Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 15
 Best Purchase You Will EVER Make! June 2, 2009
Scott Line (Los Angeles)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I am a recent graduate of the Gnomon School of Visual Effects and have been fortunate enough to have had the privilege to actually be a student in Francis' class. I remember when he was in the process of writing this book, "Directing the Story" and in my most humble opinion the book is nothing less than pure gold. There is nothing else out there that I know of that explains the true essence and meaning of film making, why we make films...and most importantly why we watch films. This book IS the Holy Grail of film making.
If you are serious about becoming a great story teller...BUY THIS BOOK! I cannot even begin to express to whom ever is reading this review how important it will be for your career if you have any interest in the entertainment industry. It has changed my life, and I know it will for anyone else out there too.
Francis was one of the best teachers I have ever had, and now having recently purchased and read the book it was like being in his storyboarding class all over again. I jokingly now envy everyone else out in the world today because they now have access to all of the golden knowledge that I had to go to film school in Hollywood to acquire.
I hope to become a director one day, and if I ever win an Oscar or any other great success I will know why...thank you Mr. Francis Glebas! =)
-Scott
A storytelling book with 'game' May 29, 2009
Alex (San José, Costa Rica)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Highly recommended. This book conveys a great wealth of storytelling experience, naturally conveyed through well-designed visual examples. For writers, it complements for the more structural books on screenwriting (Syd Field's, Dave Trottier's) with its how-to approach. For directors, its visual approach touches on nearly every subject ranging from mise-en-scene to blocking.
A must-read.
 A top notch book on story May 26, 2009
Grant Beaudette (Missoula, MT United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Disney story artist Francis Glebas has put together a great book on the process of cinematic storytelling.
Directing the Story touches on composition, pacing and many dramatic techniques designed to creating more emotional connections in stories.
This book goes well with Nancy Bieman's Prepare to Board! Creating Story and Characters for Animated Features and Shorts for quality story instruction, but whereas her book also focuses on character design and other aspects of animation, Directing the Story looks solely at storytelling, and not necessarily for animation.
What really sets Glebas' book apart is that it includes a fully boarded out story (an adaptation of 1001 Arabian Nights) that incorporates the methods he's teaching.
There are a couple sticking points with me. One is the writing style. There are plenty of spots throughout the book where I found myself glossing over text because it was so dense. Also even though this book seems to focus on cinematic storytelling in general, animation is where this type of storytelling is most common and people interested in this book are most likely interested in animation. It would have been nice to see a bit more focus on animation and traditional storyboarding to really top things off.
But all things told, Directing the Story has a great look on storytelling. One that other books don't have.
Simply Amazing! May 12, 2009
Alan Pasman (CA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Directing the Story by Francis Glebas is simply amazing. This book cover in great detail the structural setup of how story boards work. It explains with examples and personal history how to story board, what to look for in story boards and how to achieve a great layout. This book is a MUST have for anyone who wants a career in the movie/animation/illustration industry. It's all about story telling explained clearly and effectively.
An Essential on the Subject May 10, 2009
VK (Los Angeles, CA)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This book describes and explains the process of storytelling and directing for narrative films intelligently and entertainingly. This is a process that I've seen done intuitively by professionals, and for the first time I see it actually put on paper in a way that can be digested by new students of directing without them having to start from zero and wonder if they are on the right path. I highly recommend it for anyone, who is serious about making narrative film his profession.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 15
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