Directing a short film

Belias

Hello , i was asked yesterday to direct a 3d film , we are a crew of 3 now , the main artist is very talented , he made a motion capture device using 8 cameras , and the suit is LEDs , also made a 3d scanner , any ways , i feel so enthusiastic , really need help with good books about directing , please support me with articles and books names ...

rube

Shot By Shot, is the classic "director's handbook"... and The Visual Story by Bruce Block is excellent.

rooster

Belias: seriously, I can't wait to see your film. It's going to be awesome!
One that really helped me during uni was called Mise-En-Scene, Film Style and Interpretation by John Gibbs. It's all about how film directors create meaning through cinematography. Nothing to do with 3d, but the principles are universal

rollin

Imo the best way is to watch films over and over again..

learn to listen to the film .. not the story (turn the sound off)
-cuts,camera,light,format,speed,colour,motion,limitations
understand the story telling without the visuals (turn the image off)
understand the musik
understand the characters
and understand the dramaturgy


You can find most of the written stuff on the web (about dramaturgy for example)

but all in all its more like learning how to drive while sitting in the car instead of reading how to drive

Anyhow.. everybody has his own way of getting into it.

Bruno Afonseca

Watch good movies and let yourself get contaminated by them. I recomend Kar Wai Wong's In the Mood for Love and Julio Medem's Lovers of the Arctic Circle. Lots of things to learn from them.

Gmanx

Check out your favourite films too. Why are they appealing? Is it characterisation? Pace? Visual Style? Look at DVD extras, especially storyboard sequences and commentaries, to get clues on the decisions directors make. Also, look at comics - certain writers like Alan Moore have a very filmic style (Watchmen).

You're new to the practice, so I'd also recommend you get out there with a video camera and try putting together little groups of scenes to illustrate a narrative.

Have fun with it.