Overview

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.

Full Product Details

Author:   Bethany Rooney ,  Mary Lou Belli (Emmy Award winning director of Monk, The Game, Girlfriends, 3Way, Living with Fran, and Charles in Charge.)
Publisher:   Taylor & Francis Ltd
Imprint:   Focal Press
Dimensions:   Width: 15.20cm , Height: 2.30cm , Length: 22.90cm
Weight:   0.454kg
ISBN:  

9780240818733

ISBN 10:   0240818733
Pages:   326
Publication Date:   12 September 2011
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  College/higher education ,  Professional & Vocational ,  Tertiary & Higher Education
Replaced By:   9781138948471
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Out of Print
Availability:   In Print  
Limited stock is available. It will be ordered for you and shipped pending supplier's limited stock.

Table of Contents

Reviews

This is a precise and smart book about directing in general and directing television specifically. It is filled with common sense information that becomes second nature to a skilled, experienced director and can be so easily overlooked by a newcomer or even a working director who ought to think of another field of endeavor all together. -Sally Field Finally-- Actual, Working Hollywood Directors Share their 'Inner-Door' Secrets of the Craft. These two ladies have worked on some of the most critically-acclaimed current shows, and still made time to write this 'Can't-Miss' book! Call it-'The 'Hollywood Rules' for Up & Coming Directors'!! -Dave A. Anselmi: Director, Producer, and Instructor, PracticalMysticProductions.com

.Bethany Rooney and Mary Lou Belli's Directors Tell the Story sets out to fill the void; as directors of series, including Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives and Monk, the authors have hundreds of hours of experience between them and, thus, have first-hand knowledge of what it takes to mount television productions on tight schedules and modest budgets. --TheASC.com This is a precise and smart book about directing in general and directing television specifically. It is filled with common sense information that becomes second nature to a skilled, experienced director and can be so easily overlooked by a newcomer or even a working director who ought to think of another field of endeavor all together. -Sally Field Finally-- Actual, Working Hollywood Directors Share their 'Inner-Door' Secrets of the Craft. These two ladies have worked on some of the most critically-acclaimed current shows, and still made time to write this 'Can't-Miss' book! Call it-'The 'Hollywood Rules' for Up & Coming Directors'!! -Dave A. Anselmi: Director, Producer, and Instructor, PracticalMysticProductions.com [Directors Tell the Story] has been referred to as film school in 320 pages, offers a different approach than most other directing textbooks by offering how-to's from working professional directors. The authors designed a step-by-step format, breaking down the directing essentials to emphasize how aspiring directors can develop a creative vision:- Prep: Break-down, Casting, Production Design, Blocking, Scouting, etc; Shoot: Directing the Actors, Below the Line, Running the Set; Post: Working with Editors & Post Supervisors; Being a Director: The Demands of the Job, & Getting Started. --TribecaFilm.com Trust me, this is a book that should be required reading for anyone who has aspirations in pursuing a career as a director. On the other hand, for readers as myself that have no intention of becoming directors, Directors Tell The Story: Master The Craft of Television and Film Directing will no doubt force you to watch television film from a much different perspective and appreciate the intense collaboration that takes place between the director and everyone else that plays a role in its production. --BookPleasures.com

This is a precise and smart book about directing in general and directing television specifically. It is filled with common sense information that becomes second nature to a skilled, experienced director and can be so easily overlooked by a newcomer or even a working director who ought to think of another field of endeavor all together. -Sally Field Finally-- Actual, Working Hollywood Directors Share their 'Inner-Door' Secrets of the Craft. These two ladies have worked on some of the most critically-acclaimed current shows, and still made time to write this 'Can't-Miss' book! Call it-'The 'Hollywood Rules' for Up & Coming Directors'!! -Dave A. Anselmi: Director, Producer, and Instructor, PracticalMysticProductions.com [Directors Tell the Story] has been referred to as film school in 320 pages, offers a different approach than most other directing textbooks by offering how-to's from working professional directors. The authors designed a step-by-step format, breaking down the directing essentials to emphasize how aspiring directors can develop a creative vision:- Prep: Break-down, Casting, Production Design, Blocking, Scouting, etc; Shoot: Directing the Actors, Below the Line, Running the Set; Post: Working with Editors & Post Supervisors; Being a Director: The Demands of the Job, & Getting Started. --TribecaFilm.com Trust me, this is a book that should be required reading for anyone who has aspirations in pursuing a career as a director. On the other hand, for readers as myself that have no intention of becoming directors, Directors Tell The Story: Master The Craft of Television and Film Directing will no doubt force you to watch television film from a much different perspective and appreciate the intense collaboration that takes place between the director and everyone else that plays a role in its production. --BookPleasures.com

This is a precise and smart book about directing in general and directing television specifically. It is filled with common sense information that becomes second nature to a skilled, experienced director and can be so easily overlooked by a newcomer or even a working director who ought to think of another field of endeavor all together. -Sally Field Finally-- Actual, Working Hollywood Directors Share their 'Inner-Door' Secrets of the Craft. These two ladies have worked on some of the most critically-acclaimed current shows, and still made time to write this 'Can't-Miss' book! Call it-'The 'Hollywood Rules' for Up & Coming Directors'!! -Dave A. Anselmi: Director, Producer, and Instructor, PracticalMysticProductions.com

Author Information

In an environment where less than ten percent of dramas on television are directed by women, Bethany Rooney has enjoyed a long and esteemed career. She has directed over one hundred and fifty episodes of prime-time network shows, including Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Brothers and Sisters, Castle, and Private Practice. For cable television, she has directed In Plain Sight, Weeds, and Drop Dead Diva. She began her directing career on the 1980's iconic television show, St. Elsewhere, where she had served as associate producer. She has also directed eight television movies, including three Danielle Steel adaptations for NBC. Her movies have earned reviews such as the following from Variety: Bethany Rooney's sensitive direction makes for some vivid and understated moments, and the Hollywood Reporter noted her carefully paced and involving direction (featuring) magnificent acting. She has directed Oscar winners and contenders Denzel Washington, Hilary Swank, Mary Tyler Moore, Angela Bassett, George Clooney, Alfre Woodard, Felicity Huffman, Sally Field, and Robert Downey Jr., among many others. Ms. Rooney also wrote the television movie Absolution which aired on Lifetime Television. Ms. Rooney graduated from Bowling Green State University in Ohio with a masters' degree. She taught directing at UCLA Extension and numerous acting workshops in the LA area, most recently through Steppenwolf Theatre West. She is a member of the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences and has served on several committees for the Directors Guild of America. Ms. Rooney lives with her husband and son in Los Angeles. Mary Lou Belli is an Emmy Award winning producer, writer, and director as well as the author of two books. Most recently she directed Monk starring Emmy award winner Tony Shalhoub and The Wizards of Waverly Place on the Disney Channel. On the CW she directed The Game, the spinoff to Girlfriends- a series Mary Lou directed for 7 consecutive seasons. She directed the pilot of the Web series 3Way, winner of 2 Logo awards and the AfterEllen.com 2008 Visibility Award. With over 100 episodes to her credit, Mary Lou directed Living with Fran starring Fran Drescher, Misconceptions starring Jane Leeves, and Eve starring hip hop artist Eve, as well as The Hughleys, Charles in Charge, Major Dad, and Sister, Sister. Mary Lou received BET nominations for directing Girlfriends and One on One as well as a Prism Award for Girlfriends. After receiving a BA in theatre from Penn State, Mary Lou acted in musical theatre and soaps in New York, followed by a Los Angeles career producing and directing theatre with over 75 play productions to her credit. She lectures frequently throughout the United States including many universities such as AFI, NYU, Northwestern, and UConn. She is the co-author of two books: The Sitcom Career Book and Acting for Young Actors. She has been a judge for the Miss America Outstanding Teen Pageant, a lecturer at the Chautauqua Institute, and a panelist for Women In Film, the DGA, SAG, and AFTRA. She's judged the California Independent Film Festival, the Sapporo Short Film Festival in Japan, and CSU Media Arts Fest. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two teenage children..all actors!

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