Divided into the three key stages of the film-making process; pre-production, production and post-production, the book provides students with a framework to begin directing their own productions.

The book teaches the key elements of screenwriting through examining areas such as dialogue, sound, setting, shots and structure. It also provides advice to new film-makers on how to market their productions.

This book examines how films communicate. It discusses the stories they tell, the sign-systems they deploy, the interpretive contexts we are invited to place them in, and the range of aesthetic elements which contribute to the cinematic image.