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It’s all about the “little” things!
In This Chapter
The Power of Subtlety and Nuance
Quite a few years ago, when I was working as a new director for a large company, I was given a challenging project that included a significant budget. It was a program on the subject of quality that was to be shown to thousands of employees. Since the development and production schedule were tight, while I concentrated on shooting the program host and primary material, I hired a videographer to travel to various company locations and shoot B-roll footage for me. I hadn’t worked with this person before, but he came highly recommended by a good friend.
To be sure I was perfectly clear with him about what I wanted, including the types of focal lengths and angles I preferred, I created a fairly detailed shot list, complete with a few simple drawings, and we sat down to discuss it over coffee. He seemed comfortable with what I was after, and very professional. Though he was displaying all the right signals, I was somewhat anxious, simply because I knew how important the program was, and to some degree I was relinquishing directorial control to a stranger.
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A few days later, when I had a chance to look at the footage he had shot, I noticed something immediately. For some reason it looked better than most of the B-roll footage I was used to getting from other camera operators. At first I wasn’t sure exactly what it was about the footage that made it look so pleasing and professional. But soon I began to notice subtleties. First, I realized he had shot a good deal of footage (in this case mostly trucks moving on highways and airplanes taking off, landing and taxiing on runways) using long focal lengths. While most operators I knew would almost certainly have gotten in as close as possible to the subjects, he chose to shoot some of the footage from a distance, while keeping a tight, steady frame. This had the effect of “squashing” the foreground and background, giving the overall image a pleasing, almost film look which, in those days was the Holy Grail for those of us in video production. I also noticed that some of the angles he had chosen were not typical. Some were low—at ground level, and others were high. He had also shot some segments with the camera slightly tilted as possible alternates of the shots I had asked for. So when the trucks and planes moved past, toward and away from the camera, as observers we were either looking up at them or slightly down, and at times slightly off kilter—again, resulting in fresh, interesting perspectives. It occurred to me that the combination of these subtleties made for some very nice-looking footage that added a noticeably professional look to my program.
Another experience shortly after this reinforced my belief that subtle techniques could have a significant effect. In this case, it was a seasoned, highly respected director I had the good fortune of working with. Watching him audition, cast, set up and direct a series of short vignettes became a wonderfully instructional experience for me.
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One thing I noticed quickly was that he always seemed calm and courteous. Though at times I knew there were significant pressures on him—in one case an extreme time crunch—you would never have known it. I watched him converse comfortably with his videographer, crew and actors and move with a kind of subtle command through each scene. As I watched him work, I realized that when directing, I was not often so composed. I also noticed that he worked with actors in a subtly understated and collaborative way instead of being “dictatorial” (as I often was in those early days). In one case, when I could see that he was not getting the performance he wanted from an actor, he approached her and said, “I’m not really sure about this one, Anna. I guess we need to both feel clear on what we’re after. How do you see this interaction?” He and the actor then had a discussion about the motivation driving the scene and this led to a suggested change in how the actor delivered it. Instead of playing it “big,” the actor toned down her delivery and I could see this version was much more to the director’s liking—and a more sincere, credible performance. After a rehearsal in front of the camera the director smiled and said, “Great! I think that’s it. You good with it?”
“It feels right on,” the actor said, beaming with satisfaction.
“Good. Then let’s get this one on tape.”
BREAKOUT 1.1 “THE EXCITABLE DIRECTOR”
I taught a producing and directing workshop for a number of years and was privileged to work with talented students from all over the world. In our week-long classes, each of my students would get a two-page script to direct. We had an excellent group of actors in residence, good equipment and plenty of crew members (the other students in the class).
I remember one young man in particular with an excitable personality. Prior to his turn, we discussed his scene, how and why he had cast and blocked it as he had, what kind of performance he was after and any questions he might have had. I noticed as we talked that he was dying to show his stuff, and when he finally did start directing, he was nearly manic with excitement. He hurried from one spot to another, instructing the camera operator, prepping the actor, discussing sound with the boom operator, eyeballing his master shot and just generally landing all over the set in a kind of whirlwind of positive movement.
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Though his energy was upbeat and confident, I could see it was irritating a few of the other crew members—and the actor. As the crew began working on some lighting adjustments, I quietly pulled him aside and said, “Everything looks good. How are you feeling about the scene?”
“Great!” he said. “It’s going to be Dynamite!”
“Good,” I said, “But do me a favor and remember something. One of your jobs as a director is to set the tone and pace. Everything you do and say emanates to the crew and your actor, and I think you may want to show them a bit more of a composed temperament. We can all see you’re pumped and very positive about the scene, and that’s great. But try bringing the excitement down a notch. I think it will pay off for you in terms of the actor’s focus and performance and gaining the respect of the crew.”
He took my advice and the crew and actor followed suit. The scene played well and although I could see that he was close to bursting at the seams with pride, he projected a composed, professional tone and earned a good deal of respect from the group.
THE POWER OF SUBTLETY AND NUANCE
Over a period of quite a few years and hundreds of experiences like these, I’ve become more and more attuned to the idea that these kinds of subtle nuances can have a great impact on a writer’s, director’s or producer’s work. I’ve also noticed that as powerful as they may be, these subtleties usually have a few interesting characteristics. In many cases, they are simple techniques instead of what some might expect to be creative “rocket science,” and they are often overlooked. I believe this is at least partly due to the fact that the production process, especially for those new to the field, is often glamorized, with a good deal of attention focused on the technical and hardware aspects of the business. For many newcomers it’s all about the cameras, the lights, the dollies or Steadicams. It’s about shooting on location where passers-by stop to look for celebrities and ask if it’s a commercial or a sitcom you’re working on. Or it’s about some new special effect in postproduction that’s “Really, incredible, man!”
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Those who decide to make writing, directing or producing a career and who invest a good deal of time and elbow grease into that aspiration, find that the real “magic” comes not through flash or technical wizardry, but as a product of plain old hard work and the less-than-glamorous skill sets we will explore in this book.
And with that, let’s get to it.