Blocking a Scene
(c) Peter D. Marshall
When I was a Second AD (many, many years ago) I learned a
valuable lesson from a dolly grip on how a film set works. Very
simply, every film shoot is divided into four parts:
1) Block – determining where the actors will be on the set and
the first camera position
2) Light – time for the DOP to light the set and position the
camera for the first shot
3) Rehearse – camera rehearsal of the first set-up with the
actors and crew
4) Shoot – shooting the first scene (then repeat the process)
Blocking is the first, and most crucial, aspect of this 4-part
sequence. When you first start directing, blocking a scene can be
one of the hardest – and most embarrassing – parts of your job.
Get it wrong here, and you will waste valuable shooting time
trying to get out of the mess you created!
a) Director Prep – Before you step onto any film set, you need to
first do your homework on Script and Character Analysis. In the
last two issues, we talked about Understanding the Script (what
the story is about; the themes; the story points) and Character
Development and Analysis (the development and objectives of the
characters).
To review Script Structure, Script Analysis, and Scene Analysis,
visit: https://www.actioncutprint.com/ezine-3.html To review
Character Development and Analysis, visit:
https://www.actioncutprint.com/ezine-4.html
b) Blocking a Dramatic Scene – The first thing I do when the
actors arrive for a blocking is to get them in a group and read
the scene: no moving, no “acting” – just reading the scene
through. This makes sure everyone is on the “same page”.
(Sometimes actors do not have revisions and this is a good time
to find that out.) Also, by reading together, the actors start to
feed off each other – and you get to watch the process.
After the actors read the scene, I ask them to show me what they
want to do. I just step back and let them go for it. If it is a
set no one has been in before, I take a few moments to discuss
the physical lay out of the room – the door an actor will come
through; a window they can walk up to; which desk they can sit at
etc.
The actors then begin their first walk through – they read the
scene and walk around the set to get a feel of what they want to
do and where they want to be. During this initial blocking, I try
not to make any suggestions to the actors – it is important that
they show me what they have in mind. Remember, this is the first
time the actors have been together on the set and they need their
time to explore. As you watch the actors, you get a feel for what
they want to do, where they want to go and how they are relating
to each other.
On the next blocking, you begin to make your changes. Maybe you
want an actor to sit in a chair by the window instead of on the
couch; you ask an actor if it would be okay to pace beside an
actor and not infront of him so you can save a set-up; you make a
suggestion to an actor to move across the room instead of
standing by the door etc.
Once you have discussed the scene, and everyone agrees with the
suggestions, the actors do it again. This time, you begin to
figure out your camera placement based on their movement and what
you first had in mind. As the actors go through the scene, you
walk around them looking at all your camera positions. Usually
the DOP is with you to discuss camera set-ups and positions. This
is also a time where you can stop-and-start the actors – move
them around to get a better background. During this blocking, a
camera assistant will place marks on the floor whenever the
actors stop.
When everyone is satisfied, the actors leave and you discuss the
first set-up in more detail with the DOP and the camera operator.
When the DOP begins to light, you go over all your set-ups with
the First AD and the Script Supervisor.
c) Blocking Tips – having a shot list will help you during the
blocking process. The shot list is like a map: it gives you a
path to your destination – but you don’t always have to follow it
– let the actors show you what they want to do first – then, when
you make a suggestion, it is based on something you have already
seen
– in Television, speed is essential, so try and block some scenes
so that your action takes place in one direction (to avoid
turning the camera around for reverses)
Copyright (c) 2000 Peter D. Marshall / All Rights Reserved
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