Movie Diaries 16

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Directing: A Brief Tutorial

• Arrive on the set when you say you'll arrive on the set. Have your shooting schedule, notes, and script with you.
  
• Have the set ready before the actors get there, especially if it's a night shoot. Have your lights set, your cameras and camera operators ready to go. Don't leave your actors waiting for four hours while you figure out what you're doing.
  
• The time between "Action!" and "Cut!" should be uninterrupted unless the scene is a complete train wreck, in which case, back up and start over. You cannot jump in, give the actors direction, and then restart at that point and expect to get usable footage, especially if what you're filming is supposed to be documentary. In the glossary at the end of this handbook you will find "Action!"; "Cut!"; "That's a wrap!"; "Quiet on the set, please!"; "We need more blood on him..."; "How can you be out of bullets?"; and even "Bill, what the fuck was that?"
  
  You will not find, "Pause!" Anywhere.
  

A typical day on set.

EXTERIOR. THE RIVER. DAYTIME.

KATE, MURPHY, THE SCHOLAR, AND THE GUNSLINGER ARE
STANDING ON THE SHORE. KATE HOLDS A SMALL CLAY
HEAD, "THE ARTIFACT".

KATE
So, what do these markings mean?

MURPHY
That glyph there is "head"...there, "water" or "river".
"Head" under "water".

ALL TURN TO LOOK AT THE RIVER.

KATE
It can't be that easy.

BILL
(voiceover)
Occam's Razor, Kate.

DIRECTOR
Pause!

ALL
???

DIRECTOR
Bill, need you to say that a little louder.

BILL
(voiceover)
We're going to redo all my dialog in post, aren't we?

DIRECTOR
Oh, shit, yeah, that's right. Okay, everyone..?
3...2...1...UN-PAUSE!

KATE HANDS THE STATUE TO MURPHY.

KATE
Here, hold this a minute.

WITH THE SUDDEN REALIZATION THAT SHE NEEDS TO GET THE
STATUE IN THE WATER, KATE BEGINS REMOVING HER GEAR.
AS SHE DOES SO, THE STRAP OF HER BAG GETS HUNG UP ON
HER BELT BUCKLE.

KATE
Damn!

DIRECTOR
Pause!

ALL
???

DIRECTOR
Gunslinger, can you help her with that..? Ok, thanks,
back to where you were...and...3..2...1...UN-PAUSE!

MURPHY
(to the director)
You know, when you restart the camera, Gunslinger
will have moved.

DIRECTOR
He moved back.

MURPHY
Yeah, I know, but his position has shifted. You'll be able
to see it.

DIRECTOR
That's okay, we'll fix it in post. We'll cut to something
else.

MURPHY
Cut to what? You've only got one camera...

DIRECTOR
(ignoring MURPHY)

Everybody ready? 3...2...1...UN-PAUSE!

Bill
(voiceover)
Shouldn't we start over?

DIRECTOR
It okay with you, Bill, if I get to be the director for
a while?

Okay. Here we go. Scene 4, riverbank, picking up...3...
2...1...UN-PAUSE!

KATE REMOVES HER JACKET AND KIT BAG, AND WADES INTO THE RIVER,
GUNSLINGER CLOSE BEHIND, GUN DRAWN AS IF TO COVER HER. SHE
IS FRANTIC TO GET ACROSS BEFORE THE STORM BREAKS, AND MOVES
WITH ASTONISHING PURPOSE.  GUNSLINGER HAS TO REALLY MOVE
TO KEEP UP WITH HER.

DIRECTOR
Pause!

KATE FREEZES, HER MOMENTUM BROKEN. DIRECTOR CONFERS
QUICKLY WITH THE CAMERAMAN, WHO SHAKES HIS HEAD.

ALL
???

DIRECTOR
No, sorry, my fault! 3...2...1...UN-PAUSE!

And so on. I don't have the footage in front of me, but as nearly as I can remember this is a verbatim retelling of the scene, and is more of a script than we ever saw. We only got one take because, at the conclusion of the scene, the two principle characters were wet and spattered with mud.

The footage is damn near unusable.

Comments

[breaca.livejournal.com]

Ahhh...memories....You know, I tried to have a conversation with him about that once. He tried to tell me I didn't know what I was talking about and that he worked just like the directors in Hollywood did. Nevermind the fact that about 6 months before that I had been on the sets on both Constantine and Oceans 12 and had seen...oh...Steven Soderbergh work. Idiot. Yes, yes...you know exactly what you're doing and the rest of us are idiots. I can't tell you how happy it made me to only have a bit part so I didn't have to deal with him much at all. I felt for you guys, I really did.

Enough rambling now.

You're directing the next one, right? Please god say yes!

[starwyse.livejournal.com]

???
you have to be kidding me.

Pause, really he said puase?


(my head hurts)

wow....

[themadblonde]

I've only worked on 2 movies & I know better than that....

[rowangolightly.livejournal.com]

Oh, he'd get along really well with another director I happen to know who somehow thought he could go to completely dark then have a flash/lightning entrance for the girl...during the middle of the day outside.

::facepalm:: Yes, he really did say that in rehearsal.

[iarraidh.livejournal.com]

DIRECTOR
It okay with you, Bill, if I get to be the director for
a while?

BILL
Oh, sorry. I hadn't noticed that you'd started.

You were thinkin it...

[billthetailor.livejournal.com]

The opening sequence, which took place in a corporate conference room, was especially problematic. There were two cameras, but both focused on different things rather than capturing the principal action with each camera at a different angle.

Because there was no script, only a list of salient points that the actors were supposed to convey, the actors in the scene (this was before my entrance) were struggling.

No, there was no rehearsal: only for the fight scenes and only because Sean and I insisted on it.

Sean was the first to attempt an edit of the sequence. Apparently, the word "pause" was uttered so many times that it was impossible to construct a coherent sequence without serious jittering in the action. To date, I don't believe anyone ever has.

[billthetailor.livejournal.com]

You were thinkin it...

Oh, yes, I was. Hard enough I'm surprised the words didn't burn into my forehead like Linda Blair with a soldering iron.

[billthetailor.livejournal.com]

You know, at least when I'm being arrogant I recognize it.

I'm reasonably certain there's not going to be a next one. Certain members of the cast and crew have said either "not at all" or at best "not for free". Had there been, yes, I was slated to direct our sequences. I wanted to direct the whole movie - and in fact the entire core group was pushing for it - but He Who Shall Not Be Named ix-nayed that, wanting to shoot the two halves of the movie simultaneously. Why, I'll never know: he couldn't make a movie with ONE storyline in less than three months, I don't know why he thought it would go faster.

[the-themiscyran.livejournal.com]

Hahahahahahahahahaha!

Yup, that's all I got. Thanks for the laugh, although I'm sure it's funnier from out here. What an ass this guy sounds.

[starwyse.livejournal.com]

The more you write about this experience the sadder it is. I know wonderful and funny things happened because we've talked about a couple but mostly it's sad...

[billthetailor.livejournal.com]

Oh, don't feel bad. You should see the actual footage...come to that, I have a rather fun outtake I ought to post online...