Directions: Directing Workshop 1

As part of this unit, we spent some time with Director Steve Finn, who taught us everything he knows about being a Director. Steve has worked on numerous programs, but has spent most of his time directing Eastenders. Below are my notes from the first workshop.

Steve Finn

Directing Workshop 1

Steve started by telling us about how he became a Director. He told us about how he spent most of his years working as an Assistant-Director, and how he became a Director by accident. He was asked by a production company to fly out to Spain to find out why a show they were making was really behind schedule. Whilst there the Director fell ill and so Steve had to direct some of the shoot. After that day, the company gave him a job as a Director. Since then he has worked on numerous programs, including Eastenders, The Bill, Holby City, Casualty & London's Burning.

We began the workshop by looking at an un-edited Eastenders scene that Steve had directed a few years ago. In the scene a character is mugged outside the Queen Vic. He showed us the footage he filmed, which in total added up to 12 shots. He then showed us the edited version so we could see how the footage was used and what was added before it could be aired on TV. He shot the scene using a multi-camera set up, which meant although there were 12 shots, most of them were shot simultaneously. He told us the scene took about 30 minutes to shoot. When we watched the scene back we noticed that a few FX had been added, and music had been added, although it was integrated into the scene by making it seem as though it was coming from inside the pub. FX like the sound of a train passing were used to build tension. And the music used had a specific tempo which also helped build tension.

He then told us about how sometimes he could shoot about 15 pages a day, and even more if we was filming in the studio. He also spoke about using movement in a scene as a cutting point, a technique we had spoken about in an editing workshop.

One of Steve's camera scripts

Next we looked at a 'camera script', which is essentially a plan view of camera and actor placement during a scene. We looked at a scene from a while back which involved a house explosion on the square. He used the 'camera script' to help everyone understand how he wanted to shoot the scene. This helped everyone else understand how the scene would be put together, and this was very important for the stunt team because it would have helped them decide where they could use doubles, and how they could set up the explosion and fire so no one would get hurt.

Steve spoke about how he used handheld cameras, a steadicam, minicams, and a chest-rig to shoot the scene. He said the scene took two days to film, with the explosion being shot on the first day and the fire being shot on the second. When preparing for something like this he said it is important to block the scene in your head, and in some cases act every part out to ensure it will work on the day of the shoot.

It was so great to see this 'camera script' because it gave me an idea of how Steve preps for and directs a big scene. It also helped me because it was something I had thought about doing for my own shoot. I'm a fan of Eastenders and I remember the scene very well, so it was cool to learn a bit about how they shot the scene.

Here is the start of the scene:

Here is a little behind the scenes look at the explosion:

Next we looked at the role of the Director. He gave us this:

He then told us about how he preps for Eastenders. He usually gets 4 weeks prep time for four episodes. Normally, he receives a draft script at the start of those 4 weeks. He then oversees the creation of the next 4 drafts, creating notes each time. By the end of the 2nd week he normally has a script that is ready to be used for production & rehearsals. He told us about how he chooses locations by working with the location manager. By the 3rd week he begins casting (if needed), he meets with makeup and wardrobe and he meets with the props department. By the 4th week he has a production meeting. And then the week after that they rehearse and then record all 4 episodes.

As a Director he says you must remember that you are in charge, and you don't ask people to do things, you politely tell them to do things. When on set you must be open to ideas, be flexible, use your time well, and have an idea of how long things will take. He also said that when it comes to editing, you must be prepared for changes to occur.

Finally we looked at directing actors. He started by talking about working out in your head who and what your characters before you think about casting. Once on set he said you should brief the actor and tell them about the character and the characters circumstances. The most important thing he told us about actors is that you need to give them something to do, because character is action, and actions speak louder than words. How a character does something, is more important than what they say.

To help us with our productions, as we are working with non-professional actors, he told us to focus more on shots and storyline. If we rely too much on the actors, it could ruin the film.

And that's it! We learnt quite a lot in one workshop and I found all of it incredibly helpful. I will definitely keep all of this in mind when I'm preparing for and directing my project.