BLOCKING FOR NEW FILMMAKERS

So, your script is ready for production. Your producer has everyone ready to go. You film scene after scene for weeks and then come upon a scene that truly is hard to get done and needs actual choreography by everyone on set.

Scene Blueprints for New Filmmakers: BLOCKING

LET’S BREAK DOWN A SCENE.
So, how would YOU go about it?
Well…The first thing is the STORYBOARD, which is created to show your SHOT LIST. It would visualize how the scene would be shot.

This is normally where your camera crew would come together to create the plan with the director, cinematographer (DP), and others.

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Some pros compare blocking to a stage play where actors have specific spots to be in. Here, the Director decides where everyone will stand, sit, move, and gesture. The Assistant Director (AD) tends to help coordinating this process. The Director and Actors read-through to understand the dialogue and emotional beats step by step. Here is a great video I think you will like.

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REMEMBER, THE RULE OF THE TRIANGLE.

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Next…
Comes LIGHTING, to set the mood and tone.  There are three basic types of lighting in film: 

  • key light (lights placed above the actors’ heads to create strong shadow), 
  • fill light (a light used to fill in and soften the shadows produced by the key light) and 
  • backlight (placed behind the actors, creating a sort of glow around them so that they stand out in a scene).

Film noir (is associated with a low-key, black-and-white visual style that has roots in German Expressionist cinematography), relies heavily on ‘low-key lighting’ to create an uncanny atmosphere. This is when there is a high ratio of key light to fill light, resulting in vivid contrasts and strong black shadows. Follow this link to learn more. This image is of a poster, and the copyright for it is most likely owned by either the publisher or the creator of the work depicted. It is believed that the use of scaled-down, low-resolution images of posters to provide critical commentary on the film, event, etc. in question or of the poster itself, not solely for illustration on the English-language and qualifies as fair use under the copyright law of the United States.

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