The art of cinematic storytelling : a visual guide to planning shots, cuts, and transitions / Kelly Gordon Brine.

By:

Brine, Kelly Gordon

Material type: Text

TextPublisher: New York : Oxford University Press, [2020]Description: 341 pages : 26 cmISBN:

9780190054335

Subject(s):

DDC classification:

791.4302 BRI

Contents:

Seven film storytelling essentials -- Using storyboards -- Shot composition basics -- Camera angles, lenses and storytelling -- Designing shots for storytelling -- Continuity editing basics -- Storytelling cuts and film grammar -- 3D spatial continuity and 2D screen geography -- Compressing, expanding and ending scenes -- Beginning scenes and using transitions -- Stories with stationary action -- Stories about a moving character -- Stories about searching -- Stories about following or chasing -- Two-character dialogue -- Three-character dialogue -- Group and crowd scenes -- Shooting driving scenes -- Blocking and cinematic storytelling.

Summary: "The Art of Cinematic Storytelling: A Visual Guide to Planning Shots, Cuts and Transitions is a practical introduction to the design of shots, cuts and transitions for film, video, television, animation and game design. The author/illustrator is a storyboard artist who has worked with and learned from over 200 professional directors and cinematographers. This book's clear and concise explanations and vivid examples demystify the visual design choices that are fundamental to directing and editing. Hundreds of illustrations and diagrams support the text. The primary emphasis is on blocking actors and positioning the camera for mood, meaning and continuity editing. This book delves deeply into controlling the audience's understanding and perception of time and space; designing in-camera time transitions; compressing and expanding time; composing creative shots for cinematic storytelling; choosing between objective and subjective storytelling; motivating camera moves; choosing lenses; using screen geography and film grammar for clarity; planning shots with continuity editing in mind; knowing how and when to cut; beginning and ending scenes; and using storyboards for planning and communication. Several chapters are devoted to how to block and shoot action involving travel, pursuits, searches, dialogue, groups and driving. While the approach is based largely on well-established techniques of cinematography and continuity editing, attention is also given to jump cuts, tableau shots and unconventional framing. The topics are covered thoroughly and systematically, and this book serves both as an introductory text and as a reference work for more advanced students of film"-- Provided by publisher.

Holdings
Item type	Current library	Call number	Status	Date due	Barcode
Standard Loan	Moylish Library Main Collection	791.4302 BRI (Browse shelf(Opens below))	Available		39002100606574

Enhanced descriptions from Syndetics:

To effectively narrate a story in moving images, a film director needs to have a full understanding of the meaning and emotional effect of different types of shots and cuts and how they can be used to advance the action and create a desired mood. Drawing on his vast experience as a storyboard artist working with over 200 directors and cinematographers on television series and movies, author Kelly Gordon Brine provides a practical and accessible introduction to the design of shots, cuts, and transitions for film, video, television, animation, and game design. With hundreds of illustrations and diagrams, concise explanations of essential storytelling concepts, and vivid examples, The Art of Cinematic Storytelling demystifies the visual design choices that are fundamental to directing and editing. Brine delves deeply into techniques visual storytellers use to captivate and move an audience, including camera positioning, transitions, and planning shots with an eye to continuity editing. Practical advice on how to clarify time, space, and motion on a visual level and on shooting common character interactions and situations - such as dialogue, pursuit, and driving scenes - makes this book an invaluable guide for all aspiring filmmakers.

Includes index.

"The Art of Cinematic Storytelling: A Visual Guide to Planning Shots, Cuts and Transitions is a practical introduction to the design of shots, cuts and transitions for film, video, television, animation and game design. The author/illustrator is a storyboard artist who has worked with and learned from over 200 professional directors and cinematographers. This book's clear and concise explanations and vivid examples demystify the visual design choices that are fundamental to directing and editing. Hundreds of illustrations and diagrams support the text. The primary emphasis is on blocking actors and positioning the camera for mood, meaning and continuity editing. This book delves deeply into controlling the audience's understanding and perception of time and space; designing in-camera time transitions; compressing and expanding time; composing creative shots for cinematic storytelling; choosing between objective and subjective storytelling; motivating camera moves; choosing lenses; using screen geography and film grammar for clarity; planning shots with continuity editing in mind; knowing how and when to cut; beginning and ending scenes; and using storyboards for planning and communication. Several chapters are devoted to how to block and shoot action involving travel, pursuits, searches, dialogue, groups and driving. While the approach is based largely on well-established techniques of cinematography and continuity editing, attention is also given to jump cuts, tableau shots and unconventional framing. The topics are covered thoroughly and systematically, and this book serves both as an introductory text and as a reference work for more advanced students of film"-- Provided by publisher.

Table of contents provided by Syndetics

Acknowledgments (p. xi)
Introduction (p. 1)
The Craft of Visual Storytelling (p. 2)
How the Author Learned about Visual Storytelling (p. 3)
Camera Positions Make a Dramatic Difference (p. 3)
The Best Direction Is Invisible (p. 10)
Learning More about Film Storytelling (p. 11)
1 Seven Film Storytelling Essentials (p. 12)
Adding Meaning through Juxtaposition (p. 13)
Telling the Story in a Series of Beats (p. 14)
Putting the Audience Where the Story Is (p. 18)
Making Cuts Smoother (p. 21)
Using Motivated and Unmotivated Camera Movement (p. 26)
Staying on One Side of the Action (p. 26)
Starting a New Scene (p. 29)
2 Using Storyboards (p. 32)
Shooting on Paper (p. 32)
Aspect Ratios (p. 37)
Indicating Action Using Arrows (p. 38)
Illustrating One Shot in Two Panels (p. 38)
Indicating Camera Movement (p. 40)
Adding Labels, Dialogue, and Notes (p. 40)
Numbering Scenes, Shots, Panels, and Pages (p. 41)
Drawing Maps (p. 43)
3 Shot Composition Basics (p. 46)
Composition Guidelines (p. 46)
Framing People (p. 59)
Some Classic Composition Techniques (p. 66)
Unconventional Framing (p. 67)
4 Camera Angles, Lenses, and Storytelling (p. 69)
Camera Height and Perspective (p. 69)
Depth of Field (p. 70)
Constant Object Size (p. 71)
Normal Lens (50mm) and Storytelling (p. 72)
Wide Lenses (under 50mm) and Storytelling (p. 72)
Long Lenses (over 50mm) and Storytelling (p. 73)
Pans, Tilts, and Lenses (p. 74)
Focus and Storytelling (p. 76)
Zooming and Storytelling (p. 77)
5 Designing Shots for Storytelling (p. 80)
Types of Camera Movement (p. 80)
Motivated and Unmotivated Camera Movement (p. 83)
Deciding Whose Scene It Is (p. 85)
Creating Objective and Subjective Shots (p. 86)
Shot Size and Storytelling (p. 88)
How the Direction of Movement Affects Storytelling (p. 94)
Increasing the illusion of Depth (p. 97)
Shots That Capture Attention (p. 99)
Designing Shots That Create Moods (p. 101)
6 Continuity Editing Basics (p. 104)
The Importance of Left and Right to Editing (p. 104)
Characters, Settings, and Cuts (p. 105)
The Beta Effect and Shot Contrast (p. 106)
Continuous Time and Space within a Scene (p. 108)
Three Kinds of Jump Cuts (p. 112)
Avoiding Jump Cuts (p. 115)
7 Storytelling Cuts and Film Grammar (p. 117)
Reasons for Cutting (p. 117)
Avoiding Beta Effects When Cutting (p. 118)
How to Create Shot Contrast (p. 119)
The Match Cut (p. 119)
The Punch In (p. 123)
Reverse Angles (p. 125)
Entrances and Exits (p. 126)
Cutting When Traveling with Characters (p. 126)
Cutting between Stationary and Traveling Shots (p. 129)
Motivating and Hiding Cuts (p. 132)
Avoiding Cuts (p. 134)
8 3D Spatial Continuity and 20 Screen Geography (p. 138)
Juxtaposition Implies a Context in Space and Time (p. 138)
What is 3D Spatial Continuity? (p. 140)
What Is 2D Screen Geography? (p. 140)
Keeping Things on Their Side of the Screen (p. 141)
Points of View, Eyelines, and Matching (p. 142)
Tie-Up Shots (p. 144)
Opposed Looks and Eyeline Match (p. 146)
Matching Shots for Dialogue (p. 147)
Continuity of Screen Motion (p. 150)
Crossing the Axis but Preserving Continuity (p. 153)
Screen Geography That Spans Scenes (p. 158)
Intentionally Flipping Screen Geography (p. 159)
9 Compressing, Expanding, and Ending Scenes (p. 161)
Compressing Time within a Scene (p. 161)
Expanding Time within a Scene (p. 163)
Signaling the End of a Scene (p. 164)
10 Beginning Scenes and Using Transitions (p. 167)
Cuts to the Past, Present, and Future (p. 167)
A Jump Cut to a New Scene (p. 169)
A Juxtaposition That Links Two Scenes (p. 169)
A Hard Cut to a Character's Action (p. 171)
An Establishing Shot (p. 172)
A Hard Cut to Close Action (p. 172)
A Hard Cut to a Close-Up of an Object (p. 173)
An Off-Screen Look or a POV (p. 174)
An Entrance (p. 177)
Using Action or Light to Reveal the Scene (p. 179)
An Unmotivated Camera Reveals the Scene (p. 183)
Other Ways to Open a Scene (p. 188)
Editing-Room Effects as Transitions (p. 189)
11 Scenes with Stationary Action (p. 191)
The Setting and the Mood (p. 191)
How to Make a Character Seem Important (p. 195)
A Character Looks at Something Nearby (p. 197)
A Character Looks at Something in the Distance (p. 199)
A Stationary Character Watches Something Pass (p. 200)
Using a False POV (p. 201)
A Character Stands Up or Sits Down (p. 202)
12 Walking and Running Characters (p. 204)
The Camera as an Objective Observer (p. 204)
The Camera Travels with the Character (p. 209)
The Camera Stops or Starts with a Traveling Character (p. 212)
Compressing Travel Time (p. 216)
Passing through a Doorway (p. 220)
A Character Walks in a Park or a Forest (p. 221)
13 Stories about Searching (p. 230)
An Example of a Story about a Search (p. 230)
The Search Storyboard (p. 230)
Making a Shot List and a Map (p. 237)
14 Stories about Following or Chasing (p. 240)
General Considerations (p. 240)
Starting a Pursuit from the Follower's POV (p. 241)
Starting a Pursuit from the Target's POV (p. 244)
Tie-Up Shots during a Pursuit (p. 246)
15 Two-Character Dialogue (p. 249)
The Geometry of Two-Character Conversations (p. 249)
Beginning Dialogue (p. 259)
Ending Dialogue (p. 263)
16 Three-Character Dialogue (p. 266)
Three Standing Characters Talk (p. 266)
Three Seated Characters Talk (p. 269)
Three Characters Walk and Talk (p. 271)
17 Group and Crowd Scenes (p. 273)
Four People Seated at a Table (p. 274)
A Boardroom Meeting (p. 275)
Formal Gatherings (p. 277)
Informal Gatherings with a Speaker and a Crowd (p. 281)
A Crowd Watches a Fight (p. 283)
18 Shooting Driving Scenes (p. 286)
A Car Drives Away (p. 286)
A Car Arrives (p. 289)
A Car Travels (p. 291)
A Driver with No Passengers (p. 297)
A Driver and a Front-Seat Passenger (p. 301)
A Driver with One Back-Seat Passenger (p. 303)
A Driver with Passengers in the Front and Back (p. 304)
A Driver with Two Back-Seat Passengers (p. 305)
Four Characters in a Car (p. 305)
19 Blocking for Cinematic Storytelling (p. 306)
An Overall Plan for the Scene (p. 306)
Some Classic Blocking (p. 310)
Examples of Storytelling Approaches (p. 319)
Glossary of Filmmaking Terms (p. 325)
Index (p. 337)

Author notes provided by Syndetics

Kelly Gordon Brine is a storyboard artist who has worked on dozens of television shows, including The Witcher, Umbrella Academy, Lost in Space, Jessica Jones, and Person of Interest. He has taught drawing as an assistant professor at the University of Toronto, and is the author of The Art of Drawing Folds; An Illustrator's Guide to Drawing the Clothed Figure.