James B. Joyce is an Associate Professor at Cleveland State University, covering foundational production courses through senior capstone productions with a philosophy of emphasizing a synthetic relationship between content and craft. Currently, James is in preproduction for two short films and is writing his second feature-length screenplay.

Preface; Chapter 1: Aesthetics; Chapter 2: Respecting the Audience; Chapter 3: Story and Character ; Chapter 4: Critical Script Analysis for Technical and Aesthetic Decision Making; Chapter 5: Training Your Gut; Chapter 6: Developing an Evolving Aesthetic; Chapter 7: Engaging and Surprising Characters; Chapter 8: Applying Active Characters; Chapter 9: What's Your Point (Of View); Chapter 10: Synthesis; Chapter 11: Post-Production Begins in Pre-Production; Chapter 12: Cinematography without a Camera; Chapter 13: Understanding the Importance of Diegesis in Sound Design; Chapter 14: The Long Listen... And Other Editing Structures; Chapter 15: The Director's Responsibility to the Actor; Chapter 16: Final Footholds: Your Call to Action; Appendix A: Character Analysis Sheet; Appendix B: Questions to Train Your Gut; Appendix C: Sample Marked-Up Script; Appendix D: Sample-Implied Narrator Perspectives; Index