Film Directing Fundamentals, 3rd Edition

P A R T O N E

FILM LANGUAGE AND A DIRECTING METHODOLOGY

It is important in learning any language to understand its grammar, and it is no different for film language. This is covered in Chapter 1. Chapters 2 through 6 introduce the bedrock of this book’s methodology: a journey of discovering answers to questions such as How do I stage a scene? Where do I put the camera? and What do I tell an actor? The answers, I believe, are to be found in your screenplay; therefore, much of our time will be spent on the “detective work” needed to uncover these answers.

In June 2007 Frances Ford Coppola visited Columbia and talked candidly about himself and the influences on his work. Prior to going to film school, he studied theater for four years, and at Columbia ...