When David Mamet directed his first film in 1987, he had already had a brilliant career in theater as a playwright and director.

And as is the case with most writers who become directors, Mamet was destined to serve a form of cinema that is based on the ethics of writing rather than the sleight of hand of directing.

By adhering to a careful selection of the film's subject, the care of the screenplay structure and meaning, the fifty-three-year-old writer redefines the primary goal of cinematic creation: telling a story through images and sounds.

Based on a series of Mamet's courses at the Columbia University School of Film, "Directing a Film" is aimed not only at film school students but also at anyone interested in having a comprehensive understanding of how a film is made.

[Excerpt from the text on the back cover of the edition]