Simon started off the workshop by telling us a little about what the director is responsible for and how their role affects everyone else. We were put into a crew to give us an idea of how many people the director has to work with. This allowed us to look around and think about what questions a director may be asked, which allows us to think about the answers before we turn up on set. We also spoke about the assistant directors who focus on the jobs the director doesn't need to worry about, the director will mainly focus on the cast, Director of Photography (DOP) and the camera operator. This assistant director does all the small jobs, like sorting out catering or checking everyone on set knows what they are doing. Without the director the shoot can't get going. Everyone relies on the director. Meanwhile, the main things the director thinks about are: what is going on in front of the camera and where the camera is seeing it from.
We also spoke about the process the director will go through on set. First they'd check the location. Then would check if the cast and crew are okay. Next they'd start blocking out the scene with the actors and the DOP. This allows them to set markers and set camera positions. This also allows to camera assistants to set focus for each shot (especially important if the focus has to pulled) and it allows the gaffers to work with the lighting director to light the scene. All of this must take place before the director can even think about calling "Action!".
Next Simon told us about coverage and motivation. He started by asking someone to direct a scene in which another person put a bottle in a bin. He said for things like this you don't have to treat the actor like an idiot. Pretty much everyone knows how to put something in the bin. The main thing you need to do is give the actor a motivation. Don't tell them how to put it in the bin, tell them why they should put it in the bin. For example, you could say they are angry because they're having money issues. This allows the actor to think about how someone in that situation would throw something in the bin, with the keyword being 'throw'. An angry person would throw not place. This example shows why motivation is important.
Coverage is also very important. Simon set up a scene in which two people were having a conversation. He split it into two parts: the meeting and the conversation. We started by thinking about how we could cover someone approaching another person before sitting down to chat. We had to think about where the camera was placed and what was going on in front of it. We spoke about moving the camera around the 180 degree arc and using depth of field to create different looks and feels. We also spoke about how the actor could approach and for how long to help build a tension. The main thing we learnt about this was that coverage was very important and it's best you get as much as you can. We also learnt that the way an actor does something can really help shape the meaning of it. And finally we learnt that the positioning of a camera can really affect the look and feel of something as simple as a two person conversation.
Finally we sat and watched a scene from a British film called Atonement (2007). We watched a scene which involved a conversation between two characters, however in the scene the most important part, in terms of visual storytelling, was a shot of the characters hands. After watching the scene we had a discussion about the directing aspects. This highlighted how many things a director has to think about to go from script to screen.
After watching the film we were set a task. We were given the script for the scene we watched and asked to go off in groups and take it in turns directing the scene. We had to think carefully about motivation and coverage, and about how we prepared everyone before shooting. In my group I had Saskia, Cheyenne & Laura. In my scene Robbie was played by Saskia and Cecilia was played by Laura. Cheyenne was my camera operator. I started off by setting up two chairs and placing a bin between them to act as a table. Next I took Saskia to her starting mark and explained to her what I wanted her to do. I gave her a motivation by telling her about the characters situation. I told her how long it has been since she has seen Cecilia and what she should think about when she sees her. I ended up treating it as tho Cecilia was her dog and she hadn't seen her for three years and she was unsure if her dog still loved her and so was nervous. Next I explained to Laura how she should be feeling. I used the same situation and told her to think about her nerves and how long it has been since she last saw Robbie. Using this motivation, I think the two both understood what I was looking for in terms of their emotions. Finally I explain to Cheyenne what I wanted the camera to do and how I wanted it to do it. We then blocked the scene out one last time and began shooting. Unfortunately, because I spent so much time talking to the actors I didn't have time to finish the scene, which also meant I didn't get a lot of coverage. However, when it came to editing I still had enough footage to create a varied piece. Here is the final cut:
Overall I enjoyed the workshop and learnt a great deal about the role of the director. I now have an idea of all the questions I need to answer before my shoot and of how important the director really is. I also learnt that although I am good at motivating the actors, I need to think carefully about timing and try focus more on getting the scene finished on time. It was a very fun project and it was nice to see how others direct their videos. I look forward to working with everyone again.
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