Since my 3rd year on this course I have
mostly focused on directing, I was asked to be a director on this module and so
I have decided to take this opportunity to research directing and in particular
directing actors. However on top of this I will also be researching western
films and styles that I wish to emulate in my scene from Bitter Little Twist. I
also feel it would be beneficial to research into the best ways a director can
work with a crew as this is also something I shall have to do on this module
and in the future.
One important piece of information I
noticed during my research that I felt was important to both directing actors
and to working with a crew was that it is very important to always keep the
film a relaxed and fun place to work whilst also focusing on the task at hand.
In the book Producing and Directing the
Short Film and Video the author says that.
“A
primary goal for a director is to create a supportive and creative environment
that is conducive to good work. The actors will be able to focus on their work
if the atmosphere created by the director and her crew is relaxed and
cooperative. If bickering and general chaos occur on the set, it will be
difficult for the actors to concentrate. “ (1)
As well as this advice being helpful for
working with any actors that are on set. I feel that this atmosphere would
immensely would relax and help any crew that you might be working with. Even
from a practical point of view, arguments can lead to time wasting that will
potentially rush a film later that could otherwise had more time to look
better.
As well as keeping the set a positive place
to work, I have found from my research that it is important to be careful how
you give an actor direction, as even accidentally implying that an actor is
doing something wrong can really hamper the actors ability to perform under a
perceived criticism. The topic is discussed in Directing Actors by Judith Weston:
“Telling
the actor what effect you want him to have on the audience is a perfect example
of directing by describing a result. Instructions of this ilk such as
"This scene should be funny," or "I need you to be more dangerous," or "Can you give him
an epic quality? Can make actor's heart sink. The director wants him
to do something different from what he is doing what can it be? from this point the actor-director relationship
dissolves into a guessing game, because the direction is so vague. The actor tries something is this it? Usually it never is, because the actor has begun to watch himself, to worry
about how he is doing, and what the performance looks like. It is death to an actor's gifts to put his
concentration on the effect he is having
on the audience...If you want the actors' help in evoking a particular
mood, you might try instead an imaginative adjustment. An adjustment can be an "as if." For example, if you
wanted a "chilly" atmosphere in a family dinner scene, you might ask the actors to
play the scene "as if the first
person who makes a mistake in table manners will be sentenced to a prison term.” (2)
Whilst also being careful about criticism
and directing actors, I must also be very careful to make sure my actor knows
the context of the scene they are performing in, this is emphasized in Film
Directing Fundamentals by
Nicholas T. Proferes. in the book it is stated that;
“Much of the time scenes are shot out of
sequence. Obviously the director must make sure the actors know where they just
came from (even if the scene hasn’t been shot yet) and what they expect and
what they want in the present scene.” (3)
Although not connected to Bitter Little
Twist, I have found that I often find myself needing child actors in the films
I intend to make. I therefore felt it was best to research directing child
actors and working with them in general as this could prove very important to
my career as a director. During my research of directing child actors, I found
a piece of advice in Producing and directing the short film and video that I felt would be very useful:
“With
all the variables to consider while casting children, an important one to
remember is this: cast the parents. Beware the backstage mom or dad who hovers
around and wants to be a part of the action. This is a warning sign. You want
the parent who drops off the kid and asks for a pickup time or is content to
wait in another room during the audition.” (4)
As well
as this advice the book also had an interesting piece of information on the
actual directing of the child actors:
“With a young child…your approach will depend
on whether you are directing one with little or no experience, or a
professional. Some children who have been acting since they were very young
understand how to relate to the camera and can take direction. Those who are
not as experienced will require a different approach. If you have cast a child
who is confident and motivated, the rehearsal period will have revealed if the
child can take direction, repeat a performance, and is not distracted by the
camera.” (5)
During my research I came across a scene
that I feel is very similar to what I hope to achieve in my interpretation of
Bitter Little Twist. The scene is From No Country for Old Men. It shares
several similarities to this scene from Bitter Little Twist as it is a scene
about set in the south of the USA and is a man and a woman talking about a dead
husband and money in a bedroom. Although my scene is different in that I the
power is with the woman and not the man as it is in No Country for Old Men. The
scene from no country for old men has close shots and fixed cameras during the
conversation that I hope to also use in my film.
As Bitter Little Twist features two
important moments in which a character is seen through a mirror, I felt it was
important to find some influence that could allow my mirror shots to be
creative uses of characters using mirrors. I feel that this short film Le Miroir Court Métrage is an inspirational piece of
work that holds similar styles to the piece that I am directing. The short film has some similarities to
Bitter Little Twist as it is a film that features a man staring directly at a
mirror with contemplation of his life in his eyes. Similarly both Bitter Little
Twist and Le Miroir Court Métrage both
use the mirror at the end to bring a much darker ending that what the audience
might expect.
In conclusion, through this research I have found a lot of
information that is relevant to my specialism of directing. I have learnt that
the balance between paying attention to the actor and crew is very important to
get right as not giving enough focus to an actor may cause them to lose
attention for the scene or begin to dislike working on the scene, likewise a
crew needs the attention of a director in order to bring together the crew to
get across not only a good piece of work but also one that is in keeping with
the directors intended style. As well as this I feel my research has found
scenes that will influence my directing when I direct Bitter Little Twist, in
particular I feel that the scene from No Country for Old Men is very similar to
how I want my scene to be filmed and acted. Finally I am happy that this
research gave me time to look into directing child actors, something that I
feel is very important to my future as a director.
(1) Rae W Peter and Irving K David (2010). Producing and
directing the short film . Amsterdam : Elsevier inc.. p82
(2) Judith Weston (1996). Directing Actors . Studio city, CA:
Michael Wiese Productions. p14-15.
(3)
Nicholas T Proferes (2013). Film
Directing Fundamentals . 3rd ed. Burlington: Focal Press. p130.
(4)
) Rae W Peter and Irving K David
(2010). Producing and directing the short film . Amsterdam : Elsevier
inc.. p112
(5) ) Rae W Peter and Irving K David (2010). Producing
and directing the short film . Amsterdam : Elsevier inc.. p113
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