Screen time is precious, so the scene must move the story forward and contain important character and plot information. That being said  in well written scripts the intent of the scene isn’t always obvious and always takes work to pull it from body language, whats not said, the scenes intent can and often does live in the subtext. This is the information you need to uncover with a directors script analysis. A focused process of exploring will lead to a better understand of what’s really going on, understanding this is the only way a director can make directorial decisions that will engage the viewer and breath life into the scene. It’s complex but it’s the kind of complexity that makes life and people interesting.

In order to know the intent of the scene you need to know why this scene is in the screen play.

Ask yourself:

• Does the audience learn something in this scene that answers a a question planted in an earlier scene?
• Is this foreshadowing something that only becomes significant later?
• What do we learn in this scene that essential to moving the story forward?

We don’t have the time a novel has to build  things at a relaxed pace, if the scene is in the movie it’s essential that the director understands how it moves the story forward. If it doesn’t move the story forward then it either needs to be cut or you need to figure out how you can direct it so it is essential.

To understand the intent of the scene you need consider:

• How dramatic situations and story information from previous scenes will interact with the activities, text (spoken word) and the subtext of the scene you’re working on now.
• How will the scene you’re shooting now set the stage and interact with later scenes.
• Each of the characters needs, wants and fears. This information can be obtained  from past scenes or by doing a character history.
• The culture in which the scene is set.

Imagine this scene.

A teenage couple are in the bedroom, they’ve been kissing and are heated up. They want to have sex. The young man goes to his dresser for a condom, but quickly realizes he doesn’t have one. Undeterred and thinking with his penis he continues his pursuit.

The young woman makes it clear – no condom, no sex. He tries every trick including guilt, charm and shame, but instead of being rewarded with her womanly warmth he’s slapped with a cold dose of “don’t be stupid.” Once her point is made, the young woman reveals a condom.

The young man is snapped out of the pursuit mode but can’t decide if he’s happy to have a condom or mad that she has one in her purse. He and his friends have always considered a girl carrying a condom to be a whore.

What has the audience has learned from prior scenes? 

During prior scenes the audience learns that this young woman lives in a culture of crime and government subsidy. She is surrounded by and is a result of  teenage pregnancy. The audience learns that young women who fall inline with their culture’s “street rules” learn that  young men are in power and the young women’s role is to please her man. Prior scenes have revealed real consequences for not fitting in. She lives in a society where her friends and her boyfriend consider women who carry condoms to be whores.

What will the audience will learn from upcoming scenes. 

The scenes immediately following will focus on creating empathy for a young woman struggling to be accepted by her family and friends while simultaneously working to develop her independence. Ultimately this main character will achieve great success despite her environment and because of her independence.

What’s the main intent of this scene?

The main intent of this scene is to set this young woman up as someone who values independence,  no matter the cost.

Your directing job is to engage the audience with the question: Will her independence bring her future happiness or sorrow?

You want the audience to feel with her and for her, but what specifically do you want them to feel?

• Is it important for her and the audience to feel desire?
• Is it important for her and the audience to feel fear that he will reject her?
• Do you want the audience to know she has the condom before he knows she has it?
• Do you want the audience to be as surprised as him when she pulls out the condom?
• How does the knowledge the audience has from prior scenes influence how you will shoot and edit this scene?

Remember, the main intent of this scene is to set this young woman up as someone who values independence, no matter the cost.

This is primarily the girl’s scene, but that doesn’t mean we don’t want to connect with the guy’s feelings. It’s actually very important for the audience to connect to his desire, the love in their relationship and the leverage he’s applying to her willpower. We want her decision to be difficult and we want the audience vicariously feel this weight and ultimately become invested in her and her quest for independence.

This scene can be shot many ways, but without doing some sort of  directors script analysis you won’t know how to cover the scene, so it enhances the scenes intent.  Focus on the wrong person, fail to capture the essence and the scenes intent will be be lost.  Loose the scenes intent and you loose the audience.

Leave a comment and let me know what you think. What moments seem most important to you and how would you cover them?

In this podcast were going to learn to think like a DP.

We’ll look what goes into critical thinking for a Director of Photography and how the DP digests information differently from other department heads.

If you’re goal is to take your film production to the next level the information contained in this podcast will set you up for success!

Anyone who’s been shooting or directing for any amount of time has experienced the person who in the early stages of planning describing a scene by saying  “what if”  followed by more fragmented information about something happening. This very information is what the Director of Photography must turn into a tangible shooting plan. One that can be efficiently executed and most importantly one that enhances the story. Lens choices, lighting design, actor blocking, composition and camera movement are all filters a DP must process this “what if” information through.

The most precious hours of any film project is when the camera is rolling, so the DP wants to have a clear plan for shoot day. Regardless of the size of your production having a DP that knows how to process preliminary information and turn it into specific actions will result in more time shooting, less time talking and better results. Sound like a good idea?

All writing, pre-visualization, shot list creation and other various preproduction is work ultimately done to give you more time to shoot.

Apply these professional techniques to your project and watch your films improve ten fold!

The systems I’ve presented and will continue to share in this and the next podcast are proven by generations of filmmakers. I feel fortunate to have learned them and I’m happy to share them with you. All I ask is that you in return share this post with a friend, who like you and I want to make their next movie even better then their last.

Free film school on Itunes

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The goal is to get the director “choosing the frame” and the crew set up for the first shot.

This podcast takes a hard look at a typical indie film production day. We examine the need for the producing team to simultaneously look ahead and make sure the resources for the afternoon, next day and the day after that are all in place. If your a producer or production manager and you’re not consistently asking “ what’s next”, “what have I missed”, “ are we on schedule”, “ does everybody have what they need”  then you’re probably not doing your job.

You’ve arrived at the shooting location and you have 12 hours to “make your day”  This is probably the most nerve racking hectic time for the producing team.  If you’ve done your pre-production work you’re off to a good start, everyone is parked  equipment is being offloaded, the director and DP are blocking shots and the first AC is building the camera package .You’re in a position to supervise and react to small changes.

If pre-production planning was weak then chaos will begin at the parking and arrival stage. This puts everyone in “reaction-mode” and crew will bombard you with problems from the very start. You’ve just arrived and your already behind schedule.

Logistics start with parking and managing the location.  The production/location manager has hopefully staked out parking for the grip and camera trucks close to the load-in door and the department heads already know where they can stage their equipment. Your planning and communication work is paying off  and you’re on schedule.

The goal is to get the director “choosing the frame” and blocking the first scene while the crew is getting everything ready for the first shot. With the right planning this stage can set the rhythm  for the rest of your day but if you start your day behind, stress will cripple the creative process and your film will suffer in the end.

Below is an over simplified outline of typical indie film production day with average task times listed with the corresponding task. These times are based on years of experience and are averages. Crew experience/size along with the scenes complexity will ultimately determine actual times.

A TYPICAL INDIE FILM PRODUCTION DAY

The figures below are based on at least a six person crew and a lighting package that can fit in a medium size van. However if you have a 3 ton lighting truck (this is a common size for indie films) you will need additional experienced crew members to handle the extra equipment and allow you hit the time figures I’ve outlined below. The goal is to keep  your crew and your equipment package  in balance with the complexity and size of your shots.

To learn more about this balance listen to our podcast and subscribe on itunes http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bestfilmmakerworkshops.com/id516168462

- Arrival, parking and settling into a new location (10 – 45 minutes) * Determined by pre-production plan.

- Equipment  offload (30 -45 minutes) * With experienced crew this can be happening while director and director of photography are blocking 1st shot.

- Camera building and rigging (30-60 minutes) * With experienced crew this can be happening while director and director of photography are blocking 1st shot.

- Master scene blocking  (30 -45 minutes)

- Lens choices, camera positioning, lighting and final tweaking for master shot ( 45- 60 minutes)

- Shooting master shot (15 – 60 minutes)

- Setting up for scene coverage (15 basic setups at 20min ) 15×20 = 300min (5 hours) * This average can easily go up for many reasons.

- Full camera turnarounds - 2x 45 min per = (90 minutes)

- Directing and shooting setups – 15 setups 10 min average = ( 2.5 hr) * This average will go up for directors who do a large number of takes.

- Dismantle pack and load equipment out – (45 – 90 min)

Depending on how much “performance directing” you do and how many blocking, lighting tweaks are needed this typical shooting day will “net” about 30 – 60 minutes of actual footage.  This figure may seem small it’s not. If you were to shoot 36 minutes of footage for a 3 minute scene you would be shooting at a 12:1 shooting ratio. I discussed shooting ratios in podcast # 9. To learn more about shooting ratios listen to podcast # 9 and subscribe on itunes http://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/bestfilmmakerworkshops.com/id516168462

Learn how this film started and follow the journey by subscribing to our youtube channel.

The focus of this podcast is to help you spend more time shooting quality performances.  If you’re goal is to take your film production to the next level the information contained in this podcast will be some of the most valuable you’ll ever receive. If you apply professional techniques to your project, you’ll get professional results. Add your own style to what I share here and watch your films improve ten fold!

To do this we need to break down the process, point out common mistakes and highlight opportunities. Regardless of your production size or budget the core production tasks will be the same. These tasks should be divided into 6 major categories known as departments.

1. The task of budgeting, scheduling, logistical coordination ( personnel, locations, resources)  are handled by the producing team.
2. Writing and all things related to creative decision-making  including what kind of shots and what kind of coverage is needed is the job of the director and assistant director.  The assistant director doesn’t necessarily have a creative say, but they help the director create his creative vision within the budget allotted
3. All things related to creating an image fall the shoulders of the camera department, led by the director of photography and including all things lighting and camera.
4. Creating and controlling the look of the physical space including color and physical objects is handled by the art department.
5. If your film needs sound this of course is handled by the sound department.
6. Everyone who appears in front of the camera is considered talent, regardless of whether they have any or not.

Producers – How much shooting time will your film need?

 To answer this you’ll need to do script breakdown which means even more questions.

1. How many locations are you shooting at?
2. How many pages are in the script?
3. How many  pages per location?
4. How many big setups, camera moves or action driven scenes thus pages are there?
5. How many pages of special effects?
6. What kind of shooting ratio are you planning?
7. How many pages per day are you planning to shoot.

Questions 1 – 6 need to be answered prior to answering question 7  “How many pages per day you are planning to shoot?”.

Shoot ratio for basic dialogue scenes.

1. If you shoot your entire film in only master shots and you do 4 takes for each your film has a ration of 4:1.
2. If you add over the shoulder shots of your 2 main characters for the full scene and do 2 takes for each person your shooting ratio is 8:1
3. If you ad close shots for each of these main characters for 1/2 of the scene and you do 2 takes your shooting ratio is 10:1
4. If you shoot reaction shots of other characters and various cutaways you could easily be shooting 11:1

The higher your shooting ratio the more time and money you’ll need to make your film.

Those of us who learned to shoot on film were motivated to keep out shooting ratio low because film stock and transfer cost were a huge part of a small budget. This practice forces the filmmaker to spend a significant amount of time pre-visualizing the film  and pre-editing the film on paper. Digital film makers also see the extra costs of high shooting ratios in increased set-up times, increased time allowed for takes, increased footage transferring, increased logging and edit times, not to mention hard drive costs and the physical fatigue that accompanies this style of shooting.

Most of us are not shooting film so don’t be stingy. Create a balanced, well thought out shot plan that leaves time to work out composition details and performance tweaks. Don’t be stingy just be smart.

Lets take a look at the 1st question.

How many locations are you shooting at?

This becomes a very important consideration because every time you move to a new location you have what they call a company move and every company move will take a considerable amount of time. Ideally a company move happens on a new day, so the crews driving time is not happening within a 12 hour production day. It’s almost inevitable that you will have to do some travel during the “production time” but try your best to schedule around it.

•  The most precious hours of any film project is when the camera is rolling. All previous preparation including, writing, pre-visualization, creating shot lists and all the other preproduction work is ultimately done to give you more time to shoot.  This only happens when the camera is rolling and when you’re not shooting mistakes, doing massive retakes or spending significant onset time making shot coverage choices.

Making a film means you’re creating something out of nothing. This means that somewhere in the process we need to make the abstract (ideas) into tangible results. This becomes a process and as with any process that’s repeated it becomes measurable. Those with experience (usually learned from others) have created systems, measure the results and continue to refine the process. This does’t mean we make movies by numbers, but it does mean if we want to take our productions to the next level we must understand what the numbers mean and how they apply to us. The more experienced we are the more we can seemingly bend reality, but more often then not the numbers ground us and regret tells us we should listen to experience.

The systems I’ve presented and will continue to share in this and the next podcast are proven by generations of filmmakers. I feel fortunate to have learned them and I’m happy to share them with you. All I ask is that you in return share this post with a friend, who like you and I want to make their next movie even better then their last.

I think it begins with two letters: M and E

Magic Wig Shoot for USGBC

Post-production begins the moment after you shoot your footage and need to offload the media to external hard drives. It begins with proper media management. No matter what camera you use, the media manager (sometimes called a digital loader or data manager – some productions might even call the position the DIT though their duties can be much more involved than that of the media manager) is an essential role on a digital video production shoot.

One may think it is a small task, but it is not. An entire day’s shoot can be rendered useless if proper care is not taken with the task of media management. A good media manager knows the tools of his – or her – trade and how to use them. A simple drag and drop simply won’t do. Verification with file size is easy, but it’s not the best way to ensure all the data has been successfully transferred. With tools such as ShotPut Pro, R3D Data Manager, and Al3xa Data Manager, it is possible to run checksums which will ensure no bytes have been swapped during transfer (this is why file size alone is not a good indicator of quality). Not to mention with some cameras, it is absolutely vital that the file structure has been maintained from camera to external hard disk, lest the video files become corrupted and can no longer be imported into the appropriate editing platform. And all this is to say nothing of quality control. A good media manager also knows how to check the files for quality control, so the DP will know if there is a dead pixel or a host of other issues that would be horrible to discover after principal photography is completed.

Some media managers will also act as assistant editors on set and transcode files right on set if deemed necessary. For instance, Canon DSLRs shoot H.264 footage. H.264 is an unacceptable editing codec for Final Cut Pro. If FCP is determined to be the editing platform for the editor, the files will need to be transcoded to ProRes. By doing this step on set, the media manager will save hours of extra work for the editor so they can get right down to what they do best: editing. Media managers not only manage the video footage, but the audio footage as well. So this is another way they can act as assistant editors and help speed up the post-production process: they can sync the daily footage.

Whatever your need is for the critical media manager role whether it’s just a backup or incorporates a few assistant editor tasks as well, I hope you’ll consider me for the position during your next project.

—

After graduating with a Computer Information Systems degree with a Film Studies minor from Cedar Crest College, Gaby Allen was introduced to proper media management by shadowing an experienced DIT during Love Orchard, a RED One feature where she volunteered her time as a PA. Since that feature, she has managed media from Canon DSLRs, the Arri Alexa, and even Sony cameras (such as the EX-3) on multiple shoots, both long and short form. You can reach her at gabyallen87@gmail.com or on Facebook at facebook.com/gabyallen87

Will the 16 hour trip be worth it?
Will his crappy brakes give out?
Can he get the money he needs?

But the big question is will Mikalos talk John & Chris into getting a prostitute?

After years of door-to-door fund raising and a sixteen hour trip to NYC producer Chris Nakis lands a big deal. The only problem is it looks like he’s been out leveraged. He’s first money in and last money out. Subscribe to our YouTube channel and follow this tow truck driver on his winding road to the Sundance Film Festival.  http://www.youtube.com/user/DigitalFilmFarm

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What makes up the “Producers Department”

• Why productions may have multiple producers.
• What items and actions is the line producer responsible for.
• What items and actions is the production manager responsible for.
• What items and actions is the production coordinator responsible for.

Every production has thousands of tasks that need completion. Many of these tasks need to be completed simultaneous and all of them require money and valuable resources. The producing team is the infrastructure behind the creative.

• We talk about how a script breakdown and an itemized budget work together to add predictability and accountability to the project.
• We discussed how department must work to communicate and coordinate the needs of the film within the budget constraints of the project.
• We also talk about the importance of having production assistants on your set and the need to balance them with experienced crew mentors because too much unskilled labor is as big or a bigger problem then having to little help.

Directors live to see their ideas come to life. What do you think producers and production managers live for?

Subscribe and rate uson itunes

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In this episode we meet After Image Producer/ Tow Truck Driver Chris Nakis as he goes door to door asking everyone to invest in his film.  Chris believes he can raise a million dollars, one hundred dollars at a time.He’s a man with a plan and he’s willing to do whatever it takes to make it happen.

We also drop in on Director, Bob Manganelli and co-producer John Cocca as they work form Chris’s AAA service station on what seems to be exciting deals with “producers” located in Hollywood. The producers claim to have access to some big name actors but the boys might be asking them to “put-up” or shut up.

Do you think Chris should sign the contract?

If you’re looking for more behind the scenes footage on After Image and our other filmmakers check out our Youtube page http://www.youtube.com/user/DigitalFilmFarm

Enjoy !

During this episode we discuss film budgets and how filmmakers can make a nickel work like a dollar by leveraging their script, talent and infrastructure into value.

I.  A No Budget Film ($1,000 – $5,000) 

II. A Guerrilla Budget Film ($5,000 – $20,000) 

III. A Low Budget Indie Film ($20,000 – $200,000)

IV. A Mid Budget Indie Film ($200,000 – 1 Million)

V. A Full Budget Indie Film (1 – 5 million)

The conversation really gets going when we talk about who gets paid and who doesn’t. You would  think that if one person was getting paid that everyone was, but this is rarely the case because everyone brings a different amount of value to the creation of the film.  This podcast is really about this exchange of value.

The producing and directing teams invest an incredible amount of energy into script writing, obtaining locations, negotiating deals and obtaining the hundreds of other items needed to shoot a film of any substance. Once put in place these items become the films “infrastructure”.  If  done correctly correctly the infrastructure has value and can be leveraged into attracting “talented” department heads. I use the word “talented” to mean they have more experience then you or any one else willing to work for what you’re will to pay (sometimes zero). These people have done what you’re doing, they know where some or most of the pitfalls are and how hard it is to coordinate a real production. Each of these talented individuals need you and your resources to do what ever it is they do because filmmaking is a collaborative art form. Everyone who’s done any amount of production knows how much more can be achieved and how much more fun the project is when it’s produced correctly. Once one or two talented members are added to your team others will definitely follow.

This dynamic is true regardless of the production budget. Even no-budget productions need someone to appear on screen and others to help with sound or lighting, wardrobe etc, etc. The question is what do you have to offer your cast & crew. Don’t over value what you have but at the same time don’t under value it either. Like beauty –  value is in the eyes of the beholder. A deal one person may scoff at another may see as just the opportunity they were looking for. Look at your production as a way you can help others and leverage your script and infrastructure into into opportunities for each of them. That is how filmmakers make every nickel work like a dollar.

I’d like to know your opinion on how and when to pay members of your production team.

I hope you enjoy the podcast and please leave a comment. Let us know how we can help you make your next film even better then the last!

During this episode John Romeo and John Holser look into ” The Film Production Machine”

The machine is made from a team of people who work departmentalized but ultimately come together to make a movie. We  look into the individual production departments and and briefly overview what each member of the team is responsible for.

We’ve made this particular podcast a brief overview of a full size film production team because even if you’re working on a mid, small or no-budget independent film you have many of the same tasks the bigger films have with far less people to complete them.

This workflow model is proven and customizing it is essential to growing as a filmmaker. We’ll follow this podcast up with a additional episodes that focus on exactly how to break this down.

I hope you enjoy the podcast and please leave a comment. Let us know how we can help you make your next film even better then the last!

While this episode doesn’t reveal what Bob said on stage, or what kind of reviews the critics gave the film. This episode does give you a look into being at Sundance.

I hope you’ll join Chris, Bob and the other filmmakers for this wild indie-film ride. Independent filmmaking like you’ve never seen it before !

Subscribe to Cameras & Credit Cards

During this episode John Romeo and John Holser work with the “Agent Script” and share insights to plotting as well as managing a scenes energy.

We  look into:

- The director’s responsibility as it pertains to tension, the release of information and where the audience lean-forward moments are anticipated.

- How each of the “moments” ultimately change depending on how the director chooses to shape the scenes arc.

- Why it’s important for a director to explore “opposite choices” for portraying a moment.

Click here to access and read along with the script we used for this exercise. http://digitalfilmfarmworkshops.com/agent-script/

I wanted to know:

• how actor, crew and funding deals were made
• what size crews were needed
• how many quality setups could a crew pull off in in a day
• how many shoot days were needed to make a quality feature film
• I wanted to learn how some filmmakers found success and why some did not.

So, I quit my job and embedded myself with eight independent filmmakers. Over a period of three years I shot 180 hours of behind the scenes video footage. I spent time with a successful underground filmmaker and learned about his secrets to making multiple films and developing a cult like following. I learned how a tow truck driver with an incredible threshold for pain was able to finish and bring his film to  Sundance. I followed a filmmaker into bankruptcy and numerous others into their personal process of filmmaking. I learned a lot and equally important I met a lot of people who were gracious enough to let me be apart of their journey.

I was originally going to edit the footage into a documentary, but after wresting with “story-thread” problems I later thought television episodes would be better. So, I continued to organize and edited the footage while simultaneously looking for distribution and funding, but it slowly became obvious that my subject matter was not going to appeal to a large enough audience. The distribution outlets weren’t interested. They all said they would look at it when it was done, but no one would provide funds for the months of post production needed to sculpt this footage into shape. It wash’t until the project sat on the shelf for a few years and a young man by the name of Hunter Dimin asked if he could intern with me as an editor that I gained new hope. It soon became obvious that with Hunter’s help and the advent of YouTube I could create webisodes. Yes, webisodes  would allow me to share these stories and hundreds of insider lessons with filmmakers (who like me)want to learn from and be inspired by other filmmakers.

Please enjoy and share the Camera’s & Credit Cards Trailer. If you have a thought, a gripe, or a word of encouragement please leave a comment.

Your interaction today becomes our energy to edit tomorrow!

Some of the things I really like:

• Opening compositions show contrast – Hands growing a plant in traffic, cabbage presented on a bridge
• They used a reverse time lapse technique symbolic of grow. (reverse meaning they shot with the plant full and then cut it back they then reverse the order during playback
• The producer let her present the name of the episode live. I love that she’s not totally sure if it’s a great idea but it’s her’s and she’s “ring with it”.
•  The fact that she’s cute, a little shy and a little quirky  make it all the more real “Whole Foods Real”
• The 8mm jumpy, washed out retro film look makes me think of the good old days in an organic hippie kind of a way.
• The colors are funky but her skin tones stay beautiful.
• They seem to have shot a lot of this with a DSLR. It has nice shallow depth of field, the image is soft as apposed to video edgy and the high ISO setting also for some nice available light to show up.

I like the entire Whole Foods web series, but this video stands out as an example of a fun, well executed corporate video. Yes, corporate. They want you to forget it but they are corporate. Who says corporate video has to be boring. Not me!

During this episode John Romeo and John Holser work with script analysis using the “Agent Script” from the actor’s point of view.

We  look into:

- How and actor explores a scene for insights and clues as to what’s happening behind the dialogue.

- What the character wants or what Sanford Meisner calls it the “Super Objective”.

- We explain how the “as if” approach to working with dialogue  adds life beyond the words.

- How a lead actor must understand the characters arc and how a scene fits into that arc.

- How the filmmaker must make the actors thoughts visible.

Click here to access and read along with the script we used for this exercise. http://digitalfilmfarmworkshops.com/agent-script/

What is the difference between a super objective and a scene objective?

Answer

The super objective is what the character wants out of life. The scene objective is what the character wants from the scene or the other character. In most cases this will be what the character wants the other character to do.

A character’s objective may simply be “I want him to leave the room,”  or “I want him to kiss me.”

The most playable objectives have both a physical and an emotional component. In the case of “ wanting him to leave the room” the physical element is leaving the room or physically staying. The emotional element is the character is happy or sad he’s gone.

These objectives are fueled with actions, meaning if you want someone to leave you could <em>ask</em> them or you could <em>demand</em> they leave. Committing to an action or as Paul Newman puts it “action verbs” charges the scene with emotion and risk. These are the things that bring a scene to life.

I was exposed to the Meisner Method from Keith Eagle, a  Neighborhood Playhouse graduate and 1st generation student of Meisner. Keith was a demanding instructor and has a tremendous passion for the craft. I studied with Keith for over five years, three of which I became his teaching assistant and ultimately co-teacher for the on-camera workshops. I feel incredibly fortunate to have had this experience. I haven’t followed  Sydney Pollack’s path to Hollywood, but I have developed a solid reputation and been hired as an acting coach and director for independent films, training videos and many TV spots.

Here is a clip of Sydney Pollack describing how he entered Hollywood as an acting coach and later became one of the most respected directors ever. His Filmography includes: Out of Africa, Tootsie, The Way We Were, Electric Horseman, Absence of Malice and many more. This video begins with a photo tribute to Sydney and the actual interview starts at 1:16. If you’re interested in learning more about the Meisner approach to acting check out one of my acting workshops here.

Check more info on “The Meisner Method”  and my  Actors Workshops here.

We  explore:

- How the camera will be used to convey SUBTEXT.

-  The scene’s DRAMATIC  INTENT.

-  The scene’s SCRIPT BEATS.

-  The emotional and physical POINTS OF ACTION.

- Which character is in CONTROL and if and when it changes.

- Is there a character change, and if so, where and with whom?

Click here to access and read along with the script we used for this exercise. http://digitalfilmfarmworkshops.com/agent-script/

Check out this NAB video by – AbelCineTec

http://youtu.be/wT7gqHfBbAc

Once you have a solid grasp of the scene, you are more likely to be flexible with change, as long as the change doesn’t alter the intent of the scene or the character. Without solid understanding an important story point could be easily dropped. Some directors are so insecure in their understanding of the scene that they protect every line. Rigidly refusing to let even organic change to take place. Trying to control too much will suck the life from your scene. Understanding the intent of your scene will keep things fresh and anchored in truth.

Ten scene questions to help director’s direct.

1. What are the MAIN POINTS to get across to the audience? These are possibly answers to previous questions, new questions and points to keep the audience engaged.
2. What is the scene’s DRAMATIC  INTENT and why is it important to the screen play?
3. Where do the PLOT POINTS exist within the scene and how do they move the story forward?
4. What are the SCRIPT BEATS and how does the story change direction here?
5. What lines of dialogue contain STORY POINTS?
6. What are the emotional and physical POINTS OF ACTION?
7. Which character is in CONTROL of the scene?
8. Is there a character change, and if so, where and with whom?
9. Where is the scene’s turning point or resolution?
10. How does the scene what’s the CONCLUSION?

Here are 10 questions to help you find direction:

1. What are the MAIN POINTS to get across to the audience? These are possibly answers to previous questions, new questions and points to keep the audience engaged.
2. What is the scene’s DRAMATIC  INTENT, why is it important to the screen play?
3. Where do the PLOT POINTS exist within the scene and how do they move the story forward?
4. What are the SCRIPT BEATS and how does the story change direction here?
5. What lines of dialogue contain STORY POINTS?
6. What are the emotional and physical POINTS OF ACTION?
7. Which character is in CONTROL of the scene?
8. Is there a character change, and if so, where and with whom?
9. Where is the scene’s TURNING POINT or resolution?
10. How does the scene end and what’s the CONCLUSION?

Once you have a solid grasp of the scene you are more likely to be flexible with people who want to change dialogue. As long as a change doesn’t alter the intent of the scene or the character, this flex is ok. Without a solid understanding an important point could be easily dropped. Some directors are so insecure in their understanding of the scene that they protect these points by rigidly refusing to let bits of organic change take place. Too much control sucks all the life from a scene. Proper flexibility will keep things fresh and anchored in truth.

Check out the podcast episode where we go over these questions and analyze a scene in real time as we prepare to block. Podcast

During this episode John Holser answered a question from Jeff Burns about shooting with the Cannon 7D, 5D and syncing sound with the H4N Zoom. John Holser described workflows and practices to help with syncing sound to DSLR footage as well as describing the pros and cons to shooting with these cameras and their recording formats.  The podcast feed is available through iTunes, so sign up and stay in touch. Thank you for stopping by. We really do appreciate your support.

Links

http://www.singularsoftware.com/pluraleyes.html

PluralEyes® works with your favorite video editing tool to instantly sync all of your multi-camera video and audio tracks – eliminating complicated camera set-ups, time code, and hours of tedious manual syncing. Save time and money, reduce frustration, and free yourself to focus on the creative editing process.

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Questions from:

Jeff Burns - http://superknockedup.com/

Jessica James is the most kick-ass super-villain on the planet. But… she just got knocked up by Michael Masters – a womanizing superhero. Yikes!

http://youtu.be/fj2RJCXg8EY

Arri Lights 300, 650 - Interview setup

Regardless of whether you’re shooting a scene for your short film, capturing interior footage for a documentary, or conducting a corporate interview, location lighting can be both challenging and rewarding. It’s a rare occasion when you can point a light directly at someone and have it look good. One of the most important aspects of location lighting is to make the scene look natural—unless, of course, you are doing a sci-fi piece. The process I’ve outlined is a guide for independent, corporate, and documentary filmmakers working on a small or nonexistent budget. It will take the mystery and guesswork out of the process, allowing you to work faster and achieve better results.

As you’ll see, the evaluation steps are the same . The main difference will be the design of your final lighting plan. Bigger budgets will afford you more options but not always better results. I’ll be working hard to balance the technical side with plain language, real obstacles, and real solutions. I’ll provide links to other posts where information that is more technical is available. I’ll also be creating more posts and videos on the subject.

Overexposed kitchen - Canon 7d

Let me take a moment to acknowledge that exposure is a science and an art. What some people find acceptable and even artistic, others deem unacceptable. If the subject or objects are too bright or too dark, you won’t be able to see detail, which usually is not what you want. I’ve worked for cinematographers who even say it’s wrong to compose a shot with a large window overexposed. My feeling is that it depends on the objective of your shot. Perhaps your objective is to create a sense of vulnerability, as though there is nowhere to escape. If so, you could create a scene of a blazingly hot summer day with a main character who can’t escape the heat or the inner demons he’s hiding from. With this objective, you design a shot sequence that stays within the high end of the exposure range—meaning there are virtually no shadows, no shade, and nowhere to hide. Your main character comes in from the street; both he and the audience hope for relief, but instead, he enters a sunlit room with a large window so overexposed that it’s white. He can’t escape! The window is not properly exposed, but it creates tension and thus serves a purpose. At some point, you could cut away, have him pull the curtain, or enter a side room exposed on the middle or lower end of the exposure range. This would allow him to escape and relieves the tension created by the previous sequence.

Underexposed Kitchen - Canon 7d

This knowledge is necessary for the one shooting, but even directors and producers will benefit from a basic understanding of the tools and skills needed to control windows and practicals.  Window light is free; so learning to control levels and color temperature will save you time and money.

Evaluate the “Story Needs” of Your Shot

 You’ll need to determine how much of the environment is needed to tell your story. This will determine how wide your widest shot needs to be. This is a directorial decision that I’m not going to get into here, except to say that if the environment is an important character, or gives us specific insight, it should be worked in. How you work this in will have a huge impact on your lighting plan. Let’s say you have a man walking into a room to talk with his wife.

Video Lighting Entrance

How much of that room do we need to see? Do you need to have a shot wide enough to cover the entire walk in a full shot ? Depending on many other factors, including how stylized you want the shot to be, the setup may take longer than your available time or may simply be impossible with the lighting package at your disposal. In such a case, you could get creative and find a solution in the way you frame your shot. By framing something large in the foreground or shooting through a doorway, you’ll be able to minimize the width of the shot while still showing the man’s entrance, as well as the room. You would be staging your actors deep and shooting coverage of mostly medium shots. This solution would provide you with the opportunity to show only parts of the room, rather than the entire area. This would also give you more opportunity to hide lights and to crop out problem areas.

 If you’re shooting a sit-down interview, ask yourself how important it is to see this environment. Is it just background? If this were an artist surrounded by his or her paintings, a wide shot would be ideal—but beware; depending on the space, lighting an interview-wide shot with style means lighting the room, the objects, and the subjects. Conversely, if the location has little or nothing to do with what the interview is about, the close-up shot is fine. It’s the person and what he or she is emoting that are important. Shooting close-ups requires fewer lighting instruments and makes your lighting job a whole lot easier.

 Evaluate Existing Practicals and Windows

A large room soaks up a lot of light, so windows and practicals such as ceiling lights can be your best friend. If the furniture, curtains, or walls are dark, you will need multiple large lighting instruments to bring the light level up to an acceptable exposure.

 One of the most important decisions you’ll need to make is how you will use these existing light sources. Do you have aesthetic or practical reasons for incorporating a window in the shot? Will you incorporate existing ceiling lights, table and floor lamps, or other practicals into the frame while shooting?

Measure the brightest and darkest areas in the room. You can measure the light with a light meter, a calibrated monitor, a waveform monitor, or your camera’s viewfinder. Don’t worry about this right now. For now, it’s enough to know that light is measured. If you plan to do this alot, I strongly suggest that you learn to read with a light meter. It will save you time! I deal with reading a light meter in workshops, and I’ll eventually create a video. For now, it’s enough to know that cameras deal with f-stops, and if the f-stop of your dark areas and bright areas are too far apart, your exposure range is too wide, and many shots will be either underexposed and black or overexposed and white.

The window reads f-32 on a sunny day, and the shadow areas read f-2; that’s an exposure ratio of 8:1. The bright areas are 128 times brighter than the darkest areas and too wide to be within the acceptable exposure range of our camera. The exposure range refers to the range of light levels from brightest to darkest that our camera can capture, while maintaining texture details in the areas we want to see. This range has also been referred to as zones; most notably by photographer Ansel Adams. As a director of photography, or gaffer, you’ll need to be able to read these measuring tools and evaluate your lighting options. The alternative is a whole lot of trial and error, which takes precious time away from shooting and usually leads to inferior results.

What you’re looking to accomplish, in its simplest form, is to narrow the exposure range so that the highest and lowest light level readings are no farther apart than what your camera can handle, usually no higher than a 4:1 ratio; everything else is art and at your discretion.

Evaluate Your Tools and Your Crew

No-budget and low-budget film-making is not only about being creative, going guerrilla, or thinking out-of-the-box. It’s also about recognizing that there are limitations to what you and your crew can accomplish. Working with friends and volunteers can be fun for your first couple of productions, but when “been there and done that” gets old, your expectations will rise, and you’ll want to spend more time shooting quality footage and less time solving lighting problems. This is where the gaffer and grip come in. With very little direction, a skilled gaffer and grip team can quickly rough in a lighting plan and solve basic lighting problems while you concentrate on performance. If you haven’t been on a set with this level of skill, I recommend talking to a director who has had the pleasure of this kind of crew support. You’ll be surprised at how much more you can accomplish.

Here are some of the questions you should ask yourself before you start shooting:

                                                                                                   How “deep” is your grip and electric department?

JH & Film Crew

Deep is the term the industry uses for how many people there are within the department. Are you a “no-budget indie”?  Are you the person who is going to be both the gaffer and the grip, or are you a “low-budget indie” with a gaffer, best boy, and a key grip with a department production assistant? I know that a handful of you are thinking this sounds more like a big-budget film, but it really isn’t. I’ve worked as a gaffer and grip on many low-budget independent films that have been at least two deep in each department. This was just enough personnel,with a reasonable amount of locations and equipment—although not enough on the jobs with plenty of equipment and an overambitious director.

How many setups do you need to do per day?

flags, nets and lights

Making good decisions about what is reasonable comes with experience. I’ll be posting more on this, but I urge you to overestimate how much you’re planning to do, and do it well. You’ll have a better movie, and your crew will be more likely to help you again. At some point, you’re doing a disservice to the crew, your movie, and the independent film-making industry by underestimating the job requirements and continually asking crew to work 14 to 16 hours. It’s not safe, and it’s not sustainable. Learn from your mistakes, and make the necessary changes. See my post on working with experienced and inexperienced crew.

Do you have the right amount of grip and lighting gear for the setups?

Without going into detail on how to match this up, the basic idea is that you don’t want a full lighting truck and only two crew members to set up, adjust, break down, and carry the equipment back to the truck. It also doesn’t make sense to have a large department if you have three lights. If you’ve done the location scouting, you know what your challenges are. You need enough gear to tackle your most complicated lighting setup. This can be predetermined with basic lighting and light-meter reading knowledge. Will you need gels or screens to control or color the light coming through the windows? Do you have stands and flags to help you control light? Do you have a bead board or foam core to help you bounce light, or diffusion to help you soften light? How about a ladder, sand bags, or apple boxes? These are just a few of the things, that combined with people who know how to use them, will help you create a beautiful scene.

What is the lighting plan?

You’ve had the opportunity to evaluate the needs of your shot, physical characteristics of the location, existing practicals and windows, lighting gear and the ability of your crew. It’s time to create a lighting plan and for our purposes, we’ll assume that this is a no-budget film or documentary style shoot and that you have one person working as the gaffer and the grip.

In our example, our brightest area is f32, which is 128 times brighter than our darkest area; an f2.  This yields an exposure ratio of an 8:1 light ratio. This means that if we expose our subject using the brightest area, a large portion of the shot will be extremely dark; conversely, if we expose our person at the levels based on the darkest area, the shot will be too bright and the window will be severely overexposed. We’re working with a small lighting package and don’t have the time to gel the windows neatly enough for the gel to look like it’s the windowpane; thus, we need to exclude the window from the shot.

                                                                               What can we do?

ND gel on window

We can tape a full orange (full CTO) as well as a neutral density gel (ND9) over the window, not worrying about hiding it. This is a quick fix, but as the gels will be draped over the window, we’ll be unable to frame a wide shot that includes the window. This will reduce the light by four stops (F11) and change the light color from daylight to tungsten, more closely matching the lights in our kit. We’re now working with a 5:1 lighting ratio. Next, we’ll place some white foam core on the floor, letting the window light reflect off it. We’ll turn on our existing practicals and aim our largest light at the white ceiling. With our base exposure range up from an F2 to an F 2.8, our ratio is reduced to 4:1. This is larger than we want, but it’s at a level that our light kit can work at.  At this level, we can accent the back wall, diffuse the key light, and create a bounced edge. The area the actors are in is large enough to fit three characters, staged deep instead of wide, and reads an f4, f5.6, and f8 within the area of motion. This puts the exposure for our actors right in the middle of our exposure range. The trick in this situation was framing our shot to contain the action, but not the window, by staging the actors deep. We also recognized that we had a small crew and very few lights, so we worked with the window light coming into the room and adapted our setup to work with the lights we had.

If you want to become better at lighting, pay attention to the lighting around you and the way it changes throughout the day. Begin to notice whether the light in the room makes you feel gloomy or happy. Create a frame in your mind or with your hands, and note the bright spots and shadow areas. Pay attention to people’s faces and the way they look next to windows, next to table lamps, under overhead fluorescent lights and in the numerous other scenarios that exist. Find reality lighting designs that you’ll want to replicate or be influenced by. Keep in mind however, that the human eye has a larger exposure range than a photographed image has. Humans can deal with a 10:1 exposure ratio; most cameras cannot.

It’s possible to light with purpose. But like everything else it starts with intention.

Join the forum discussion on this post

I believe filmmaking is a team sport, so I’m assuming you are working with a small or large crew. On the best productions crew members have a copy of the the day’s shooting script and accompanying shot-list. This list will be used by department heads to determine what they need to prepare and when it will be seen in the shot. They know this because everyone uses the same language. There are some variations but the terms are easy to understand and cross over easily.

cinema close shot

Cinema medium shot

Tim Wuolle

Broadcast Media Professional-Available for Freelance

Phoenix, Arizona Area 

Broadcast Media

I was approached to do freelance work on a government project. They want me to shoot and edit using all of my own equipment. I’m using wireless mics, lights, Sony NX5U HD cam, and FCP to edit on my mac. They want me to give them an hourly rate plus a day rate. There is also travel involved( flight).  I want to charge the going rate. Also, what travel expenses should be included? Any help would be great. Thanks!

Tim Wilson • There’s only one way to figure out what to charge: figure out how much your services cost to provide, and charge more than that.

“The going rate” has nothing to do with it. Neither does your level of experience or the kind of client. If you can’t make more than you spend then change your expenses, change your rate, or find another job.

I hate to sound harsh, but the only way for any business to survive is to make more than you spend.

Some thoughts:

1) If you’re a freelancer getting paid hourly, you’ll never get paid for every hour. Standing in line at the bank, writing invoices, cleaning your desk, talking on the phone, etc. – you’ll be lucky to actually bill half the hours in a week.

2) This is why I agree that half-day rates are more trouble than they’re worth. Besides, once you count up winding down what you’re working on, loading your stuff in the car, setting up, tearing down, traveling back — your half day shoot is 2 hours MAX. If the client expects a 4-hour shoot to equal half a day, that’s nuts. It costs you more like six hours, even if you’re just driving across town.

3) On to the real math. Count up your actual costs for everything – work-related car expenses, liability insurance, consumables (disks, tapes, light bulbs, etc.), phone bills, electricity…

…and then food, health insurance, life insurance, your car, your house, your kids, TV, movies, clothes.

Now, take all of that, and divide it by 20 hrs/wk, which is the number of hours that you should assume to be safe.

Let’s get THEORETICAL. If it costs $50,000 to do all that, and you want to work 50 wks/yr, you need $1000/wk to meet my target. 1000/20 hrs = $50/hr. To break even.

Now add up how often you want to refresh your gear. A new computer every x years, new software, new chair, whatever. That’s another $5-10/hr.

Oops, taxes. If you need $60/hr just to cover your expenses, you need to add another 25-30% to cover your nut – you’re now looking at $75-80/hr.

Want to put anything in savings? IRA? Better to start when you’re young. If you want to set aside 10% of your income, you’re now looking $80-90/hr in the face.

That’s why I say that experience, client, the going rate mean nothing. At the end of the day, no matter what your career, your actual job is making more than you spend.

Now, if you’re in a position where the going rate is a hard ceiling…and it might be…do all of that math in reverse. Can you make a living at the going rate? It’s easy math.

On to the specifics of the original question: government work is tough to budget for. My primary clients as a producer were NOAA, Everglades National Park, and EPA. I charged them differently for a long-term contract than I did the state police for a one-off.

I had a colleague who was a civilian contractor for DoD – he made as much for one job as I made in a year. If either of us had pitched the other’s client with the rates we’d originally charged our own clients, we’d both have been laughed out of the room.

If you can’t ask the budget up front, or it’s one of those “you tell ME the budget, and I’ll get the money allocated” kind of deals, then do the math I talked about earlier in this post. If the job is rock-solid for more than 20 hrs/week, adjust accordingly.

In any case, it’s your job to figure out how much it costs you to stay in business. Charge more than that.

—-http://www.linkedin.com/groupItem?view=&gid=36719&type=member&item=62976223&commentID=-1#lastComment

To see  more production setups and final product click here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GGd7sPqg6PA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGbj93qNXgg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ2uXeNCgFM

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biFn9qko734

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZHdIqIboQB0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9pY2Z5Sv98 

Creating new videos for the front page of this site seems to be a no-brainer. Right? I wish!! Like everyone else with design and content questions, I need to weigh the benefits and costs. I need to decide who is my target market, what emotions should I evoke and how much product information will satisfy their left-brain enough to make the ever important next mouse click. I’ve seen far too many cookie cutter designs that range from very adequate to down right terrible. Most of these are crammed with information and fail to capture the personality of the business or featured product. I’ve created quality videos so my clients know that I know the difference. Creating this kind of will takes many hours; hours I’m not able to bill a client for.  So, after a little internal kicking and some internal whining,  I have decided (at least for now) to create three new videos. I have a lot of footage to log, edit, re-edit, and re-edit (see screen capture) without any guaranteed success. This will take three to five weeks and will either come at a cost of turning away work or hiring temporary help. Allocating this much unbillable time is very difficult. But it is time I practice what I preach and put my best foot forward. I know I’ll be happy in the end. Here we go!!! I’ll keep you in the loop. Oh, and thanks to my wife who said, “You’re worth it. It’s the foundation of your business. Now get to work.”

With new skills in hand I went to market, thinking I would surely set the world on fire and while I found many exciting projects and opportunities, I found even more situations that required me to compromise. These compromises never forced me to put out crap, but I did do my share of polishing and had numerous periods of creative boredom. Thankfully, during this boredom I learned to find creativity in efficiencies, workflows and client relations.

I decided to start this blog and share these experiences as a way for me to once again fire up the “student” passion I have for this business.

I have never stopped learning but as I integrate teaching into my work life I find myself inspired to sharpen my skills and strengthen some underused creative muscles. If you are reading these words, please know I appreciate that your are a part of this “writer/reader” equation and ask for any feedback, criticism, encouragement or general subject banter you would be kind enough to reciprocate.

Veteran actors will know how to make playable choices. This leaves the director with the job of determining if these choices support the character’s spine and arch of the scene as he the director sees it. Novice actors may not know how to make playable choices, thus the director’s job will require more energy as he helps the actor uncover possible choices for themselves.

During this process you are looking for choices that are objective, playable and that engage the actor’s subconscious. Inspired by the script they are secrets, gateways into the subconscious world. This choice must be so simple, so compelling and so present that the actor need not step out of the moment to find it.

The best way to derive playable choices is to ask questions.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fa7BtUiZ79Y

I was exposed to the Meisner Method by Keith Eagle, a Neighborhood Playhouse graduate and 1st generation student of Meisner. Keith was a demanding instructor and has a tremendous passion for the craft. I studied with Keith for over five years. I became his teaching assistant during three of those years and ultimately co-teacher for the on-camera workshops. I feel incredibly fortunate to have had this experience. I haven’t followed  Sydney Pollack’s path to Hollywood, but I have developed a solid reputation and have been hired as an acting coach and director for independent films, training videos and many TV spots.

Here is a clip of Sydney Pollack describing how he entered Hollywood as an acting coach and later became one of the most respected directors ever. His filmography includes: Out of Africa, Tootsie, The Way We Were, Electric Horseman, Absence of Malice and many more.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xV34RIrAvW4

What is the difference between a super objective and a scene objective?

Answer:

The super objective is what the character wants out of life. The scene objective is what the character wants from the scene or the other character. In most cases this will be what the character wants the other character to do.

A character’s objective may simply be “I want him to leave the room,”  or “I want him to kiss me.”

The most playable objectives have both a physical and an emotional component. In the case of “ wanting him to leave the room”,  the physical element is leaving the room or physically staying. The emotional element is the character is happy or sad he’s gone.

These objectives are fueled with actions; meaning that if you want someone to leave you could ask them or you could demand they leave. Committing to an action (or as Paul Newman puts it, “action verbs”) charges the scene with emotion and risk. These are the things that bring a scene to life.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zNuFSrsYfpM

How do I create a structure that makes a performance repeatable while preserving “moment by moment” emotional truth?

Answer:

Develop tools and work with actors to confirm or uncover meaningful, energetic choices that support the emotional life of their characters.

Directors often set out with the desire to learn the “actors language” but often adopt “director jargon” leaving them with very limited and misguided communication tools. Human behavior cannot be reduced to jargon.  It is a language we must understand and speak with confidence.

In the late 1890’s Constantine Stanislavski charged that the established training and directing methods prepared actors to stereotype and “pose.” He claimed this did not represent human behavior. He believed, and many others later confirmed, that if an actor commits to a character’s spine and a playable choice rather then a particular voice inflection or “line-timed facial gesture” the actor’s performance, and ultimately the movie, would be better. Sanford Meisner put it this way “Acting is the ability to live truthfully under the given imaginary circumstances.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wSCUx9Tnb_A