Customer Reviews

The Film Director's Intuition: Script Analysis and Rehearsal Techniques

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I really got a lot out of this book. Dog eared and underlined. Many sections. I read many scripts and there is a lot of great advise here for me to advise and do a better job on my analysis.

For the professional, the amateur and the first-time director, "The Film Director's Intuition: Script Analysis and Rehearsal Rechniques", by Judith Weston, is the one single book you absolutely need. Covering virtually all you'll realize you needed to know to direct a successful film, this inventive, comprehensive volume takes the place of a library shelf of other books on the subject. In essence, this is three books in one: Intuition, script analysis and rehearsal techniques are covered in user-friendly detail. The Table of Contents alone is amazing in listing the variety of subjects the book explains. Buy and read this book before you select your next script to produce as a film!

Elizabeth English
Founder and Executive Director
Moondance International Film Festival
www.moondancefilmfestival.com

I have just finished reading this hefty book and it is an awesome tool for any director, beginner or "experienced." I must admit I have done one of her directing classes and also read prior to this Judith's previous "bible #1" on acting and directing: "Directing Actors" which I also highly reccommend, so I'm somewhat biased, if you want to call it that. She is a spirited highly developed actress/ teacher of the craft of acting and directing. This book is well crafted, and written, deep and accessible, so full of amazing stuff it's a bible #2 (after her first book) to keep with you and refer back to at any time, especially if you're struggling with an actor or a scene as a director. To me she's THE authority and teacher on directing.

The Film Director's Intuition, Script Analysis and Rehearsal Techniques
By Judith Weston
2003 Michael Wiese Productions 364 pgs.

Together with Directing Actors (1996, Michael Wiese Productions,) Judith Weston has created a strong, comprehensive course on directing. She provides insight into the actors minds through quotes of actors. She also uses quotes from directors to provide tips for directing actors. This book is an incredible resource in developing and maintaining rapport with actors. She has incorporated and utilized the techniques and lessons of renowned acting teachers, including; Stella Adler, Uta Hagen, Sanford Meisner, and Constantin Stanislavsky. I have included her name alongside the aforementioned when referring directors on what to study.
The book is divided into three parts, related to the title: Intuition, Ideas, and Imagination; Script Analysis and The Lost Art of Rehearsal. It is 23 chapters long.
The baisc premise of the book is that through preparation, a director can rely on intuition during shooting and rehearsing.
A problem I had with the book was the neglect of improvisation. Although there is a chapter on improvisation, it seems as though she could've explored it more thoroughly. Improv guru Viola Spolin wasn't even mentioned, nor were any of her exercises.

Expertly written by Judith Weston (the teacher of the successful Acting for Directors workshop, which has been presented for fifteen years in the U.S., Canada, and Europe), The Film Director's Intuition: Script Analysis And Rehearsal Techniques is an in-depth study of the professional craft of directing at a deeper level than simply following the blocking. From learning to read and internalize the impulses and feelings of the actors; making the most of a director's imagination and instinct; to maximizing creativity on both sides of the camera, and so much more, The Film Director's Intuition is a truly excellent guide which is especially recommended for both the novice director as well as experienced directors seeking to advance and realize their film making, story-telling potential.

Judith Weston knows her stuff. She's been in the film and theater business for many years and brings her wealth of knowledge in a fresh, fasinating way. Directors, actors and writers will find her take new and invigorating. This book is for anyone who want a much fuller, more rounded understanding of the process of filmmaking. I learned a lot and I think others will as well. Highly recommended.

Christopher Keane