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Books By Judith Weston

 Directing Actors 25th Anniversary   The Firlm Director's Intuition       

Directing Actors 25th Anniversary Edition—a complete updating and revision to Judith’s bestselling book—has arrived! Available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and mwp.com. 

In September 2019 the audiobook version of the original edition of Directing Actors was released, with text lightly revised and updated—and read by Judith. It’s available at: Audible.com, Spotify, Apple, Google Play, Walmart (and Kobo), and a host of other outlets, including most libraries.

Judith's second book, The Film Director's Intuition, is available in paperback. 

Both books are written from the point of view of film directors, and directors all over the world have come to rely on them. Many others have also found them helpful—screenwriters, actors, professionals in film, television, photography, theater—and really anyone who wants to live creatively. The tools and principles of the books are simple and practical, but more than that—readers tell me they find a deep contact with the magic and mystery of the creative process, and tools to access emotion. Many say the books' communication tools and storytelling principles offer lessons in life. I want anyone who reads my books to find support, confidence, self-respect, and joy in their work.

Directing Actors has been translated into Spanish, Iraqi Kurdish, Farsi, Estonian, Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese, German, Japanese, Finnish, Korean, Greek, and Polish.

Here are links for purchasing “Dirigir Actores” (the Spanish language edition of Directing Actors, published by C.U.E.C.):

Both Directing Actors and The Film Director's Intuition are published by Michael Wiese Productions, and available at Amazon.com, and at many independent bookstores.

  • “I am eternally grateful for your help.”

    TAIKA WAITITI, writer-director, JOJO RABBIT, THOR RAGNAROK, HUNT FOR THE WILDERPEOPLE, WHAT WE DO IN THE SHADOWS, BOY, EAGLE VS SHARK, FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS
  • “I took a seminar with an acting teacher named Judith Weston. I learned a key insight to character. She believed that all well-drawn characters have a spine, and the idea is that the character has an inner motor, a dominant, unconscious goal that they’re striving for, an itch that they can’t scratch. I took to this like a duck to water.”

    ANDREW STANTON [from his Feb 2012 TED Talk] writer-director, FINDING DORY, WALL-E, FINDING NEMO, A BUG’S LIFE; director, BETTER CALL SAUL, STRANGER THINGS; writer, TOY STORY, TOY STORY 2, TOY STORY 3
  • "Judith's method is wonderful because it is practical. She has given me numerous tools to solve problems on the set and to earn the trust of actors. Her classes and her book are invaluable resources to any director."

    LAWRENCE TRILLING, director, GOLIATH, RECTIFY, PARENTHOOD, MASTERS OF SEX, PUSHING DAISIES, DAMAGES, BROTHERS AND SISTERS, NIP/TUCK, MONK, SCRUBS, INVASION, ALIAS, FELICITY
  • "Thank you for teaching me how to direct actors. Taking your classes made me believe I could direct. Taking your classes gave me a base, a foundation, a framework to find my own style. To step out on faith. I'm forever grateful. Love and respect to you, magnificent Judith Weston." 

    AVA DuVERNAY, director, WHEN THEY SEE US, QUEEN SUGAR, A WRINKLE IN TIME, SELMA, SCANDAL, MIDDLE OF NOWHERE
  • "Everything you taught me was more than useful. I am deeply grateful."

    ALEJANDRO GONZÁLEZ IÑÁRRITU, director, THE REVENANT, BIRDMAN, BIUTIFUL, BABEL, 21 GRAMS, AMORES PERROS