Grammar of the Film Language

Grammar of the Film Language is a unique guide to the visual narrative techniques that form the “language” of filmmaking. This language is basic to the very positioning and moving of players and cameras, as well as the sequencing and pacing of images. It does not date as new technologies alter the means of capturing images on film and tape.

The guidelines offered here will inform almost every choice that the director, the cinematographer, and the editor will make. Through lucid text and more than 1,500 illustrations, Arijon presents visual narrative formulas that will enlighten anyone involved in the film and tape industry (including producers, writers, and animators).
The hardcover edition of this magnum opus has found an avid audience among student and professional filmmakers everywhere.

Daniel Arijon has worked professionally since 1959 as a film editor, screenwriter, and director of documentaries and features. He has lectured on filmmaking and has authored a number of magazine articles on the subject. His Grammar of the Film Language has been translated into Japanese, French, and Spanish.