Cinematic Storytelling: The 100 Most Powerful Film Conventions Every Filmmaker Must Know

I am not all the way through my first reading of this book, but so far I am taking a lot from it! I have just recently taken into creating films and I wanted to learn as much as possible, but starting as a beginner through and through I didn't where to start, I have been reading this book and it sort of reads like a classroom text book (which is good, there's a lot of information packed in, not just pretty pictures) It has tons of real examples to follow along with it so you can really understand what ideas are being presented. I got the E-book (Kindle) version, and it reads/is translated really well into this format, the information is not missed the black and white pictures suffice on my Kindle-Touch, it's a great read, and a lot can be taken from it. If you're trying to learn more about the visual art of storytelling and screenwriting this is a good place to start.

One of the best books out there for the industry.

Considering the potentially complex nature of telling stories through pictures, I thought this book delivered wonderfully on the promise of its title. Cinematic storytelling provides a really solid foundation with regard to understanding some of the most commonly used conventions in filmmaking. I particularly enjoyed the presentation of the imagery used to illustrate the correlation between the technical aspects of framing shots and the resulting emotional impact they can achieve. Really just a great lesson in the visual artistry inherent to the craft. I would strongly recommend this book to anyone wanting to further hone their filmmaking skills.

If you know absolutely nothing about storytelling through video, buy this book and read it. As a person with zero background in filmmaking, I found this an extremely valuable resource in planning the types of shots I needed to take. I am grateful to the author for this book.

Definitely recommend for anyone wanting to use visuals to created, suspense, foreshadowing and metaphors in their writing. I found this extremely helpful.

I expected more info from a screenwriter's perspective. I got the impression that i was going to get a better way of writing my action sequences, and making my screenplay flow more like a story within the action lines, and eliminating more cuts, making my my screenplay a little shorter without pausing as much. Instead, I got a lot of jibberish on how to shoot, edit, and a lot of camera angles. Don't get me wrong. It's great information if you're a beginner and never shot a camera in your life. I did learn some technical terms of things I knew, but didn't know the correct word to call it. This book is great for directors, but not screenwriters. I will definitely be able to use this if I become a full time director.

This is a great book for anyone who wants to make movies, loves movies, or is just a fan of cinematography in general. It's format is easy to read and to understand. You get tips on how to get the most out of every shot, and with it examples from classic movies. If you have ever wanted to make independent films and want some good advice of how to get the most out of every shot then this book is for you. Even if you just want a book that will give you some insight into why some movies do what they do why they do, then this book is for you. Go get it!

Not at all what I expected. I was looking for a book on how to translate ideas into visual scenes, and this book isn't that. However, it covers lots of things I never would have thought about if I hadn't read it. Just one example that sticks out is the series Helix. I watched many episodes of it without noticing anything different about it until I read this book. Now I know it was mainly shot in shades of green, and the love interest of the main character, and there are two, would always wear red, so you instantly knew which one he was closest to at the moment. Without this book I would have never noticed that. I had no idea that directors and editors looked at the sort of stuff this book talks about. Fascinating. It's like it opened up a whole new world to me.

If you have a basic appreciation that directors create their shots to help 'tell the story' but aren't quite sure about how they actually do it, then this book should make lot of sense. It contains examples of how to use directing techniques with cameras, lenses, props, sound and even wardrobe and more to tell the story cinematically. Each technique includes real world examples and even screenplay extracts to help you understand the need for using the technique as well as how to apply it. But it doesn't waffle unnecessarily. Each example is concise and to the point. I have found this to be like a 'Directors toolbox' of ideas and techniques and after just 10 minutes of reading I am already thinking of my own shots in a very different way. The concepts are simple, but very effective and easy to understand. Some of the ideas are really quite interesting such as one example of an over dinner conversion between two parties who are about to start an affair. A tracking shot was used to shift from one side of the man's face to the other, essentially showing us his 'good side' then his 'bad side' as he shifts from happily married man to contemplating the affair. It's ideas like these that make this more than just a reference book - it's a fun, informative and inspiring read to anyone seeking to better understand the techniques used by professionals to tell stories cinematically. This book covers a lot of essential ground such as composition, editing, pacing, sound effects, transitions, wardrobe, camera motion, lighting, colour, lens choices and so on. Definitely recommended.

O livro é interessante, mas decepciona. É uma coleção de instantâneos de vários filmes com breves anotações ao lado explicando algumas técnicas da cinematografia. Tudo muito superficial.

Muy práctico Con ejemplos y explicaciones prácticas y sencillas. Muy útil para aprender las bases de la narrativa visual. Contiene un montón de ejemplos extraídos de películas.

Este libro tiene diversos ejemplos muy claros acerca de composición cinematografica usando peliculas clasicas y conocidas por cualquier persona interesada en el cine, si quieres dedicarte al cine, o incluso a la fotografia este libro presenta una gran cantidad de conocimiento en este sentido.

This book was a fast read due partly to the author's goal to teach and not entertain . There's a ton of useful ideas that can be used to improve filmprojects regardless of budget.