Film Directing Shot by Shot : Visualizing from Concept to Screen

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Summary: Best Buy for film makers
Review: This reference is worth the money. I learned everything I needed to know about setting up shots for my first two films from this book. Diagrams, pictures, instructions. Wonderful!

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Summary: misses the point
Review: What Steven Katz seems to forget is that it is also the director's job to work with actors. The director can have a varied level of control over the framing and composition of the shots, but the most critical part of the director's job is ensuring that the performances accomplish the goals of the film. A director must work with actors, but if you rely solely on Katz's book, it is a director's most important job to supervise the physical production and visualization. Visualization is critical, especially in a medium like film, but Katz ignores the bigger issue. After all, the visualization of a piece is ultimately a collaboration between the director, the cinematographer, and the designers, but the actors rely on the director exclusively to hone their performances. This is a useful (though extraordinarily boring) book, but unless you need a long lecture on the importance of visual planning (for Katz, this means storyboarding,) don't expect this to help you understand direction, and directing actors, any better.

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Summary: For someone trying to break in, this is the book for them.
Review: When I entered college to recieve a bachelor's degree, I wasn't quite sure what I wanted to do. I ended up choosing a degree in acting, but have since wondered if that was the wrong choice. In the last year of college, I became interested in film direction, but felt it was to late to pursue that career. Mr. Katz's book has changed my mind. In less than one week, I learned more about the technique of film direction than I ever learned in numerous film, and television classes. This book was easy to read, yet not easy in subject matter. It challenges the reader to visualize the subject matter, and to work out common problems in his/her head. It uses an extensive study of soryboarding from both classic and fictional films to easily illustrate his technique. Although Mr Katz uses a pretty set theory of film mechanics, he does challenge the reader to experiment and to create new and exciting art. This book is a must for beginners in the film industry, and I have a hunch that advanced artists could learn a lot from it too.

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Summary: If you only buy one book, this is it
Review: worth it, if you only afford one book, this is the book. for people interest in directing & editing, either for pro or ametuer, you won't regret it.

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Summary: Wow! A resource you will come back to year after year
Review: You are always taking a chance when ordering a specialized technical book. Will it contain the knowledge you're looking for, in a format that you can use? This book passes that test with five stars. The author shares his craft with literally HUNDREDS of storyboards and photos, showing different shots, angles, perspectives and their effect on the viewer. This is the kind of book you wish you could find every time you went hunting for knowledge.