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What our customer's say!

"A Solid Shelf Reference", As a Line producer/Unit Production Manager (DGA) in the film industry, I wish more first time directors - and even seasoned ones - had books like this sitting on their shelves. They might learn a few more techniques about planning shots and informing the crew to make for a more efficient, cost-effective production. That time and money could always be used to make the film better in another aspect. Unfortunately, some directors believe that giving information to the Keys and the crew gives away their Directorial vision. They are 'organic' directors which means that they have the brains of a potato. Sharing the vision gets a better vision from the Keys and the crew. Worthwhile Reference.

"A must read for serious filmakers and writers", Cinematic Storytelling is a key tool for filmakers and screenwriters trying to translate their skills to the visual realm of filmaking. The author combines examples from great films throughout history along with a discussion of human perceptions to illustrate how certain visual actions illicit deep reactions in audiences without words. Although, geared for aspiring filmakers, as a screenwriter I found the discussions very thought provoking and useful in my efforts to more fully understand how to create evocative visual imagery and get across important concepts and messages through visual means. I found this book very inspiring and have consulted it frequently in my screenwriting endeavors. Kudos to the author for providing a no nonsense, useful guide to creating truly visual films and screenplays.

"Great book!", This is a great book for anyone interested in cinematography and script writing. Each chapter contains script examples and movie shots. The author makes a great job explaining the concepts in a concise manner.




"happy with my purchase", there was no unpleasant surprise with my purchase. the book came a day or two later than was promised, but other than that, all was as i expected!! :)

"Flawed format. Wait for DVD!", I certainly agree with the existing reviews regarding content, and have nothing to add in this regard.
HOWEVER, there are two problems:
1. The book measures 7 1/2" tall and 11" wide. This makes it hard to hold and fits poorly on the reference bookshelf where it belongs.
2. The book mentions an upcoming DVD. This would a MUCH better format than book.
This book tries to illustrate various cinimatographic points with still shots from exemplary movies. Sometimes these still shots cannot illustrate the point adequately, while a video clip would be TREMENDOUS at illustrating the point. (For example: various transitions: How in the heck can you illustrate transitions with still photos?!)
WAIT FOR THE DVD. It should be TREMENDOUS,and well worth the purchase.

Read this reviews before You buy...

"Excellent Information - Could use more examples", This book gives extremely useful insights into the grammar of film and the meanings behind the movements, sounds, shot selections, transitions, etc. It doesn't delve very deeply, but it does quite consisely and clearly demonstrate how certain decisions can either lead the viewer to a conclusion, make them feel something or just set them up for something to come. It is a good handbook to keep on the shelf and use when storyboarding.

"This review first appeared in the launch issue of Moviescope magazine", One of the greatest challenges for new filmmakers is learning to handle all the possibilities of the medium for optimal storytelling. Screenwriters often focus mainly on the narrative aspect of screenwriting, without considering the innumerable options available to them on the visual, auditory or sensory level. Similarly, beginning directors can be overwhelmed by the choices on offer - or conversely, swamp the material by overloading it with all the `toys' available to them. Jennifer Van Sijll, screenwriter, lecturer and script analyst, lends a helping hand with this impressive tome.
As the title indicates, the book provides an encyclopaedic tour of cinematic storytelling devices. These are divided into sections: space, frame composition, shape within the frame, editing, time, sound effects, music, scene transitions, camera lenses, camera position, camera motion, lighting, color, props, wardrobe, locations and natural environment. Each section features one or more techniques, introducing them theoretically, and then showing a practical application used in a very famous film. These scene excerpts are accompanied by the relevant part of the screenplay, black-and-white photographs illustrating the relevant images, and an explanation of the dramatic value of the technique. Where necessary, Van Sijll also notes differences between the screenplay and the final onscreen result.
This is not a light read: in order to gain the maximum benefit from this book, you'll have to put in some effort. It would also be a perfect foundation for a film school course. Despite a few minor editing mistakes, the book definitely succeeds in its goal: stimulating the imagination.

"Make sure you know these screenwriting essentials", I'm still learning about screenwriting and how to incorporate the many layers of storytelling tools required for a good script. Like her title says, the concepts Van Sijll covers in her excellent book are yet another layer of what screenwriters should know. Unless you have been able to incorporate this into your writing on your own, your writing will improve greatly once you understand how these writing essentials are part of the filmmaking process that begins with the writer and continues with his or her directing, cinematography, and set-design collaborators.
Personal success story: Some writer friends who read a script of mine that I wrote after I studied this book say the script was the best one of mine they had read. Unless you're one of the lucky "natural" screenwriters, you should understand what Van Sijll is presenting and then figure out how the concepts can make your scripts better.

"a good idea for a book", A book on storytelling via pictures would be useful for screenwriters to supplement all the books on how to write screenplays, because the people who decide whether your screenplay will ever get produced or not are Producers and/or Directors. These people describe themselves as "visual people". Bluntly put, they are glorified cinematographers. They know next to nothing about drama and care less. A script is simply a vehicle to exercise their cinematic skills.

This book, however, is about 20% storytelling and 80% cinematography. Also, there are only about fifty words of information in each two-page section. It does, however, afford a look into the minds of directors and cinematographers and gives a clue to the beliefs they hold. In many cases, it defies credibility that anyone could think that such things have an effect on audiences. As far as I know, not one of these beliefs has ever been subjected to a controlled experiment with even one live audience. For instance, is an audience really affected by whether a character enters left or enters right? Such superstitions help to explain why so many lousy movies are praised to the skies by the in-crowd while they flop at the box office.

Here is the table of contents: (1) Space: Screen Direction, (2) Frame: Composition, (3) Shape within the frame, (4) Editing, (5) Time, (6) Sound effects (7) Music, (8) Scene Transitions, (9) Camera Lenses, (10) Camera Position, (11) Camera Motion, (12) Lighting, (13) Color, (14) Props, (15) Wardrobe, (16) Locations, (17) Natural Environment

Bear in mind that these chapters contain only about 50 - 250 words of information. Sound effects and music are given especially short shrift, since filmmakers (mistakenly) consider them almost as unimportant as screenplays.

A better idea: screenwriters should always watch movies a second time with the director's commentary ON. This affords an insight into the minds of filmmakers even better than this book. For example, in the mixed-bag movie "Election", we begin by watching the main character running around and around the track. Later, we see him drawing circle after circle on the blackboard. And so on, and on. Well, as the director gleefully tells us, these are all CIRCLES, don't you see?! For a screenwriter, to interrupt or to slow down the drama for the sake of showing repeated instances of circles is insane! And this is only one instance among many in this movie. And Producers/Directors will never believe that these things take a toll at the box office.

A final footnote: the size and shape of this book make the book extremely unwieldy, making reading it a pain.


"Review for "Cinematic Storytelling" that appeared on Microfilmmaker.com", I recently reviewed a great debut film called 'Ascension' from a new microcinema director. The story and shooting style were fairly direct and straightforward; but--as this movie showed--just because the script didn't call for Michael Bay-style camera moves, it didn't mean that the shots had to be boring! A lot of beginning filmmakers (and even some that have more experience) can feel that they have to have lots of swooping crane or dramatic steadicam shots in order to have a great-looking movie. This isn't true. In reality, if you don't know how to effectively use the camera in the first place (visually speaking, not technically), you have no business putting it on a crane or steadicam; these devices cannot fix a visually uninteresting or inappropriate shot.

Enter Cinematic Storytelling. Using some of the most iconic and well-known films as examples, Jennifer Van Sijll explains how to use visual composition, lenses, editing, sound effects, transitions, camera position, and much more to give emphasis and convey information and emotion in your movie.

Comprehension
One of (the many) cool things about this book is that you don't have to have had any prior experience working with cameras to be able to understand the material. If you can read English and can look at the picture examples given (still photos from various films), then you can understand the concepts conveyed in the book.
Concepts and techniques (such as montages, intercutting, visual foreshadowing, etc.) are defined and clarified; even very subtle techniques that are almost unnoticeable in movies are pointed out and their effect explained. (For example, in describing the X-axis in screen direction, Van Sijll notes:

"As Westerners we read left-to-right. If you rented fifty studio-made movies, there's a good chance that the 'good guy' will enter screen left every time. When the 'good guy' moves left-to-right, our eyes move comfortably. Subconsciously, we begin to make positive inferences. Conversely, the antagonist usually enters from the right. Since our eyes aren't used to moving from right to left, the antagonist's entrance makes us uncomfortable. The screenwriter exploits this by transferring our learned discomfort to the characters" (4).
The author then goes on to show stills and a script excerpt from Hitchcock's Strangers on a Train to illustrate the effect of this principle.

Depth of Information
The book covers a tremendous amount of information, starting with the conventions of stationary camera techniques and progressing through editing, sound, lenses, camera movement and positioning, lighting, and finally, environment (location, wardrobe, props, etc.). However, each topic has still photos of at least one movie that exemplifies that certain technique, as well as an explanation of its dramatic value. This latter part is essential, because it's pointless to just talk about certain camera shots, effects, movements, etc. if you don't explain why they are important or what they are effective for. Additionally, the techniques are explained in the context of the movie photos, thus illustrating their effect.

[Quick side note: Jennifer Van Sijll draws from both old and new movies as examples. From Fritz Lang's 1927 milestone Metropolis, to Citizen Kane, Psycho, Pulp Fiction, The Piano, and Requiem for a Dream, all of the films she picks are excellent for viewing. You might want to add the "example movies" in this book to your Netflix or Blockbuster rental list. (Not like it's probably already long enough as it is!]

Interest Level
I found that it was very easy to maintain interest in this book. Truth be told, I was rather skeptical at first when I was informed that I'd be reviewing a book entitled Cinematic Storytelling; I was expecting a textbook-sized tome with simple drawings and technical words. Not so. The format is very easy-to-follow; each chapter has approximately between 4-10 sections, with each section usually covered in one full page. This makes for quick reading and easy comprehension. There are no big, technical-geeky words to wade through, and the explanations and summaries are brief, but detailed and thorough.

Reusability
This book is definitely a must-have investment for a filmmaker; whether you are just starting your first short or are working on your tenth full-length feature, this is a book you'll want to have within reach while planning your shot sheets and/or storyboards. And you'll probably find yourself coming back to it again and again with each new project you do.

Value vs. Cost
While the listed retail price this book being $25, it is worth far more for the information and ideas it provides. If you've never taken any kind of cinematic layout class (and even if you have!) this book is well worth the price. This book helps you to make the maximum impact with your main artistic tool: the camera itself. Just like writers understand the impact of their words, and painters understand how colors are used on their canvas, so must the filmmaker understand and know how to use the camera without relying solely on special effects and equipment.

Overall Comment
This book belongs on the shelf of anyone interested or involved in filmmaking, storyboarding, camerawork, cinematography, producing, and/or directing. Too many filmmakers--both microcinema and "big Hollywood"--don't fully understand the purposes and implications of various shots; this book will help you make the best use of your time, equipment, story, planning, and ideas.


Understandability - 9
Depth of Information - 9.5
Interest Level - 9.0
Reusability - 10.0
Value vs. Cost - 10.0
Total Score - 8.3

Reviewed by Kari Ann Morgan
Microfilmmaker.com