Reimagining Dance on Screen

A Practical Guide to Dance-Filmmaking
1. Auflage 2026
ISBN: 978-1-041-03575-6
Verlag: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Buch, Englisch, 272 Seiten, Format (B × H): 152 mm x 229 mm

Reihe: Routledge Advances in Theatre & Performance Studies

Reimagining Dance on Screen is a hands-on guide for dancers, choreographers, filmmakers, and independent artists who want to create compelling dance-films. Written from a dancer’s perspective, it approaches dance on camera as a cinematic art form—not simply choreography documented on video.

This volume is aimed at makers rather than theorists—the book emphasizes practical, experience-based guidance over academic study. Its central premise is straightforward: when dance moves onto the screen, the result is not a filmed dance, but a film shaped by cinematic choices. It covers essential filmmaking techniques such as visual storytelling, shot design, camera movement, and editing—tailored to transform dance into a cinematic experience.

The book includes 12 video tutorials and 50 downloadable dance clips for editing practice. Designed for both classroom use and independent practice, it supports artists working solo or with limited resources and assumes no prior editing experience. With an emphasis on creativity over expensive equipment, its clear and encouraging tone invites artists to think cinematically and approach dance-film as a playful, rigorous, and deeply expressive form. It is ideal for students and professionals in dance, film, and the performing arts, whether exploring new artistic mediums or the intersection of movement and cinema.

Zielgruppe

Academic, Postgraduate, and Undergraduate Core

Autoren/Hrsg.

Rose, Mitchell

Fachgebiete

• Geisteswissenschaften Theater- und Filmwissenschaft | Andere Darstellende Künste Tanz Geschichte des Tanzes
• Geisteswissenschaften Theater- und Filmwissenschaft | Andere Darstellende Künste Filmwissenschaft, Fernsehen, Radio Filmgattungen, Filmgenre
• Interdisziplinäres Wissenschaften Wissenschaften: Allgemeines Enzyklopädien, Nachschlagewerke, Wörterbücher

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Acknowledgements

I. Foreword

II. Preface

III. Online Content

IV. Prologue: Software

V. Introduction

1: New Thinking

2: Photography

3: Camera

4: Film Language

5: What’s the Big Idea

6: Dancers, Money, Time, Etc.

7: Story Structure & Form

8: Mapping a Shot Strategy

9: Pre-visualization

10: Deeper Camera Settings

11: Preparing Your Performers

12: The Shoot Day Playbook

13: The Camera in Motion

14: Making the Cut

15: Refining The Edit

16: The Ruthless Editor

17: Musicality

18: Music Editing

19: Reality Check

20: Color Correction

21: Crafting the Soundscape

22: Titles & Credits

23: Exporting

24: A Film’s Life

25: Sage Counsel

Appendix A: Camera Buying Guide

Appendix B: Documenting Concert Dance

Glossary

Index

Über Autor(innen)

Mitchell Rose is a former choreographer who turned filmmaker after studying directing at the American Film Institute. His films have received over 100 international festival awards, and The New York Times called him “a rare and wonderful talent.” He was a professor of dance-filmmaking at The Ohio State University.