Calling on his unique perspective as playwright, screenwriter, and director of his own critically acclaimed movies, *House of Games* and *Things Change*, David Mamet illuminates how a film comes to be. He looks at every aspect of directing—from script to cutting room—to show the many tasks directors undertake in reaching their prime objective: presenting a story that will be understood by the audience and has the power to be both surprising and inevitable at the same time. Based on a series of classes Mamet taught at Columbia University's film school, *On Directing Film* will be enjoyed not only by students but by anyone interested in an overview of the craft of filmmaking. *— Amazon. com*