"Since 1992 the Directors Guild of America has hosted a series of yearly seminars featuring its nominees for outstanding feature film directing. In Directors Close Up the moderator of these symposia, Jeremy Kagan, has edited the thoughts of these most widely acclaimed directors into a thematically organized discussion of all the creative stages of directing from script development through pre-production, to production and final post-production.

The directors talk personally and candidly about the best and worst of this complicated process, revealing the individual methods by which they accomplish their art. Directors Close Up also includes Elia Kazan's 1973 Wesleyan University Address "What Makes a Director," which remains one of the most eloquent definitions of the director's role.".

"Directors Close Up offers inspiration and guidance to professional and aspiring directors. Film fans will enjoy this discussion of the essential part the director plays in the creation of the stories they see on the screen."--BOOK JACKET.