Handout 02 - DeMO LESSON PLAN - Blocking and Staging Action

8/12/2019 Handout 02 - DeMO LESSON PLAN - Blocking and Staging Action

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Blocking and Staging Action

for Story, Performance and Production

Handout 2 of 2: Session #1

Blocking and staging moment-by-moment: solo character

Preparation is the most important thing a Director does !hat " do

mostly is a shot list and a lot of floor plans of all the sets " map out $here

e%ery&ody is and " map my co%erage out so " kno$ $here "'ll &e at any

gi%en moment " do it so if " had to cut that scene that night, " could

Joe Chappelle, Director and Co-Executive Producer, The Wire

Temple Grandinis a 2010 HBO iopic aout an autistic !o"an !ho eca"e one

#"erica$s top scientists in the hu"ane handlin% o& livestoc' in the &ood production

industr() *t$s not a %reat "ovie, +ust a %ood "ovie"ade-&or-television !ithin constraints

o& ud%et and ti"eut its !ell-cra&ted in ever( !a(, in its script as !ell as ehind and

in &ront o& the ca"era)

hat !e learned &ro" re-!atchin% Temple Grandin ca"e &ro" the actor-&riendl( loc'in%

and sta%in% o& the scenes and the econo"ical, "otivated loc'in% and sta%in% ( a ver(

experienced Director, .ic' Jac'son) /he covera%e throu%hout !as so &it and ri%ht that at

the end o& our &irst screenin% !e had so"e uestions one !as h( did he expend so

"uch ti"e and ener%( on the covera%e o& part o& a seuence 3reall( +ust a si"ple ph(sical

transit &ro" points # to B4 earl( in the &il"5 e na"ed this seuence 6/e"ple cli"s

over a &ence7)

(hree )uestions

David .a"et sa(s there are three uestions a director as's hi"- or hersel&

* !hat's the scene a&out+

* !hat do " tell the actors+

* !here do " put the camera+

#s a director, these are not the uestions to e as'in% (oursel& on the da() 8ou start

as'in% so"e!here around (our third or &ourth read-throu%h o& the script 3(ou need to

%rasp the stor( and the needs and !ants o& its characters e&ore an(thin% else4) 8ou

continue !or'in% on the ans!ers in collaoration !ith (our actors throu%h the sta%es o&

rehearsal, durin% locations recce, and in discussions 3started earl( on4 !ith the

cine"ato%rapher 3!ith an e(e to ud%et and ti"e constraints4)

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Demo Lesson Plan


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Blocking and Staging Action for Story, Performance and Production Handout 2 of 2: Session #1 - .ohn /lement

0%ery scene has its o$n rhythm

ou $ant to search for any little $ay to heighten the reality $ithout

$recking it, and taking the audience out of the film

John ;eale, Cine"ato%rapher

Cine"ato%rapher Ed


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THE SEQUENCE AS COVERED AND CUT:

SHOT 1: Temples reaction look !not t"e O#S# co$s moo%

si&nals t"e start o' t"is e(ent

C)t 1* SHOT +: Temples ,OV "er- o' co$s in corral !"an-."el-%

C)t +* SHOT /: Co$ moos !e0e.line matc"%

C)t /* SHOT : Temple mo(es ri&"t to le't o)t o' 'rame !"erri&"t.to.le't mo(ement contin)es t"ro)&"o)t%

C)t * SHOT 2: Slo$ DO334 !Stea-icam% 'or$ar- on corral5 Templeenters 'rame.ri&"t $alkin& 'or$ar-* as -oll0 contin)es

C)t 2* SHOT 6: REVERSE on Temples approac" to corral 'ence

C)t 6* SHOT 7: ri&"t an&le on Temple as s"e approac"es an-

8e&ins to clim8 o(er 'ence5 camera mo(es o(er 'ence 9)stsli&"tl0 a"ea- o' "er

C)t 7* SHOT : Temple $i-er* 'rontal5 one le& o(er 'ence

C)t * ;AC< TO SHOT 6: 'rontal5 ot"er le& o(er t"e 'ence

C)t =* ;AC< TO SHOT 2: slo$ Stea-icam -oll0 'or$ar- cont- asTemple 8e&ins to $alk amon& t"e "er-

C)t 1>* SHOT =: Temple $alks 'or$ar- into t"e "er- t"en pa)sesat t"e so)n- o' a male (oice O#S# speakin& to "er

C)t 11* SHOT 1>: Co$8o0 speakin& to Temple

C)t 1+* SHOT 11!?% or en- S"ot = !lon& 'ollo$ pan?%: Templereaction look to$ar-s t"e Co$8o0#

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Does the coverage of this event reveal character or move the story forward? It

does both.

ithout &lash or trash the covera%e o& this event visuall( expresses a 6dra"atic eat7

or 6"o"ent7 3also called a 6director$s eat74) /e"ple leaves o&& !hat she$s doin%,

crosses a distance, steps over the &ence 3a ph(sical oundar(9ostacle4 et!een her

and the co!s, to stand a"on% the") /his si"ple event is covered si"pl(, step-(-

step, close to /e"ple$s o!n e(e hei%ht, !ith no extre"e an%les, lens choices or

ca"era "ove"ent) *t also sets up the next dra"atic eat)

/he next dra"atic eat is cued ( the Co!o( 3O);)4 spea'in% and starts !ith

/e"ple$s reaction loo' and 21-seconds later /e"ple reaches out to touch, then

stro'e, the co!)

/hese t!o dra"atic eats &or" a lar%er unit that oth reveals character and "oves the

stor( &or!ard)

Whats revealed abo!t character?

/e"ple has "ade t!o choices 314 ;he$s reached out and "ade %entle ph(sical contact

!ith another livin% thin% 324 she$s interacted openl( 3thou%h silentl(4 !ith the Co!o(

3so"eone she ori%inall( perceived as representin% a threat4)

"ow is the story moved forward?

hat the stor( is aout is re&erenced &or the &irst ti"e /e"ple$s pursuit o& a !a( to

rin% her special %i&ts !hat others see as handicaps into "eanin%&ul and

productive contact !ith the !orld)

@

A&out (emple randin, the mo%ie 3 the person: /e"ple Arandin !as no"inated &or, and !on, a

host o& a!ards includin% 1 E""( no"inations o& !hich it !on seven, includin% actress Claire

Danes as Arandin, David ;trathairn as her teacher, and Julia Or"ond as /e"ple$s "other) ?nder

the direction o& .ic' Jac'son, /e"ple Arandin also !on the E""( &or Outstandin% .ade &or /

.ovie) ;creen!riters Christopher .on%er .erritt Johnson !ere no"inated &or their script ased

in part on the oo' #mergence( /e"ple Arandin .ar%ret ;cariano, and Thin$ing in %ictures&

'y (ife with )utism( /e"ple Arandin)

[email protected]

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Handout 02 - DeMO LESSON PLAN - Blocking and Staging Action

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