Figure 7.40
Figure 7.41
Figure 7.42
Once you know who’s winning you can focus on the deeper meaning of each line of dialogue and concentrate on how you want the audience to live those moments of change: the beats.
Your assignment to practice with the beats is an easy one.
Watch a scene you like from your favorite movie.
Turn to the script and study how that scene is structured, paying attention to the story beats.
Watch the scene again and see how the director decided to cover those beats.
Once you know the structure of the scene and the beats that support that structure, you can make thoughtful decisions about the following variables4:
Acting: how the actors will perform those particular moments of the script
Blocking: how the movement around the set will help highlight the beats
Camera movement and coverage: how the camera will capture these moments
Editing: how the different angles will be organized in the final editing
Visual components: which visual components (lighting, camera framing and movements, props, and set design) will help portray the beats in the most effective way
Scene Checklist
My last step on the script analysis and breakdown is inspired by the work of Elia Kazan (from his Kazan on Directing), Francis Ford Coppola (as he described it in “Behind the Scenes” of the DVD edition of The Godfather), and John Badham (from his book On Directing).
I take the script apart and create a folder where, for every scene or every sequence, I answer a series of questions that those famous directors asked themselves while they were prepping their movies. And, of course, I add a little bit of my take on it.
Use of the Scenes Breakdown Form
The form is divided in sections. Each section is a subject that deserves attention and, sooner or later, you’ll have to make choices about them. This is a creative process that evolves over time. You don’t have to fill in the form all at once and you must give yourself time to review the information and change your mind if you want.
In order to limit everything to one page (both sides), I assume that you’ll write your lengthy notes on each subject in your director’s journal and keep here only the most updated conclusions. Maintain as many forms as you need in the binder you keep with you on the set every day.
Sections:
TRANSITION IN / TRANSITION OUT: You’ll have to figure this out in postproduction, but why not think about it before shooting? Maybe you can come up with an elegant transition or a juxtaposition that works best for the story. Remember that in order to achieve the best results, the transition must work on both sides: end of one scene, beginning of another.
SYNOPSIS/CORE: In the synopsis try to concentrate on what happens in the scene. In the core, you want to concentrate on the reason for the scene to exist. What are the storytelling objectives that this scene achieves?
TIME AND PLACE: Very important to think of time and place with two elements in particular: history and story. When and where are we in relation to the history of civilization and also when and where are we in relation to the story? What are the changes that might occur in an apartment while a couple lives there? What are the changes in fashion that affect a period of time?
IMAGERY AND TONE: This is one of the most difficult because it is quite elusive. Would you say that the imagery and tone of Star Wars is similar to Blade Runner? Would you say that the imagery and tone of Avatar is similar to Dances with Wolves? Envision your movie and this scene within it. Think about how this scene can be part of an overall look and feel, or completely contrast with it.
PITFALL/ SOLUTIONS: What are the risks of this scene, how am I trying to avoid them? You might want to keep a horror scene funny or a very dramatic scene with a supenseful subtext. The risk, always, is to push too much or too little. Think about what you want to achieve and what problems you might encounter. Sometimes the problems are time and money. Trust me, you are not alone.
The second page should be more familiar because it’s the director’s checklist from John Badham On Directing. The questions are self-explanatory but if you want more insight into the process (and you definitely should), don’t hesitate to get Mr. Badham’s book.
The result is the form you can find in the following pages, which you can download from http://www.sibamedia.com.
How to Communicate What You “Sense”
Making movies is a collaborative form of art. Even the most assertive and visionary director cannot make a movie on his own. It’s very important that you learn how to communicate effectively. Fortunately today there are a variety of tools that can help you at affordable prices.
One of the main elements is the ability to communicate the vision to the different creative collaborators: director of photography, production designer, editor, sound designer, music composer, script supervisor. Yes, I do include the script supervisor as a creative collaborator because the best of them can truly help the director stay on track with his or her own vision even when chaos unfolds.
One of the best ways to share your vision is, of course, trying to show things the way they are going to be. It’s what we call previsualization (or previz).
Visual References
Never be afraid to reference other movies, paintings, or still photography. If they fit in your vision, use them to showcase what you have in mind. Remember ”to steal ideas from one person is plagiarism; to steal from many is research.” There is nothing wrong with a lot of research. Especially considering that the next few tools rest completely on your creative shoulders.
Software that I’ve found very helpful is Celtx (https://www.celtx.com/index.html). Celtx is a competitor of the industry standard Final Draft (https://www.finaldraft.com/). What Celtx adds is a series of tools that will help create a full database starting from the script breakdown. Unfortunately Celtx is not recognized as industry standard yet. This means that, as soon as you want to share the project with others, you’ll most probably have to import the script into Final Draft and adjust the inevitable issues.
Storyboarding
This is one of the tools used most often to communicate what you have in mind. Shot by shot you can show how you want to cover a scene in a very visual way (almost like a comic book) with more specific information about the camera movements and framings. If you are not very good at drawing, stick figures will do; otherwise you can hire a storyboard artist or buy software. The software I use is Frame Forge 3D (http://www.frameforge3d.com/). A little bit pricy and not that easy to use, but as soon as you invest some hours with its interface, it becomes a very useful tool.
Floor Plan and Blocking Diagram
Once the locations are chosen or the art department has designed the set, it’s possible for you to design the floor plan and imagine the blocking of the actors.
Usually in order to get the most out of this tool, you’ll have to use some sort of presentation software (PowerPoint or Keynote) or have lots of diagrams on different pages because, as you can imagine, a piece of paper can become pretty crowded if we have all the information about actors and camera movement at the same time.
Recently I’ve found a very effective new software called Shot Designer (http://www.hollywoodcamerawork.com/sd_index.html) that makes everything very easy and well organized.
Postproduction Notes: Editing, Sound, and Music
Even if you are still in development, don’t let the timeline fool you. Decisions about editing, sound, and music are already on the table. Most of them will affect the decisions you make on the set while shooting.
So invest time to save time. Think ahead about how you see the final product.
Editing Style
Do you see lots of cuts? Watch an episode of Friday Night Lights (Figures 7.43 to 7.45).
Figu
re 7.43
Figure 7.44
Figure 7.45
Do you see long shots covering an entire scene (watch Children of Men [Figures 7.46 to 7.48] and notice how many times there is a cut in the middle of a scene)? Remember that coverage from multiple angles will give you more freedom and opportunity to cover mistakes or poor performances during the editing process.
Figure 7.46
Figure 7.47
Figure 7.48
Sound Design
You know now how to listen to the world around you. Think how to use the sound to enhance the experience of the audience. Watch the first few minutes of Saving Private Ryan (Figure 7.49) to see how the sound design has been used to internalize the war experience from Tom Hanks’s character’s perspective.
Figure 7.49
Music
Already think which kind of music you’d like to have. Modern music, orchestra, songs of the time. You have so many choices at your disposal but everything comes with a price. The license of a well-known song might be too pricy for an independent production. On the other side there are many talented music composers who can score the movie beautifully. I remember that I was pretty scared to work with a composer because I didn’t know how I was supposed to talk to them. When I discovered that they want to talk about story and emotions and beats, I discovered that actually we were talking the same language — it was their job to translate all of this into notes that can tell a story.
Shooting Procedure
The shooting procedure is a golden rule that should never be broken.
Once you are on the set it’s important to follow a few steps in order to make sure that everybody works in the most effective way.
As a first-time director, the general approach is to jump the gun trying to put everything together at the same time. One of the classic mistakes is to get to the set and tell the actors where to stand and how to move around, describing in detail where you are going to put the camera, etc.
This is a big error. As a director your job is to awaken possibilities in other people.
All the work and preparation about camera angles, blocking, and lighting now is going to be tested by the reality of the set. But don’t be stubborn; if something emerges from the interactions with actors and crew that sounds better than what you imagined, embrace it. It’s part of your job as director to inspire the creative instinct in others.
The shooting procedure will help you to keep everything organized and creative.
Step 1: Blocking
With the actors, figure out their blocking in the most natural way. Simultaneously have a quiet conversation with the director of photography about how to cover the scene. Once the blocking is over, you send the actors away and let the director of photography prep the set.
Step 2: Lighting
Once the director of photography knows where the actors are going to be at any given moment of the scene, he or she can light the scene and prep the technology needed for the camera movement (camera on tripod, dolly, steady cam, job arm, etc.).
Step 3: Rehearsal
Once the lighting is done, actors are back on the set for a final rehearsal, to fine-tune their performance. The camera also will operate to be sure they can capture the story according to your vision. Once everything is ready, then we can shoot.
Step 4: Shooting
Finally the sound and the camera are ready and everybody will wait for you to say: Action!
• • •
And now, let’s see how everything comes together in one of my ultimate favorite scenes.
* * *
1 Making Movies, by Sidney Lumet (Vintage), p. 81.
2 Directing Feature Films by Mark Travis (Michael Wiese Productions, Second Edition) and Directing Actors by Judith Weston (Michael Wiese Productions)
3 The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (2013). After arriving safely home from their unprecedented victory in the 74th Annual Hunger Games, Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) and Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) discover that they must do a quick turnaround and begin a Victors’ Tour. As she and Peeta travel throughout the districts, Katniss senses a rebellion is stirring. However, President Snow (Donald Sutherland) proves that he is still very much in control when word comes of a cruel change in the rules for the upcoming 75th Annual Hunger Games.
4 The Visual Story by Bruce Block (Focal Press, Second Edition)
8.
A Case Study:
Dead Poets Society
This scene from Dead Poets Society has reached legendary status. Tom Schulman won the Academy Award for his script and both the director, Peter Weir, and the leading actor, Robin Williams, were nominated.
The story is about a new English teacher, John Keating (Robin Williams), who is introduced to an all-boys preparatory school that is known for its ancient traditions and high standards. He uses unorthodox methods to reach out to his students, who face enormous pressures from their parents and the school. With Keating’s help, students Neil Perry (Robert Sean Leonard), Todd Anderson (Ethan Hawke), and others learn to break out of their shells, pursue their dreams, and seize the day. “Carpe diem,” anybody?
If you are seriously committed to becoming a filmmaker, this scene should already be very familiar to you. We are twenty minutes into the movie, and the main exposition of theme and the conflict is all in these four minutes and fifty seconds of masterful filmmaking.
In this scene Professor Keating explains his unconventional approach to literature, inspiring his students and setting up the basics of the main conflict with the institution.
You can find the scene at http://www.sibamedia.com.
If you remember what I told you at the beginning of this book about learning from the masters, it shouldn’t be a surprise if I tell you to watch the scene and then analyze what you feel. If this scene has the effect that it has already had on most audiences around the world, you should feel moved and inspired. Almost a life-changing experience not dissimilar from the one that Professor Keating’s students experience.
But how does the director pull it off? Is it just the amazing script or is there more?
Let’s start breaking down the scene shot by shot and see how the puzzle has been put together.
Remember: your goal as storyteller is to inspire the audience.
The scene is well structured in three acts.
Act 1
The scene begins with Professor Keating telling a student to read the preface of the book.
We open the scene in a very formal way — the camera is positioned between the teacher and the students. We look at the professor from the point of view of a first-row student, and we look at the students from the point of view of the professor. Both camera setups are on a dolly moving accordingly. (Figures 8.1 to 8.14)
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Act 2
”Excrement.” This word changes everything. The call to action to move into a new, unexpected world. Some students are more reticent but the teacher needs just one brave, young heart to start the revolution.
The first true close-up is for this young man, Charlie Dalton (Figures 8.21 to 8.25), who dares to follow Keating’s challenge. At this point the scene changes rhythms and intensity (Figures 8.26 to 8.40).
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When everybody starts ripping the pages, the camera wanders around the classroom highlighting behaviors (notice how Cameron is not able to loosen up and use a ruler?) and excitement until another professor, thinking that the class is misbehaving, interrupts the fun (Figures 8.41 to 8.50).
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The Director's Six Senses Page 7