Grammar of the Film Language

Book excerpt: A unique guide to the visual narrative techniques that form the "language" of filmmaking. This language is basic to the very positioning and moving of players and cameras, as well as the sequencing and pacing of images. It does not date as new technologies alter the means of capturing images on film and tape. The guidelines offered here will inform almost every choice that the director, the cinematographer, and the editor will make. Through lucid text and more than 1,500 illustrations, Arijon presents visual narrative formulas that will enlighten anyone involved in the motion picture and television industry (including producers, writers, and animators).--From publisher description.