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Suspense With a Camera

 

For the sci-fi world-builder, the comedy scribe, or the drama craftsman, this book is written for any screenwriter and director who wants to bolster their audience’s attention.  After all, in today’s busy world, preventing audience boredom is more important than ever.  Now you have an easy guidebook for making your stories more captivating, spine tingling, and suspenseful. 

 

Publisher: Michael Wiese Productions
Available Formats: Print
Page Count: 220 Pp

 

Bonus Features:

 

  • Q&A with ‘Captain Phillips’ director Paul Greengrass

  • Q&A with '10 Cloverfield Lane' director Dan Trachtenberg

  • Q&A with editor of 'Bourne Identity' Saar Klein

  • Q&A with indie filmmaker William Dickerson

  • Foreword from Film Riot's Ryan Connolly

 

Suspense With a Camera is filled with insights on crafting suspense for the screen never published before—revelations that go far beyond the cliché knives, corpses, and blondes that many associate with Hitchcock.

 

 

 

Reviews:

 

“Suspense With a Camera is the new filmmaking bible for any director who wants to gain access to Alfred Hitchcock's suspenseful bag of tricks.”   -Alex Ferrari, Indie Film Hustle


"Bays' passion for Hitchcock and his techniques is so contagious."

- Caleb Hammond, MovieMaker Magazine


"Jeffrey Michael Bays is the ultimate expert regarding Hitchcock’s masterful filmmaking."

-Laurie Scheer, author, The Writer's Advantage

"A powerful reminder of the wisdom that can be gained from studying the greats."   -Michael Koehler, Lights Film School

"Should be mandatory reading for both aspiring and seasoned filmmakers."  -Adam Roche, Secret History of Hollywood Podcast

 

 

5 Reasons You Need This Book:

 

Here are 5 reasons Suspense With a Camera should be in your filmmaking toolbox:

 

  1. Suspense With a Camera is Like a User’s Manual -- At any phase of production, you can pull it out and go through the steps of building suspense into your film.  Maybe a scene isn’t working and you want to make it more gripping.  Pull out the book and you’ll soon have new ideas to put to use.
     

  2. Suspense With a Camera is the Most Detailed Guide to Visual Suspense Ever Published -- For many years, via Hitchcock’s “Bomb Theory,” we’ve heard that giving audience plot information up front was the key to suspense.  I go into much more depth in this book – how to plant secrets among your characters, how to use those secrets to setup suspense scenarios, and how to tease the viewer for maximum impact.
     

  3. Writing a Visual Sentence -- In today’s world of jump cuts and random chaos in the edit, you’ll appreciate this refreshing guide to crafting a succinct visual sentence, shot by shot.  Did you know that your camera is like a musical instrument?
     

  4. Suspense With a Camera Goes Beyond Hitchcock -- This book brings Hitchcock’s techniques forward to the modern day.  We use examples from movies like Captain Philips, Bourne Identity, You’ve Got Mail, I Know What You Did Last Summer and talk with today’s prominent practitioners like Paul Greengrass, Dan Trachtenberg, William Dickerson and more.
     

  5. Suspense With a Camera Debunks the Common Myths About Suspense -- When the person you’re talking to turns cold after you mention that suspense film you’re working on, I have 5 ways to debunk their skepticism.  Some people are turned off by suspense because they wrongly associate it with violence, gore, and horror. 

 

It’s time to bring suspense out of the shadows!

 

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