Rating: 
Summary: One of the most complete guides to filmmaking
Review: This book is designed as a textbook for an aspiring film student. It covers all the basic skills that are necessary in making a movie. It is very complete. Aside from the useful technical knowledge in this book, which alone would give it 5 stars, Rabinger has the student/reader do excercises that has the student develop their own sense of asthetics. Of all the books on filmmaking that I've read, this is one of the most comprehensive, and consequently, most valuable.
Rating: 
Summary: Important new content
Review: This edition has an important new part titled "Artistic Identity." It includes three chapters--"The Job of the Director", "Identifying Your Themes as a Director," and "Developing Your Story Ideas." I wrote them because I realized from my travels that though film techniques are being taught everywhere, almost no film school and no text is explaining the focusing self-awareness that alone produces coherent authorship. Instead, filmmakers get consumed by the medium's technology. This leaves aside the vital questions about how and why one wants to speak to an audience through the medium, and what one's life has equipped one to contribute. This is a much needed innovation as it prepares the ground for integrated filmmaking (or videomaking, of course), one with an individual point of view--something one seldom finds in much screen work generally. Hope you find it useful. --Michael Rabiger
Rating:
Summary: Wanna be filmmaker? This is the first book you should read!
Review: What is really cool about this book is that it cover the WHY direct and HOW to do it. A perfect combo. This is really the first book to get if you want or think that making movie is for you. Get it and you'll know why.
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