Cinematic Storytelling: A Comprehensive Guide for Directors and Cinematographers

by Thomas Robotham

This book presents a new, story-based approach to cinematic coverage and storytelling in film and video. It breaks from the conventional idea that shots are the fundamental unit of filmmaking, instead exploring the specifics of determining coverage. Keyframes in patterns are introduced, delivering scripted material in a context-rich presentation that supports the storytelling. All the analysis, interpretation, and creative decision making is done first, with shots derived as the very last step. Scripted material is divided into six categories with associated patterns. Like cinematic building blocks, these can freely stack up and interconnect, supporting creativity and avoiding rigid formulas. This approach enables filmmakers to tap into the film "language" that audiences already understand and put it to practical use, helping the audience to feel the storytelling deeply. Dozens of film examples are provided throughout, plus conceptual and camera diagrams to contextualize the methods presented, and exercises are provided to reinforce concepts. Emphasis is placed on supporting performance and story meaning through a cinematic context. With all the concepts and decision-making options described and shown in examples, a scripted scene is analyzed and developed through an eight-step process, illustrated with storyboard, camera diagrams, and ultimately shot list descriptions.

The book is ideal for filmmaking students interested in directing and cinematography, as well as aspiring and early-career filmmakers, cinematographers, and directors.

Genres: Film

252 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 25, 2021

Reviews

[Shervin · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has some great examples and some mediocre ones. A lot of it is geared towards the kind of filmmaking we see on a day to day basis, which I suppose is practical, but also limited in terms of exploring how to write / stage / direct scenes that are purely cinematic and taking full advantage of the medium's possibilities.

Some of the examples are fairly pedestrian. For instance, the scenes from "His Dark Materials," which I watched to understand his commentary. This is not great cinema or great direction. It's passable at best, and some of the staging has the clumsiness of a student film (the two shot in the field, for instance, which yes, conveys the "distance" between the two characters, but looks like the work of a rank amateur).

Even the examples from Spielberg, probably the greatest living visual storyteller, are talk-heavy and don't show us the ingenious ways that he conveys information visually in so many movies. Ways that I suspect influence the writing too, where I can only imagine his notes to the screenwriter reshape scenes to rely less on dialogue and lean into the imagery to convey exposition and character choices. For instance, the walk-and-talk scenes from Saving Private Ryan that he chooses are fine, and do what he says well. But they're far from the most brilliant examples that you can mine from Spielberg to learn from his genius as a cinematic storyteller. They're dialogue heavy scenes. What about using Spielberg as an example of a brilliant use of objects and props, when, for instance, Schindler takes off his watch and the scene cuts to the policeman's wrist wearing said watch while calling the names in question, conveying via one brilliant match cut that he was bribed, and Schindler has changed his mind about refusing to help. Pure cinema!

I liked some of the examples. For instance, the way he cites the crossing of the 180 line for "Ex Machina" in the conversation on the bench and how this conveys the distance Caleb feels from Nathan. Or the staging of Rooney Mara and Daniel Craig in "Girl with a Dragon Tattoo" to show him via her OTS and her solo CU, thus conveying the distance she feels from him until they reach some agreement and are covered in reciprocal OTS frames. The example from "American Beauty" of Ricky's shoulder in the OTS on Jane crowding her out of the frame, thus conveying how small she feels is also effective. These were useful tips that can go a long way to conveying the subtext of scenes via subtle but effective direction.

I like the scene from "Cast Away" as an example too. How Tom Hanks looking at his pager during Christmas signals via visual storytelling, the subtext of their fraught history over the device interrupting their quality time as a couple.

The concept of the "Key Frame" as a way to prepare scenes rather than a Shot List, so that you foreground the important storytelling information that needs to be captured rather than just "Close-Up" or "Medium Shot," echoes the idea of emphasizing the process rather than the results for actors. It's a good idea, and I like that it creates some flexibility in the shooting plan by sticking to the important narrative information.

There are good examples, but too many mediocre ones to be the Bible it wants to be. I think a book on Cinematic Storytelling having no examples from Hitchcock or Kurosawa, when it references so many lesser films that are talk-heavy, is a weird choice for a book on the craft. Especially as cinematic storytelling has been in decline for so long. Why not choose examples from films that actually make that a priority?

[Arpit Srivastava · Rating 3 out of 5]

Although it can be boring, it has many great informative and necessary techniques, details, data about filming, with examples and pictures, ofcourse. I read the whole book, it's not too long for the good part and if you skim through depending upon the highlights marked in the book, you can really build up an interest and flow in your learning through this.
I took a lot of notes from this as well;)
My 3rd filming book completed.