Filmmaking Articles and Advice from Film Consultant Peter D. Marshall
Posted in Filmmaking Tips on Dec 5th, 2008
1. static camera (the camera doesn’t move) – subjects can be still – subjects can be moving 2. moving camera (the camera moves) – subjects can be still – subjects can be moving 3. static subjects (the subject doesn’t move) – camera can be still – camera can be moving 4. moving subjects (the subject [...]
Posted in Filmmaking Tips on Dec 4th, 2008
1. zone coverage – when you stage the coverage of groups in the same location (like battle scenes/sports events/crowds) 2. man-to-man coverage – when you stage the coverage of individual characters according to their movement in relationship to others —– Want to Learn More Film and Television Directing Tips and Techniques? Check out Peter D. [...]
Posted in Filmmaking Tips on Dec 3rd, 2008
When blocking a scene, a director has two ways to stage space: 1. by staging across the frame – left to right – right to left 2. by using “in-depth” staging – foreground to background – background to foreground —–– Sign up for your own FREE subscription to “The Director’s Chair” filmmaking ezine, packed with [...]
Posted in Filmmaking Tips on Dec 2nd, 2008
The opening position of a character is where the characters start in a scene and is a very important element of your blocking plan. 1. use your knowledge of the characters to help you imagine their opening positions 2. different character types tend to move to different places in the room: a. strong characters could [...]
Posted in Filmmaking Tips on Nov 30th, 2008
1. whose POV is being expressed at the time (the writer’s, the character or the director) 2. what distance are you from the subject (the size of shot – are you close or far) 3. what is your relationship to the subject (the angle of view – choice of lenses) —–– Sign up for your [...]
Posted in Filmmaking Tips on Nov 27th, 2008
1. what is the LAST shot of the previous scene 2. what is the FIRST shot of the next scene 3. when (and where) were the characters LAST SEEN —– Want to Learn More Film and Television Directing Tips and Techniques? Check out Peter D. Marshall’s 2008 multi-media reference guide for filmmakers, “The Art and [...]
Posted in Filmmaking Tips on Nov 11th, 2008
Before you can figure out your blocking plan (and your shot list), one of the first things you need to do is understand is the complexities of the SCRIPT – what is the story about, what are the themes, what are the story points, who are the main characters and what happens to them. And [...]
Posted in Filmmaking Tips on Nov 7th, 2008
What is Blocking? Blocking is simply working out the details of an actor’s moves in relation to the camera. It is also the dramatic use of the camera to help find the truth in a scene by analyzing the scene in detail from all the relevant perspectives (beats, themes, story, character, style etc.) 1. where [...]
Posted in Filmmaking Tips on Nov 5th, 2008
Issac Newton’s first law of motion is: “An object at rest tends to stay at rest unless acted upon by an external or unbalanced force and an object in motion tends to stay in motion with the same speed and in the same direction unless acted upon by an external or unbalanced force.” Don’t worry, [...]
Posted in Film Directing Articles on Oct 15th, 2008
Blocking a Scene 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 could waste valuable shooting time trying to get out of the mess you created! Click Here to read entire article. —–– Sign up [...]
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