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What is Directing? The Director is the creative pulling force behind every film, TV show, music video or commercial. He shapes and creates the look, mood and tone, directs the actors and is responsible to bringing the words written in the script onto the screen in the best possible way. Directing is also one of the most challenging intricate, artistic and skillful jobs in the medium. If you want to direct, you will need all the help you can get! These five books may just be what will save you down the road when you first walk onto a set and 200 people will be waiting for your decisions.

Directing Actors: Creating Memorable Performances for Film & Television

This book is a formidable entry into the often scary world of directing actors. The writer Judith Weston explains techniques on how to get the best performances out of actors, with excellent advice and examples. It dwells deep into the often-difficult relationships between a director and an actor, but also gives helpful advice on casting, reading a script, rehearsing techniques and what directors often do wrong.

Film Directing Shot by Shot: Visualizing from Concept to Screen

Maybe the best book out there that serves as an introduction to the steps a director needs to take before he walks onto set. An in depth coverage of storyboarding, visualizing, scene staging, editing, camera angles, lenses, composition, camera movements and everything else you will need makes “Shot by Shot” a must read for every aspiring student of directing.

Film Directing Fundamentals, Second Edition: See Your Film Before Shooting

This book is delivering a very clear, hands-on approach for the beginning director. It explains the step by step procedure of how to break down a script and render the content onto screen in the best possible, most dramatic way.
“Just bring your talent, add a touch of luck, and the rest you will find in this book.” -Milos Forman, film director (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Amadeus, The People vs. Larry Flynt)

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

This book provides 100 film conventions that explain the motions, lenses, visual storytelling techniques and dramatic values of each shot. It is as entertaining as invaluable to read this book, as it gives masterful insight into the work and skill needed to create some of the most beloved scenes of movie history.

Notes on Directing: 130 Lessons in Leadership from the Director’s Chair by Frank Hauser and Russell Reich

This one is more for theater lovers but also valuable for every director and actor out there. It includes brilliant lessons on problem anticipation, dealing with people and how to handle even the most obscure, difficult situations. Foreword magazine awarded it “THE BOOK OF THE YEAR – 2003 SILVER AWARD”, wobbot awards it “The most entertaining book to read about Directing – 2009”