Beginning with the proposition that there exist uniquely cinematic elements of meaning and structure, Stefan Sharff clearly and systematically lays the foundation for "literacy" in cinema―a sensitivity to the aesthetic elements intrinsic only to film. Sharff presents the basic elements of structure, modes of expression, and rules which he argues create a specific "language" and "syntax" of cinema. Sharff's compact, lucid treatise is full of practical film-maker's points as well as intriguing theoretical notions. He's as cogent at explaining why a good film 'phrase' must contain a minimum of three shots as he is in giving a defense of master shot discipline, which can be elegant in the right hands (Lubitsch's?). Stefan Sharff's The Elements of Cinema comes to the advanced film student-indeed to all serious readers on film-as an inestimably valuable tool. Stefan Sharff has produced and directed more than sixty films, including two feature-length works, and several series for public television. He has received numerous international awards for his work including the Grand Prix at Vienna. He is currently a professor of film in Columbia University's School of the Arts.