Basics Film-Making 03: Directing Fiction

Robert Edgar-Hunt is programme head of Film and TV Production at York St John University. He also practises as a screenwriter and has research interests in creative writing, postmodernism and film directing.

How to get the most out of this book. Introduction. Preliminaries: Directing: Art or business?; The production team; Theories and their application; Directing: The vision; Avoiding Alan Smithee; Exercises. Pre-production: The pre-production team; Working with script; Case study: Peter Hunt; Image composition; Storyboards; Locations; Casting; Cast study: Mike Leigh; Rehearsing actors; Mark Herman interview; Exercises. Production: The production team; Case study: Robert Rodriguez; The director as artist; Working with sound and image; Setting the shot; Case study: Martin Scorsese; Production equipment; Production effects; Working on location; The first assistant director; Working with actors; Non-professional actors; Reviewing your material; Mark Herman interview; Exercise. Post-production: The post-production team; Editing systems; The grammar of the edit; Case study: Sergei Eisenstein; Sound and music; The finishing touches; Exhibition and distribution; Case study: Miles Watts; Consent, clearance and copyright; Mark Herman interview; Exercises. Conclusion. Directing and film resources. Picture credits. Acknowledgements. Working with ethics.