FILM 37 - Directing for the Camera

Course description

Directing for the Camera investigates the directorial process of translating the written script to the screen. Students analyze, rehearse, shoot and edit narrative scenes from existing or original screenplays. The exercises are critiqued and comparisons are then made between the existing works and the exercises. Students work in crews rotating between the roles of director, camera, and sound. Special attention is also given to lighting, cinematography, and audio recording.

[Source: ORC/Catalog, 03/27/2023]; Dist:ART

Defining direction

1. The task of steering a film through its various stages of pre-production, production, and post-production.

2. The specific work of supervising and controlling actors and other personnel during the pre-production and production of a film. The work of direction usually begins in pre-production, with the director undertaking a number of key tasks, including liaising with the producer to ensure that what is being planned can be achieved within the available budget. From there, the director will work on the script, the production design, and cinematography in order to prepare the film for shooting. Script preparation may involve the director working collaboratively with a writer, or the direction may be planned from a completed script with little or no revision or rewriting. The creative elements of script preparation are: clarification of story, planning for the visual style and design of the film, and planning for lighting, blocking, and cinematography. On larger-scale productions, a first assistant director liaises with the director and takes charge of the day-to-day planning and organizing of the film crew. Additionally, a line manager/production manager will deal with other practical matters necessary for production such as travel, catering, and accommodation. On the film set, direction consists of two main tasks. The first is to support the actors in terms of performance (see acting). Here the script preparation (conveying the director’s preferred characterization for each role) will underpin an actor’s approach to the role they are asked to play (see beats). When the camera runs the director’s task is to assess the success of the acting, calling for further takes if necessary. The second task on set is to film the action and dialogue of the script in a way that’s appropriate to the creative design of the film as a whole; for instance, if using the rules of continuity and blocking, the director ensures that material is shot in a way that allows for successful editing in post-production. In order to maintain budgetary control, direction must work to an agreed pace: this is usually indicated by the numbers of script pages to be filmed per day or the number of setups allowed for each day’s shooting. During the studio era very few directors were involved in the post-production editing of a film, as their role was completed when the film was shot (see studio system). In contemporary filmmaking this has changed and the director may also oversee the editing of a film, sometimes having decisive control over the final cut of the picture (see also director’s cut). Direction may even extend to the application of special effects, the dubbing of the film, and the preparation of musical score and soundtrack (see sound; sound design). The directing role is mainly conceived in relation to commercial feature film production, but its principles are also applicable to a broad range of filmmaking practice, including documentary, avant-garde, and experimental film, as well as practice as research.  ...