This book examines the unique patterns and structure that make cinema a story-telling art form. A comparison of books or plays with films that have been made from them reveals the essence of cinema: its emphasis on movement, fluidity, and pictorial image. Excerpts from shooting scripts demonstrate the ways in which the components of drama (conflict, structure, character) are built up on screen. Then the other tools of film (editing, sound tracks, lighting, color, and cinematic arrangement of time) are discussed to explain how the moods and impact of a film are produced. (JK)