Rating: 
Summary: Clear and easy
Review: a companion for "cinematic motion" from same writer. Easy to understand, b&w illustrated fundamental book for novice filmmakers.
Rating: 
Summary: Far from complete
Review: A competent text in regards to the visualization of camera placement and movement required of directors. At the very least, it will aid you in communicating with the various people necessary to make films. However, this book falls far short of being a complete manual for a film director. It fails to address basic directing principles, such as the director's roles in shaping performances for the screen and breaking down the script emotionally. The latter being an essential step in "visualizing from concept to screen." Using this book as a resource as a director is fine, but make sure you supplement it with other texts, such as "Directing Actors" by Judith Weston. Do not buy this book assuming you are getting a comprehensive guide. If it's a more comprehensive guide you seek then I would recommend Michael Rabiger's "Directing: Film Techniques and Aesthetics."
Rating: 
Summary: Steven D. Katz positions the Filmmaker as Graphic Designer.
Review: Film Directing Shot by Shot is a step back from the filmmaker's lens. This book is a praise of preplanning shots and putting them together in the filmmaker's head. Steven D. Katz has presented a great resource not laden with hard technical terminology limited to the professional. Katz explores the graphic design of a shot, presenting alternate examples of shot layout side by side. The author encourages seeing shots on the storyboard and how they play together, seeing the movie as static pictures before any film is spent. As he explains: "look at each sequence as a complete statement. Developing an intuitive sense of the overall perceptual effect of a sequence is one of the skills necessary for visualization." (pp 160) He offers traditional process but encourages experimental methods where appropriate.
I was pointed toward the book as an art professional interested in filmmaking. Having read other film preproduction books this has been the best so far.
Rating:
Summary: How to place a cammera
Review: I belive that Steven D. Katz does a great deal in the issue of clarifieing the whole cammera placement process. This book does nothing on the directing actors subject, but it goes trough a very diferent but not least important aspect of filmaking.
The first time I heard from this book was from an animation teacher I had in school. I belive this book helps animators and live motion directors alike.
Buy this book, you wont regret it.
Rating: 
Summary: A boring, lifeless book.
Review: i disagree with the comment that katz missed the point. The title of this book denotes a focus on visualization. While a director must wear many hats, this book focuses on one specific area. Cinematic Motion, another. To say that the book does not focus on directing actors seems to miss the point entirely. I found this book very useful. As a begining filmmaker, it is easy to fall into patterns early - the same sorts of shots for the same basic reasons. But this book made me reconsider a lof of this. Also, the sections on blocking were very good. Managing the 180 line in complex action can be confusing, especially for beginners, but this book broke down different solutions and made them easy to understand. I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in creating visuals for film.
Rating:
Summary: visualization is the point
Review: i disagree with the comment that katz missed the point. The title of this book denotes a focus on visualization. While a director must wear many hats, this book focuses on one specific area. Cinematic Motion, another. To say that the book does not focus on directing actors seems to miss the point entirely. I found this book very useful. As a begining filmmaker, it is easy to fall into patterns early - the same sorts of shots for the same basic reasons. But this book made me reconsider a lof of this. Also, the sections on blocking were very good. Managing the 180 line in complex action can be confusing, especially for beginners, but this book broke down different solutions and made them easy to understand. I would highly recommend this book for anyone interested in creating visuals for film.
Rating: 
Summary: Useless
Review: I got halfway through this book and didn't learn a damn thing. Katz spends most of his time stating the obvious and spends far too little time on the things I bought the book looking to find. It goes with my collection of useless filmmaking books that are clearly written to make a quick buck and don't share anything but condescension. If you want a book that answers all of your questions check out Mascelli's "Five C's of Cinematography".
Rating:
Summary: THE book on STORYBOARDING, really the only BOOK, and great.
Review: I wish I had this book before storyboarding on my first feature film years ago. While teaching storyboarding classes in Savannah and Toronto I searched online and was always dissapointed with the few and poorly written books available for Storyboarding until I found this one. Its awsome! It covers all topics of storyboarding and other relative areas in filmaking to help the storyboarder understand film terms, filmic language, and what their place is in production.
Rating:
Summary: ...fantastic
Review: I wish I had this book when I was in 6th form. If I had, the last 5 years of my life could have been very different. Unfortunately, I only got hold of this book 6 months ago, and quickly read it cover to cover. I'm not going towrite an in depth review, but I will tell you the 2 most important things that this book deals with... 1) Shot composition/storyboards
2) Blocking It tells you everything they don't have time for when you take media studies in your senior high school years. It quickly gets past the basic information about shot types etc, and then takes you WAY BEYOND into a far more in depth and professional level, the kind of stuff you pay tens of thousands for in a film school. The book is that...good. If you only ever buy 1 book on filmmaking/directing, this is the one to get. I'm not kidding.
Rating:
Summary: An Amazing book
Review: I'll say it again. This is an amazing book. There are many illustrations and storyboards. It covers all the bases of visualizing for the screen in a practical, useful way, with great examples, without becoming bogged down in theory. You've got your script, now what do you do? Read this book, study it, then shoot your film.
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