1st Edition

Secrets of Screen Directing The Tricks of the Trade

By Patrick Tucker Copyright 2019
    210 Pages 100 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    210 Pages 100 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Secrets of Screen Directing: The Tricks of the Trade is a practical guide which bridges the gap between classroom learning and the realities of being on a set. Author Patrick Tucker uses insights and techniques gained from over 40 years of directing both screen and stage to open up the craft of effectively telling stories, exploring the reality of a directing career with practical day to day solutions and problem-solving methods for working directors.

    This book addresses the fact that most professional directors spend their careers directing other writers’ scripts, and deals with the practicalities of working on continuing dramas. Following the Director’s mantra of ‘show, not tell’ it contains over 300 illustrations, diagrams, paperwork examples and floor plans, with lists and charts throughout. Covering planning, preparation, and shooting a project, it delves beyond just script construction and into the nuts and bolts of screen directing.

    Directors at any level are always under huge time constraints, and this book provides immediate and simple solutions to working under such restrictions. This is an ideal resource for filmmaking students and early career directors to refer to when encountering a problem, as well as all those screen enthusiasts, actors and writers, who want to know what directors actually do.

    Preface

    Acknowledgements and Thanks

    Introduction

    Chapter 1: Preparation

    Chapter 2: Planning the shoot

    Chapter 3: Screen grammar

    Chapter 4: Telling stories with pictures

    Chapter 5: Planning the shots

    Chapter 6: Planning the sequences and staging

    Chapter 7: Working with actors

    Chapter 8: Working with crew and staff

    Chapter 9: On set

    Chapter 10: Post production

    Chapter 11: That’s a Wrap!

    Appendix: Useful lists

    Appendix: Paperwork Examples

    Bibliography

    Index of Films

    General Index:

    Biography:

    Biography

    Patrick Tucker is an accomplished director of both screen and stage. He has directed close to 200 television programmes and over 200 plays, with director credits including the BBC, the Royal Shakespeare Company and a feature film. He has run screen directing masterclasses for over 30 years, lectured and taught worldwide and is the author of Secrets of Screen Acting and Secrets of Acting Shakespeare.