors. Each actor-turned-director discusses film making and acting as observed from and practised on both sides of the camera and offers invaluable guidelines and tips on casting, rehearsing, communicating and working with actors, and the whole of the movie making process. Jon Stevens is a writer/director whose most recent feature film is Irish Whiskey. He serves on the publications committee of the Directors Guide of America, with whose support this book was prepared.

The collaboration of director and actor is the cornerstone of narrative filmmaking. This book provides the director with a concrete step-by-step guide to preparation that connects the fundamentals of film-script analysis with the actor’s process of preparation. This book starts with how to identify the overall scope of a project from the creative perspective of the director as it relates to guiding an actor, before providing a blueprint for preparation that includes script analysis, previsualization, and procedures for rehearsal and capture. This methodology allows the director to uncover the similarities and differences between actor and director in their preparation to facilitate the development of a collaborative dialogue. Featuring chapter-by-chapter exercises and assignments throughout, this book provides a method that enables the director to be present during every stage of production and seamlessly move from prep to filming, while guiding the actor to their best performances. Written in a clear and concise manner, it is ideal for students of directing, early career, and self-taught directors, as well as cinematographers, producers, or screenwriters looking to turn their hand to directing for the first time.

Directing film or television is a high-stakes occupation. It captures your full attention at every moment, calling on you to commit every resource and stretch yourself to the limit; it's the white-water rafting of entertainment jobs. But for many directors, the excitement they feel about a new project tightens into anxiety when it comes to working with actors.In the years since the original edition of Directing Actors was published, the technical side of filmmaking has become much more easily accessible. Directors tell me that dealing with actors is the last frontier--the scariest part and the part they long for--the human part, the place where connection happens.Weston's books help directors scale the heights of the actor-director dynamic, learn the joys of collaborating with actors--and become an "actor's director."

Independent director and screenwriter John Andrew Gallagher, interviews 21 filmmakers on the craft of motion picture directing. Francois Truffaut, the late great French director, as well as Michael Cimino, Ulu Grosbard, Dennis Hopper, Alan Parker, Susan Seidelman, Joan Micklin Silver and many others reveal behind-the-scenes anecdotes about well known films and stars. The big gamblers who spend millions per film as well as the colorful low-budget kings provide an intriguing look at the mechanics of filmmaking. Choosing and preparing the screenplay, working with actors and crew, dealing with the distributor, and advice to young filmmakers--all are covered in this book's illuminating interviews. Serious students of cinema, filmmakers, movie buffs, and people fascinated by film will find Film Directors on in this book's illuminating interviews.

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.

(Limelight). Originally conceived as a workbook for young directors, The Little Blue Book for Filmmakers has become a handbook for easy reference, with all the information a student director/actor/producer needs to create a film, from inception through production, to sales, distribution, and exhibition. The book discusses issues faced by all beginning filmmakers, with a historical perspective that explains problems and solutions that reach back to the invention of movies at the turn of the last century, and stretch forward to include new digital technology and the popularization of videography as global self-expression. A valuable addition to the shelves of all film school instructors who've not had years of practical experience working in the trade, it's also a syllabus in itself and can be the foundation for a course schedule. More important, it's something every film student will want to own as a reference and guide.

The second edition of this elegant and accessible primer offers a helpful reference and resource for directing actors in film, television, and theatre, useful to directors, actors, and writers. Combining underlying theory with dozens of exercises designed to reveal the actor's craft, Lenore DeKoven discusses constructing the throughline; analyzing the script; character needs; the casting and rehearsal processes; as well as the actor and the camera. Distilling difficult concepts to their simplest form, DeKoven explains how to accurately capture and portray human behavior on stage and screen, offering creative solutions to issues she has encountered or anticipated after decades of experience. Excerpts from interviews with acclaimed actors offer insight into their work with directors, what inspires them, and what they really want from the director. This second edition incorporates the film Moonlight (2016, Barry Jenkins) for analysis of the directing concepts discussed.

With six decades in show business, legendary director Ted Kotcheff looks back on his life Born to immigrant parents and raised in the slums of Toronto during the Depression, Ted Kotcheff learned storytelling on the streets before taking a stagehand job at CBC Television. Discovering his skills with actors and production, Kotcheff went on to direct some of the greatest films of the freewheeling 1970s, including The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz, Wake in Fright, and North Dallas Forty. After directing the 1980s blockbusters First Blood and Weekend at Bernie’s, Kotcheff helped produce the groundbreaking TV show Law & Order: Special Victims Unit. During his career, he was declared a Communist by the U.S. government, banned from the Royal Albert Hall in London, and coped with assassination threats on one of his lead actors. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 16.0px Times; -webkit-text-stroke: #000000} span.s1 {font-kerning: none} With his seminal films enjoying a critical renaissance, including praise from Martin Scorsese and Nick Cave, Kotcheff now turns the lens on himself. Witty and fearless, Director’s Cut is not just a memoir, but also a close-up on life and craft, with stories of his long friendship with Mordecai Richler and working with stars like Sylvester Stallone, James Mason, Gregory Peck, Ingmar Bergman, Gene Hackman, Jane Fonda, and Richard Dreyfuss, as well as advice on how to survive the slings and arrows of Hollywood.