Welcome

This companion website for the 4th edition of the seminal book on film directing, Film Directing Fundamentals: See Your Film Before Shooting by Nicholas Proferes, provides an array of new ancillary materials created by Laura J. Medina for learning and teaching film directing.

Student and Instructor Resources include:

  • List of suggested books, electronic resources and documentaries for film directing students
  • List of films cited by chapter
  • Tips & important concepts for key chapters
  • Two new film analyses (Style & Dramatic Structure)
    • Wendy and Lucy (2008, Director Kelly Reichardt)
    • Moonlight (2016, Director Barry Jenkins)

Additional Resources for Instructors include:

  • Test questions by chapter for Film Directing Fundamentals
  • Sample film directing course syllabus provides week-by-week plans for a one-semester film directing course for film arts and media arts programs
  • Suggested assignments and in-class exercises
  • Instructor’s Manual for 3rd Edition by Nicholas Proferes provides week-by-week plans for two intensive directing workshop-type courses

About the Authors

Laura J. Medina (Website Author) is an educator and filmmaker. She has professional production credits on a wide variety of productions including studio and independent feature films, documentaries and TV series. Laura directed three short narrative films, screened at film festivals all over the U.S. Since 2011 she has been an Assistant Professor in the Department of Film and Theatre at the University of New Orleans, where she teaches producing, directing and advanced production. Laura has a BA in Political Science from Antioch College, an MFA in Filmmaking from New York University, and is a member of the Directors Guild of America.


Nicholas T. Proferes (Author) was the director/cameraman and editor of Free at Last, a 90-minute documentary on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., which was awarded Best Documentary at the Venice Film Festival in 1969; director of photography and editor of Wanda, a feature film directed by Barbara Loden, awarded Best Picture at the Venice Film Festival in 1971; and co-producer, director of photography, and editor of The Visitors, a feature film directed by Elia Kazan. In 2008, his screenplay Romeros, Julieta, & the General won best screenplay at the Los Angeles Greek Film Festival; and in 2009, his screenplay Handsome Harry, directed by Bette Gordon, premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. He is Professor Emeritus at Columbia University.