-----..

18.2
Movingfrom Script
toScreen
Now111a lyoukno,,, .he basic.\ of diTeCling. indudingscripl
formals and how(0 mark Ihem, you need 10 Ie-am how
10 tra nslalc t he wordsofIhe S(" ript int o effect ive pi ctures
and sound. This 1(3n51al ioo process is <:ailed l' iSll a/i%a-
l ioll--se1: ing the script in pict ures and hea rill!; the ac-
companying Yes, Y;5IIQ /iulliol j refers not onl y to
thementalimagingofpi ctures!Jut alsoofsound.Thereis
nosure-fi rerormula(orIhistransl;J li onprocess;il requi res
a cerl ain amoun t of;magin' llion and artisti c SE' nSil ivil ),
andlOISofpractice.Thebeslway\0 pr;1('t ice lO(;lTeflllly
observe theeventsaround you- how people lx?have ill a
dassroomorareSIOluran! ornoabusoran air pl anc-.md
ment allynotewhatmakesone("ven!sodi fferent from the
ol hers. When you re;l(1a desuiption ofsome happening
in a newspaper, Il\;l ga'l ine, or novel, II)'10 visuali u it as
screenimagesandsound.
This section will help yo u with theSe visualila tinn
processes-the trJ nslari Otl of the various script formalS
in10 pictureandsoundimagoandsequences.
.... VISUALIZATION ANO SEQUENClN(j
FormulOlmg fMpt<KeU mtd.um feqtl;rent(>nU,and
interpreting fht floorpion and Iocofion skt/(h
.... SCRIPT ANALYSIS
la(kirn;-;npaml (In(1lf(lnsio/ ;on, (J nd Iht sforyOOatd
VISUALIZATION AND SEQUENCING
st.1rt!l wit h the visualization ofthe keyimages.
Because we set' onl y what the ca mera sees, you nero to
c.m ythe initialvisu;l li zat ion furth"-f and trauslflfe it ill lO
suchdirectingdetailsaswherepeopleand things!lhouldbe
pl3cedrelativetot hecarner:!andwhcretheC3merashould
be posi tioned relative to the eve- nl (people and
Yuu must then consider the seqrw lcillg ofrhe port ions
of tJlis visuali zed event through postptOdUCl ion edi t ing
ors,.,. itching.Concurrent ly, you must 1'{'(If the indi vidual
shotsli ndthesequenCt'. I n television, ap.1r1i cular
pictureorpicture St'<\uencecanbe as irnponant asscei ng
it in you r mi nd.
As menti oned, a c;nefuJiy defined process message
thevi suali zation Vrocl'SS alld,esptdall y, tll<l kes
it morepre<:i se. After decidingun,,'h3ttl'letarget<ludimet'
is tosee,hear,frtl,ufdo,youcanfollowthe
mooelanddetermine just howthe key sl'lo15 shouldlook
;,"dhowtoaaomplish them.
Hert' isan example: You are10 directthreeseSlllcntsof
aprogramSriesonIe.!nagedriving1afety. Thefi rstOl:.s ign-
mellt isaninterview.consist Lngor a (emaleillten' j(:werwho
regul arl y hosts Ihe weekl y halfhour communit y serviCe
show.amalepoli ceofficerwho headsthemunicipaltraffic
sa fetyprogram,andaf(' ma lestudent ro:' prt'SE' ntJtlVeoft he
localhigh school.The $tCOnd:JSsignmeni is aninlUview
wi lh 1\ Imlle high-schoolstudent who has been confi ned
to a wheelchairsince a serious ca r ;t..:cident .The third is
ddemonstrati onof some pot enti.llda ngersof fUn ninga
stopsign.
The sc ript s av,li1able to you at this poi nt are very
skecchy and mOfe resemble brief rundOI.,. " shceots than
putialscriptform?15. su.11. U - II.1.
Because the producerhas anunusuall yti ghtdeadline
fo r the completi on of the se ries, as ks th;!t you get
stMtedwiththepreproducti onplanning de!l pitethelackof
more detai ledscripts.Sheo cangive youonl ya rough idt'3
ofwhateach show issupposed to acoompli sh:Segment I
shouldinformthl:" targetaudi ence(hi gh-schooltl ndcoll ege
oftheongoi ngeffortsbythepolicedepar tment
to cooperatewilh schools \ 0 teil ch t raffic 10 young
dri
y
crs; segmenl2shouldshockthevi"""'ersintoanawa re-
nes::. oftheconsequencesofcarelessdri ving;a nd segment
3should makethe audil.'"ncedwareofthepotentialdangers
ofrunltinga SlOpsign.
I.('t'sapplythe(""((oct-la-causemoddandsethowt heS<'
scriptscan be trJ.fl sl3ledint o vidroprograms.B!IDPRO-
baskIdeaIdMi redeffectIcause
431
432 Chaprer '8 THE DIRECTOR IN PREPRODUCTION
TRA FF IC SA FETY SERI ES
Progrom No: 2 Interv iew ( Length : 26;)0)
V1R Saturday . Mar ch 16, 4:00- 5:00 P.M. STUDI O 2
Air Date: Tue sday, Marc h 19
Host: Yvette Sharp
Guests: Lt. John Hewitt, traffic safety program,
City Po li ce Oepa rtmen t
Rebecca Ch i l d, seni or an d stude nt represe ntative,
Cen tral High School
Vi deo
STANDARD
CU of Hostess
faces came ra INTRODUCE S SHOW
2-shot of gues ts INTROOUCES GUESTS
CU of host FIRST QUES TI ON
Lieutenant John Hewitt i s the offi cer in charge of t he
traff i c sa fe t y program. Is a twenty-year ve teran of thf' City Po l i ce
De par tmen t. Has been in traff1c safety for the pas t eight years .
NOT E: HE Wi l L REFER TO A TEN-POINT PROGRAM (OISPLAY VIA e.G,).
Rebecca Ch i ld i s the s tudent of Central High.
She is an A student, on the debate t eam, and on the champ , onsh i p
t eam. She ;s ve ry much in of an trd ffi c
sdfet y progrdm but believes tha t t he ci ty poli ce dre especi al ly
tough on hi gh- schoo l students and are ou t to get them.
STANDARD CLOSE
cu of host CLOSING REMARKS
lS of hOst and guests THEME
CG credits
18.12 TRAffIC SAfETY STUDID INTERVIEW
This script for a $tudio on Irilffi c is written in the semiscripted fOlmdl. Note thdt thi s K rrpt gives some informiltion
on the guest s appe(lri l19 on the show.
Section IB.2 Moving (rom Script 10 Screen
TRAf FIC SAFETY SER IES
Program Ho; 5 Locat i on (Length: 26:30)
EFP Date: Friday . Ma rch 29, 9:00 A.M.-dll day
Post producti on to be scheduled
Air Date: Tuesd(lY, April 9
Interviewer; Yvette Sharp
Interviewee : Jack Arms trong
Addres s; 49 Saranca Road , Sout h City
Tel.: 990 555-9990
OPENING AND CLOS i NG ARE TO 8E DONE ON LOCATION
Jack is a high-school senior. He has been confined to a wheel chair
since he wa s hit by a car runni ng a stop sign. rhe other dri ver was
from his high $chool . Jack was an outs t anding tennis pl ayer and is
proud of the several trophies he won in reg ional tournaments.
He is a good student and coping very well. He is eager to parti cipate
i n the tra f fi c safety program.
NOTE: EMPHAS IS SHOULD BE ON JACK. GET GOOD CUs.

18.13 TRAFFIC SAFETY FIELD INTERVIEW
This location interview is wrinen in the semis(lipted fOlmilt ilnd g ivE' 5 infolmat ion abou\ the g ue st to be interviewed.
433
434 18 THE DIRECTOR IN PREPRODUCTION
TRAFFIC SA FETY SERIES
Progr am Ho: 6 Stop Signs (Length: 26:30)
EFP Date: Sunday , Apr il 7, 7: 00 A.M. - all day
VTR Date: Tuesday. April 9, 4: 00 P.M.-4 :30 P.M.
to be schedu led
Ai r Odte: Sat urday, Ap r i I 16
EFP Locat ion: Intersect ion of West Spri ng Street and
Tara yal Court
Con t ac t : Lt . John Hewi tt , t raff ic safety program,
Ci t y Pol ice Depa rt me nt
Tel.: 990 555-8888
OPENI NG AND CLOS INC (YV ETTE) ARE TO B[ DONE ON LOCAT ION
EFP: Program shou ld show car running a stop sign at
i ntersection and t he conseQuenc es: a l most hitting a
pedestrian, jogger , bicycler; running i nt o another car ,
et c. Detail ed sc r i pt will (cHow ,
STUDIO: Lt . Hewi tt wi l l br ie fl y demons trate some typi cQ I
acciden ts, us i ng tOy cars on a magneti c board.
NOT E: LT. HEWI TT WI LL PROVIDE ALL VEHICLES AND DRIVERS AS
WELL AS TALENT. HE WILL TAK( CARE OF ALL TRAFFI C CONTROL,
VEHICLE PARKI NG. AND COMMUN ICATIONS. CONFIRM EFP APRIL 5.
ALTERNATE POLICE CONTACT: Sgt. Fenton McKenna (same t elephone)
18.14 lRAfflC SAFElY STOP SIGN EPISODE
sem,scl' pled fOlmat for i.I fi eld p.oduc.tion infOff""uion aboul the majo' evenh the plog.am (0 show.
'I
Sectioll 18.2
Moving from Script to Screen
435
FORMULATING THE PROCESS M.ESSA.GE
Despite the sketchy scripts and messages, man y
images have probahly entered Y0uf head alrt'ady: the police
officer in his blue unifor m sitting next 10 the hi gh-school
student; a young man straining 10 move hi s wheelchair up
a ramp to hi s front door; a car almost hit in an imersec-
tion by another car running a st Op sign. Before going any
further, however, you nl ay want to define mort: precise
process messages.
Process meS5tige I: The i/ Hcrview wit h th e traffic 5<lfe. IY
offi cer and , /re studenl slrould demoJl -
stnl te (0 Iliglr scflOOI (/lid college stride/Its {I lett-poilll
traffi c safelY progmm to help leenagen become more-
respoflSi blc dril'ers. II $hould (1150 demOI/ Slrate how
police (wd Hl/ deIHs could coopera te in th is c!forl.
Proce.ss mes.soge 1: The in lCT view wilh Ihe slllciel1l ill rhe
",hede/mir $hould muke viewers (of the desired Itlrge/
audience) gain Il deeper imight illlo his feelil1gs Ill/II
alli fll(le$ sillce hi.s nuidml alld empatlm:c wit }, h;lII.
Proce.ss me.s.snge 3: The program should sf/ ow viewers at
lellSi four differell l ncddelll_' causea by rUlllling a jlOP
sign ami dcmOllStrale !r ow 1o f1I 'oid them.
A careful reading ot these process messages should
make your visuali zation a link- more prec ise. For e;\:;lmple,
just how do you set' the three people (hOSI, officer, and
student representati ve) interacting in the interview? ""'hat
shots and shot sequences (10 yo u fed would best ( 0 111 -
municat e the illtNview to the J.udi ence? Do you vi sualize
;I different approach to the interviel'l' with the student in
rile wheek h,lir?The demonstrati on of running a stop sign
probabl y triggers so me stereotypi cal Hollywood video and
ai.dio images, such as glJSS shatt ering, {ires squealing, and
cars spinni ng and crash ing into cad i olher.
MEDIUM REQUIREMENTS
Without tryi ng to he too 5pecifi c, you can now proceed
fr om some general visuali zations to the medium re-
quireme nu: certain key visuali za tio ns and sequencing,
production method (mul lica mera studio show or single-
ca mera EFP) , necessa ry equipment , and specific prod uc-
ti on procedures.
Her(' is how you mi ght arri ve at spec ific medi um
requirements [or each segment (proJ cess message).
Segment 1 The interview is strictl y informational. \Vhat
the people say is more important than gelling to know
them. The studeOl may not il gree with the offi cer's
views, so the IwO may not on ly answer the intervie .....'er but
also talk 10 each other.

!S
+lost-
l ine
Z) (2
VCI
e
!tIcmif",.
18.15 TRAFFIC SAFETY INTERVIEW: ROUGH SKETCH
This rough sketch for a studio interview set shows t he approxi-
mate locati0ll5 of the <hairs and the camera5.
The sequenci ng ,,,, ill probabl y show the three people
in three-shOh (host and two guests), two-sho ts (host and
guest, two guests talking), and indi vidual d ose-ups. These
shots can beSt be accompli shed by having the guests si t
together across from the interviell't' r. SEE ,.,,, According
\0 the sketchy script . the offi cer's ten-poi nt program on
Iraffic SJ fecy and other items should be shown on-screen
as e.G. graphics, unless he brings an easel card.
The show is best done live-on -Iape in the
studio. There you can pUI Ihe guests in a neutral environ-
ment, have good control over the lighting and the audio,
switch a\llong mult iple cameras, and use C G.
Novi YOt! can become more specific about the mN ilLm
requirements: set, cameras, tl1 icropho nes, lighting, and ad-
ditional t:quipment. Be<:ause the participants do not move
around, the hosl and the guests can wear laval iere mics
for tIlt: J.udi o pickup. The li ghting should be normal, that
is, fairl y slow-fallon li ghting so the viewer can
see el'eryone wel l. There is no need for dramat ic shadows.
Perhaps you can persuade the police officer to take off his
cap to avoid annoying shadows on his (aCt'. How about
( ameras? Three or two? Eve n it li vely excha nge of ideas
berween the offi cer and the student will not require terribly
fast cuuing. Assuming tllat the host and the guests sit across
from one another, you really need o nly nyo cameraS (see
fi gure I B. 15).
Camera 2 ca n gellhe opening and dosing shots but is
otherwise assi gned to the hos t. Camera! can get two-shots
and CUs of the as well as ove r-the-shoulder (of the
host) three-shots. Tn addition to Ihe normal control room
and studio faciliti es, you will need to request a VTR. and
tape (don't forget to request the appropriate tape), theC. C.,
436 Chapler 18
and a limited amount of postproduction lime, in case you
need to stop down for some re<lson during the inlc[vie\....
Unless)'Qll have tel eprompters 10 show {he ten-point traffic
program (displayed by the CG,), yo u need a line moni tor
that all talcnt can see.
Segment 2 In contrast to segme nt 1, the segment 2
interview is much m OTe private. Its primary purpose is
1I0t 10 communicate specifi c information but \0 have an
(' motional impact on the audience. The communic.lti01l is
illl imoll e and personal; viewers should strongly empathi ze
with the young man in t he " 'heelchair. These aspects of 1he
process message suggesl quite readi ly Ihat we visit him in
his own environment - hi s home-and that, except for Ihe
opening shots, we should see him primari ly in close-ups
and c;I;trl' lm: close-ups rather than in less intense medium
<lnd long shots. Ag<lin, you "'ill inevitably visualize cen:lin
key shots that you have call ed up trom you r personal
rese rvoir. Your task now is 10 interpret those images and dll
other aspeers of the message into a specific produc-
tion approach and medium requir("menl.S.
Considering the m.1jor aspt'"CtS of the process message
(rel'e<ll ing the student's feelings and tho lights and havins
the audi ence develop empathy with him), the genenli
production type and the medium requirement s
become fairly apparent. It is best done single-camera styl e
in Ihe student's home. First, the single camera and the
associated equipmelll (lights and mics) cause a minimum
intrusion int o theenvi ronlllenL Second, the interview it self
can he unhurried and stretch over a considerable period of
time. Third, the interview does not have 10 be
it can slow down, be briefly interrupted, or be slOppe-d and
then picked up at any tim e. The production can be out
of sequence. You may want to sta rt with videotaping the
Jct u;ll inten' i("w and then tape the opening shots of the
student moving upthe ramp in his wheelchair and the reac,
tion shotsof the int erviewer. If the student happens to refer
to hi s athletic trophies, you can videotape them (and ot her
signifi ca nt items in the hous<!) after the interview and th<!n
assemble all the segmellls in postproduction editing.
Here are some of tne specific (and modest) medium
requirc::mcnts: camcorder, videotapes, batteries, t ripod,
playback moni tor, two I:wali ere mi cs, portable li ghting ki t,
shotgun mic, small audio mixer, mi sce\];meous producti on
items (extension cords, portable 51,He, and so forth), and
good postprodu(.t ion (a( ilit1e5. Compared with ses ment
I, t hi s production needs (onsiderably more edi ting time,
To faci litate your visuali zation and sequencing, try to
(he student in his home prior to the videotaping. Meet -
109 the student and getting to know him in Ilis home wiJI
.--
THE DIRECTOR IN PREPRODUCTION
give you a sense of the atmosphere, enaok you to pl an the
shots more specilLcaJl y, and mar<.' accuratel y determille the
medium requiremenl s.
Segment 3 This production is by far the most demand-
ing of you as a director. It requires the coordination of
diff("ro:nt people, locations, and actions. Start with some
key visualizati ons. Running a stop si gn is obviously best
shown by having a Cdr actually do it. To demonstrate the
ronsequenccsof such all oft("nse, you may need to show Ihe
ca r going through the StOp sign, barely missing a pedesrrian
or bicydisl \.-110 happens 10 be in the intersecti o.>n, or even
crashing inlo another car.
Now is the time 10 contact the producer again and
ask her some import3.J1I questions: Who will provide the
vehicles for thi s demonstration? \Vho drives them? What
about imura ncl:? You may not need Hollywood Stunt driv-
ers for demonstratiolls, but in no way should you
haw student s perform t hese feats. Perhaps tlie police can
assist )' OU and the producer by fu rni shing both cars and
expaiencecl drivers. Who will be the harassed bicyclist and
the Is there adequatt' insurance for all actors
and extras Wil l the police dose portions of the
street and t he illlHsection for the shoot? For how
If the segment involves choreographing aClua] stunts,
yo u would need a fire <! ll gine and ambulance standing by,
just in case the stunt does not go exactly as plauned. You
had beller abandon the projcct at this point and ask the
producer 10 pass it on to a more experienced director, or
to redesign thi s segment.
You could, however, suggest close-aU
actions through cxtensivt' video and audio postproductIon.
Ass uming that the producer your alt ernate approach
and that the police depa rtment will rurnish cars, dr ivers,
extras, and all necessary traffic control during the shoo t,
how would you Oul this directing assignment?
111e key word in the process meSS<lge is demOIlS/ ra/e.
You need to show \..,hal is happening rather Ihan merely
talk about it. The demonstration obvioml y takes you on
location-an JClual street corner. The offi ce r's later use
of toy cars and a magn';lic board to demOll strate a t ypical
intersection accident and how to avoid it can best be done
in the studio and integrated into the show in postproduc-
tion editi.ng (see figurc 18.14).
Considering the complexi t y of t he .\c ti oll and Ihe
li mi ted production time avai lable (the intersection (a n
be blocked for oilly brief periods), you should use several
camcorders t h:ll COver Ihe aClion simultaneously from
different angles and fi elds of view. You can lhen have
the ca mcorders sYll chronize the start of the time codes
Section lB.} Moving from Script co Screen
( remember Ihe fl ash-frame?) (0 expedi le Ihe extensive
(AD- roll) postproduCli on l!diting. You can do . he studio
panion live-on -tape wirh J simple two-camera setup (one
for a cover shot and .he other [or close-ups) .
To ensure maximum safety of all concerned, first shoot
those scenes that involve the ca r running the StOp sign, then
move to the scenes of the frightened pedestrian jumping
back onto the curh and t he bicyclist tryi ng to get out of the
wa)' (of the imagined o ncoming ca r). 1bsimulale the sight
and the sound of crashing iOlo anOlher GU, simpl y sho\\'
the pedestrian's fri ght ened face; then, later, go to a junk-
}'ard for a shot of a b.ldl}' da maged car. By edit ing the t wo
shots together and adding familiar crashing sounds, you
can simulate the impact convinci ngly withOut endangering
anyone or wrecking any cars. You might think of using a
subjtCfh'cmmemthat sho\vs going through the int ersect ion
from !.he driver's poim of view.) The camera operator ca n
simply sit in the backseat and have the camera look past
the driver through tlle windshield. For additjon.al subjective
camera shots, mo um rhe camcorder on t he hood of the car
with a be<l nbag (see chapter 5).
A fast l oom-in on the car whil e it is moving toward
the (Jmen will definit t- Iy lead to an int ensificati on of the
shot and an excit i ng sequence when intercut with progres-
sIvely closer shots of the pedestrian's fri ght ened face. Be
sure to get enough culaways so that you can maint ain the
(ominuiry of motion vectors during editing.
Whal evc r kcr visuali za ti ons a nd seque ncing you
choose, they will probably require t he same bask held
equipment: two Or Ihreecamcorders, mo unt ing equipment
( beanbags, clothesli ne, lape, caRll!ra braces), a battcC)'
powered monilOf for replay, two or three shotgun mles
and fish poles, an <ludio mixer, two or three reflectors (fo r
CUs of talent ), <lnd other standard production it ems sllch
as <I slate, vi deotapes, for the audio operator, and
walkie-taWcs for the fi eld intercom.
The major part of this production will be the off- and
on-lint" l!d iting, as the simulat ion of nea r misses requi res
extensive video and audio postproduction. The audio
porti on is thert:fore especiall y important because sounds
intensify scenes and help elicit mental images ofunseen
action. Such standard sound effects as squealing lire$,
crash sounds, and a poli ce sircll will intensify the sce ne and
make the simubled crash believable. You may also "'anr to
include vOice-over narrati on by Ihe serics host.
Don't forget to copy and carefully log the field foolage.
If you have a nonlinea r system, capt ure th" tak s, put thelll
I. Stt Ht'r ocn Zeu], SIgh/ So.."d MOllO". 4th 00. (lklmoul, Cali f. :
Wadswort h, 2005 ), pp. Zto--13.
in Ihe right bill S (files), window-dub Ihe field tapes down
10 VHS, and start \vi\h the papi'r-and-pcncil ed iting.
INTERPRETING THE FLOOR PLAN
AND THE LOCATION SKETCH
go back to the fir st segment- the studio interview
wit h the poli.:.e officer and Ihe high-school representa-
t ive-and assume that the novice art director took your
rough sketch of the interview set up (fi gure 18. 15) a nd
worked up the floor plan and Ihe prop list as shO\"n in the
next figu re. SEE 1' .1' Whal do you think of Ihe E1 00r
\Vould you give your go-ahead to have the scenery set up
accordingly?
Take another Jook at the floor plan and try to vislIali7.t'
some of t he key shots, such as opening and closing Ihree
shots, rwo-shots of the guests talking to the host and to each
other, and individual CUs of the three people. Visualize the
foreground as wcUas the background because t he ca mera
sees bOlh. There ace some definite camera problems with
this floor plan.
Given the way the chairs are placed, an opening three-
shot would be di ffic ult to achieve. If camera 2 shoots from
straight on, the chai rs are probably too far apart. At bcstlhe
host and the guests would seem glued to the edges,
pla(i ng undue emphasis on the painti ng in the middle.
Also, you would probabl y overshoot tht' sct on both ends.
The gUe!.bwould certa illl y block each ot her in thi s shot.
L hardwall fLltl
Bri9it

paintill9
Rubbe!
"'"'
Rubber
Uphol'itefed cMiB
"'"'
PropUSI:
3uphol'itere<i chairs
2rubber plants
1Bti9itRiley paintif19
18.16 INTERVIEW SET: FlOOR PLAN ANO PROP UST
This lIoar plan clod PfOp lisl, ba'>t!d on the fOugh skelch of an
'"te(view set. (eve-at serious pwductlon probl",ms.
437
438 Chapter 18
*'
4:

18.17 INTERVIEW SET: CAMERA POSITIONS
The ca mera posit ions reveal some of theprOduction problems
caused by thi ssetup.
If you shoot from the extreme left (colmer;) I) to
anover-the-shouldershotfrom thehost10 thegueSTS, you
win overshoot theseT. Onad ose-up you'>'olii d run the
riskoflherubberplanl 'sseemi ngtogro,",'OUIoftheguest's
head. S(llI.17
If you cross-shoot with came ra 2, you will agai n
overshoot tht: set, and Ihe second rubber plant would
most likelyappea r to grow out ofthe hos t's head (see
figure18.J7).
IC you pulledthe camerasmore toward thecenterto
avoid overshooting,you wouldgetnuthingbUI fJTofiles.
Aside (rom with camera shots, there are
addit ional PWduc lion probl(' ms:
Whilt'harth,'aU panelshardl ycreatethemostint erest-
ingbackground.Thesurfaceis100 plain,and it s color is
toobri ghl fortheforegroundscene, renderingskin tones
unusuallydark. Because Ihe host an African Ameri call
woman,Ihl?contrastproblemwith thewhitebackgroundis
evcn1l1or", ex-tre me- andyou cannotcorrecttheproblem
byputt ingmorelight onher.
See howdosethe chairs are10 the background Aats?
Any key li ght andtiillightwill ine\'it<1bl yst rike the back-
'{
THE DIRECTOR IN PREPRODUCTION
groundtoo,addingtnthesilhouetteeffect.Thebackli ghts
wouldalsofunctionas fronl(key)lights, fastfalloff
(denseattached shadows) toward thecameraside. If you
were nowto lighl"o upthe on the withad
ditionalfilllightcomingfromthefrontoflheset(roughl y
fromcamera2'spositi on),il l.,rouldinevitabl yhitthewhile
Hats,aggra\'alingIhe eITect.
TheacouSli cs mayalso provetobelessIh,md{>sirable
because the microphones are very cl ose to the sound-
reflectinghardwa!l
The prop li st signals yet more problems. The large
upholstered chairs arc defi nitely not appropriate for An
interview. Theylook 100pompousand would practically
engulfth.:iroccupants.
Beca use most of Ihe setup requires (Jossshooling
from crtre me angles, \he painling is useJt's.'>. If l.,rant
10 break up the plain backgroundwith a picture. hang il
so that it servtsasa background in mostof the:.hols. I(
you happc:n10knowsomelhingaboutarthistory,you may
suspect IheIighl,contrastingpatternsofBrigitRiley's
paintingswould probablycause amoire('ffeet.
Finally, with the chai rs directlyon the studi o 11 00r,
eit her the ca meras wo uld have to lookdownon the per-
formers, orIhecameraoperatorswouldhavetoptdestalall
thewaydownandstoopfor the entireint erview.
As youcansee,eventhissi mplefloorplanandpropli s1
revealimport anlduestO.lvari eryof productionproblems.
Youshouldnowlalktothenoviceandirector,poimoulthe
potenlialproblems,<1nd suggestsomewaysthefl oor plan
couldbe revised. SU1'.1' Hereare some
Enlargetheba ckgroundso thatit provides covereven
for extremecross -shootingangles.Use flatsofadifferen t
color and text ure (such as a medium-dark wood panel
pauern).Ptrhapsbreakupthebackgroundwithawi ndow
flat or a fl'w narrOl" Rats 10 give it <1 more three-dillll'n-
sionalfeel.
PlacepiClures orbookcas.e:<. \.,rheretheywill bl! seen in
[he mOSIfrequenl ClI merashots. Do nol leta corner ofa
pictureapIX'arto growoul ofIhe talent'shead.
Use si mple chairs thil t are comfortabl{> yet l.,rill not
swallow theoccupant s; putthe chairs onariseranllposi-
tion themat least6 (eet frorn thebackground (whi chwill
improve backli ghting).
Tum th", outward somewhat (swivel them to
face the centercamera positi on) so that the ca meras will
nothave tocross-s hoot from such angles.
,
Section 18.2
Molting (rom Script 10 SUet'n
Getridoftherubberplantson these\. Although they
look great to the naked eye, Ihey become composi tional
h;l.zardsOil-camera.
Thisismuchbetl er,buttherei , nolimeforrestingon
rOUT laurels. TheADhas just come backfrom a 10(<l li on
surveyforthesegmentonrunningtheStOpsign3l1dshm"s
youher lcx,ltionsketch.sun.l'Shefeelsthattheremaybe
severa!potentialprodm:tionproblems. lookaltht> sketch
andsee if you agreewithher.
Yes,Theft cert ainl yareare\'I serious thatbeg
for immediate,ltIention.
The int ersection is obviously downtown. You can
thereforeexpecl it great dealoftraffictopassthrough,and
the police would not doseIhis intersecti on for aO}'1 hing
but arealaccident ,
Even if the intersection wert: not in the middle o f
downtown,theproximi tyofthebankaodthesupermarket
would maked osingIheintersection,evenior alittlewhite,
unfeasible.
A schoolyard is verynoisyduring Unless you
donOI mind Ihelaughingandyellingofchildren during
the production,everyschoolrecess meansaforcedrecess
for theproductioncrew.
flowellonsmallrhtr
Sunfl owerjlolintill9
Book"",
Bookme I ..... _ ... L <::K\,
/




lUg on
IS-inch rher
Une
mooilOf

18.18 INTERVIEW SET: REVISED
The revised0001 plan(or theimerview provides(Ot adequate
backgroundcoverandinterestingshots.
18. 19 LOCATION SKETCH
FOR STOPSIGN SEGMENT
locationsketch to
severalmajorproblemsthat
make thefi etd production
unfeasible.
439
440 Chaprer 18
The fOtJ r-,,'ay slOP sigus make Ihe intersect ion less
hazardous, even if someo ne runs a ile of them. The demo
onSlralion is mud, more effective if one of the streets haS
thro ugh traffic.
The soluti on to these probl f ms relatively simple:
have the producer cont act the poUce departOi cnI and find
a two-way-slop intersection in a quiet neighborhood thaI
has very linle traffic. There shoul d be sufficient
ro ut es so that a temporary closure of the int ersection will
not , .\Use traffic delays or prevent neighbors from ge-uing
to and from their homes.
SCRIPT ANALYSIS
Explain ing aU the intri cacies of analyzing and interpreting
nondr;J.matic and dramatic script s is far beyond the scope
of lhis book. The importance of translating a process mes-
sage into medium requirement s has J.lready been noted.
TranslafjJlg a script into various di re([ing requirement s
calls for a similar procedure. The foll owi ng list offers some
baS-i c guidelines on reading a script as a director.
LOCKINGIN POINT AND TRANSLATION
Locking-i n means that you conjure up a vi vid vi sual or
aural image whi le readi ng the script. Thi s locki ng-in may
well occur al the very ope ni ng Scene. al lhe closing scene,
or at a ny particularly striking scelle ill bet.....'ecn. Do not
try to force this locking- in process. It may well occur as
nn audio rather than a video image. 1f the script is good,
the loc king- in is almost inevitabl e. Nevert hel ess, there art
a few Sleps that will expedite the process.
Read the script ca refully-don't just glance at il. The
video and <l udio in formati on provide all oven'iew of Ihe
show and how compl ex t lte producti on will be. Try '0
isolale tlt.;- basic idea belti nd the show. Better yet, try to
formul ate an appropri;ue process mCSS3ge, if il isn' , already
stated in the ori ginal proposal.
Try to lock-in on a key ShOI, a key actio n, or some
key technical maneuver. For example, you may loc k-in
on the pa rt of the r\l nning- a-slOp- sign scr ipt where a
pedeslrian has to jump back on the curb bec,1Use oi the
c)l1com i ng (<I f.
You can now begin LO translate the images int o con-
Cfete producti on requin' !1l(' nt s, such as camera positions,
specir1c lighting and audio setups, vide()tape recording,
and postproduction <l.Clivil ies.
THE DIRECTOR IN PR EPRODUCTION
Analyzi ng a dramatic script is, of course, quil e a bit
more complicated t han translating the video and audio
instructions of a nondr alllatic script into the director's
production requm' l11ents. A good dramati c script operates
on man)' con,.ciow. and unconscious levels, all of which
need to be interpreted alld made explicit. Above all, you
shoul d be ahle to define the theme of the play (the basic
id(a- what the story is all about ), the plot ( how the story
moves forward <ln d develops), the characters (hOI\" one
person differs from the others and how each reacts 10 the
situati on at hand), and the environment (where th(;tct ion
t,lkes pla..::e). In general, Id.;-vision drama emphasizes theme
and charact er r;u her !haII plot, and inner, rather than outer,
environment. Isolate all points of conflict.
Afte r the locking-in, further an alpis depends grea tly
on what production method you choose: whether you
shoot the play 1Il sequence wilh multipl e cameras and a
sl\"itchet or I" il h a single camer" in di scontinuous, oul -of-
sequence takes.
STORYBOARD
Once you have successfully locked-in and begun to visu-
ali ze Ihe various t akes and scenes, you mdY w;ant to make
rough sketch es of or 0 1 henvise re(Ord these visua1izat IOns
so you won't forget them. A sequence of visualized shots
is called a st oryboard; it contains key visua1i7ation poi nts
and .lUdio informat ion. SEE 11.10
A storyboa rd is usually drawn on preprint ed story-
bo.1rd paper, which has areas that represent the television
scn"en. Anot her area, us ually below the screens, is dedic.lIed
to audio and olher infor mation. Astoryboard can also be
drawn on pl ain paper or creat ed by computer. Storyboard
sofnrdre progr.UllS offe r a great many srock images (houses,
streets, highways, cars, li ving rooms, and offi ces, for ex-
ample) into whi ch you catl place figures and move them
int o v;!rious posit ions in the s!O[yboard frame. SEE 11.21
Most commercials are carefuU}, sloryboarded shot-by-
shol bdore Ihey ever go into pmduct i(lIl. Sloryboardshdp
people \\'ho make decisions about the commercial see the
individual shots and imagi ne them in s.eq\\ence.
Sloryboards are al so used for other types of single-
camera productions that cont ai n a great number of espe-
cially compli ca ted discontinuollS shots or shot sequences.
A good storyboard offers i. mmed\..1\t: dues to certain pro-
duct ion r.;-quirernenl s, such as genera l location, ca mera
position, approximale focal length of the lens, method of
audio pi ckup, cut all'ays, amount and type of postproduc-
li on, laleut a(tjons, set design. and hand
' ; D u a n b . : l s . : 1 4 1 1 0 o l p n e 1 \ . : 1 > \ S I S ! I p U I ! s l U J o d U O ! I I ? I ! l l ? n W ' J o ! e w , H , 1 l S M O I . l S " I . . U .
O H V 0 9 A H O J I N M I t l I O i l H V H O Z ' B
, w r t 6 J N ' ' ' I l i p N v
C O I r m l J I O ) } 1 ) t W 1 ' ) I { J A 1 1 ( 1 D I I ' ( J ' ) H U l I O
' J O U l I f l W . . . .
" I p I n : I j " " ' I N O t r t I
" " 1 1 l 1 \ l i > I l l ' S I " l t I O l 0 1 1 \ ' O J ! o I ! J " I " I '
1 1 l 9 1 i < m , , " , U > l l - J O O I ) I l l ! I l l J l ' > M V I \ ) ' I l / I Y ) p u r M l I w . K 1 S 1 W
( ( ( : " ' I S
I I

0 '
. ,
- . /
r ( ( : " ' t ! j

D N l ' J ! ) N l A 1 1 0

' \ I W m l i t 6 u t t H V I I I \ r t j M
l > N Y 1 9 N l A ' W O 1 1 0

' 1 " ' ) I f { I \ J W 0 6 Y - i 1 ' ) ! I I D ' f l I I
i P ' ! C l ' m ! I I
" " " ' " 1 1 W f i ! ' " 1 m p u t d O f I I H J l I 0 I j W
" 1 I i / , ' . 1 ' O I : t p I V
" " ' . " " " " " " p u r o o o 6 . . , ' l ! l " O I j I t \ U i S U V O l l H i ' f
U u n " " N O l D I I S H M O O ) l 1 ' l ' W ' M l

" " ! ' x m . l ) ( - n l l S ' l ' l
S H ' 1 I d N O u . v N O J . 3 D
i ! ' . l . N 3 9 ' # ' ' / 0 N I I n . l 3 1 1 3 H . 1 .
l ' 8 1 U O I l H S
" "
--
VO: Til(>(ray supercomputer c.an procen
moU! than a hundred million illl thmelk
operallonsperse<ond.
442 Chapter 18
CarefulRoadwaysPSA
',10 :Theamazi n9functionbetween11'11' eyei
andbrainis(ClUedthe- "sel'lseof'0';1.100,"
3 00:00:13:00
THE DIRECTOR IN PREPRODUCTION
va : Thehumanvision system processes
inform.l tioo (aste. Ihan a Cray
supercomputer.

00:00:20;00
VO;Thehumanty(' out performsourbest ',10:Humanvisionupdatesimagei.induding
the details of mot iOn and (0101', 0" a time
SCdIe so rapid . ...
vo: ThaI a "bfeak in t he ,Ktlon" is almost
!'IrYet pef(eived.
18.21 COMPUTERGENERATEO STORYBOARD
The computer-geoel,l1ed storyboard uses 3-0 9' aphi(S that (an be to crealI' a variety of el(lerior
andinteriorenvironment sIn whlehimagesofpeoplecanbeplacedandmovedabOut.
U : " i l S M ) I } l a l l a p i ' J l s a p
j e a p ! O l t ! )
O > 5 0 1 P l a y t - s a U ! l a p ! n 5 u O ! l ) n p O l d t - 9 N I l I 0 3 < i l ' A D
S t l I J u o ! ) ) n p o J d
I U O ! l ) l ' \ p o l d a l d
i i i U ' t - i l l d o a d t - S S ; ) O l : l d
l l . . U O ! l X l P O I l U ! s s a J o l d f - S S 3 ) O l ; I d
" I i l q w n u o l I 6 1 ! " d 5 u r p U O O 5 a J J O )
5 1 ! 4 1 ! M a J a " , p i n S ! ! s r l a l d e l p 5 ! 4 1 U ! o l i n ) W l ! l o o l d q O ]
- O i J P I I I 4 : X > o l I I n o . < l p l l ' J \ 0 1 1 0 ' a ) W l i ) J a J l O a , ( 1 0 J

" S 1 0 4 S " ' 4 1 ) 0
J i l d o x l i l l i l S I ! I I i 1 M S I ! U O I I I ! W J O ) U ! 4 1 ! M
l u o l I r - a u { > 1 0 s i u l o d u O ! l l ' " l ! I I ! O S ! / \ , ( a " l ! s M O \ J s P J l ! O q N o l S < l 4 . L
" 6 u p u a n b a s p u P
a l l l S a U ! W J i l l i 1 P ) 2 4 1 - a 6 I ! w ! O ! p n e J O I P M , A P , A I I I , l ; l I e p a d
- s a u e - - l u r o d U t - O U I ) j ) O ! 1 ! 0 1 P l n O l j i S l s , ( I I ! U P l d , , > , )
" s w a l Q o J d U O r l J n p o J d I I ! ! l u a l O d S l l ! a A o l I l
p U I ! ) ' : I j I ! J l l U i l l l ! l p u p l u a w d ! n w o o r u u \ . ' r d u r ! i d l i 1 1 j U ! I d O J d
i l 4 1 1 j ) l i I ) j S 1 0 U I ! , d l o o t ! a l l l J O , ( p n l s I n J i l l l ! ) ' t /
" > w 1 ! 1 ) p u l ! s U O ! I ! s o d l v a l l ! ) p U I ! " ' i l w e )
1 0 a S U i l S ! ! 1 0 l J i U ! P a 4 \ < l A I D 6 u o u i l n b d S p u e O U ! Z I I " n s I A
" S l u o l l W o l I J l n b a J w n ! p i ) U J p u " p 0 4 J a w u o r n n p o J d a ' l l 0 1
' , ( t l u a n b a S u o J ' p u p 6 u p u a n b a - 5 p u " U O I 1 P l ! 1 I ! O S I I I 0 1 s a J " l p
I U l ! l x x l W r P l a r A U ! M a O I ! S S ; H U p a W l S A l ' a d O l d ' t /
" 6 U I ) u a J " l b a s p a l l ! ! )
s S o l I J O J d I ! ' J a p J O U ! l ' P o l I ) ! ! U ! p a l l ! a ) l a ( ! a q U o l I I . / 1 I S J " l U J s a 6 l ! U J !
p a z ! l e n S ! 1 I a s . l 4 1 " S a O I ! U J I o r p 0 l ! p U I ! 0 i I p ! 1 I U O I S r A i l \ i H 5 1 ] !
S l o 4 S i l 4 l 6 U ! l i l J d ) " 1 U 1 S U I ! O I W 4 ) H j M ' s i l 6 e w ! A < l ) j
0 1 1 . / 1 6 U ! Z ! l l ! n s ! " , I . / l ! M s u e l S U O ! J ) n p o ) d o l l J d ) O ) ) o l I J ! P 0 / 4 1
l " 8 1 U O ! j J i l S