Rabiger Directing: Film Techniques & Aesthetics 4ed Part 6 Checklist Page 1

PART 6: PRODUCTION
These stage by stage reminders should help you along. Derived from their chapters, they
may also reflect pertinent information from other parts of the book. To locate further
information, use either the Part’s table of contents or the index at the back of the book.

Chapter 28 Developing a Crew

A. Cast crew carefully because they create the work environment. 
B. Inquire into crewmembers’ interests and values. 
C. Check reputation in previous collaborations. 
D. Assess flexibility, dependability, realism, and commitment to project. 
E. Shoot tests even with experienced members. 
F. Clearly delineate reporting lines. 
G. Begin crew relationships formally. You can become more informal 
later.

Chapter 29 Mise-en-Scéne
A. Point of view:
a. Know whose point of view audience should sympathize with 
moment to moment.
b. Use camera for storytelling, not just as a passive observer. 
B. Make the location a character, not a mere container for action. 
C. Perspective:
a. Create depth in the frame wherever possible. 
b. Decide what the camera can legitimately look through to 
create foreground and background planes.
D. Cutaways and cut-ins:
a. Use characters’ eyelines to suggest safety cutaways. 
b. Shoot cut-ins as well as cutaways. 
E. Lenses & camera use:
a. Use lenses for their dramatic potential, not just to cope with 
limitations in the shooting environment.
b. Can you use a simpler technical means to achieve the same 
effect?
c. Consider varying camera height. 
d. Decide with DP or camera operator the size and framing of 
each shot.
e. Look through camera often to check framing, composition, 
and image size.
f. During shot, stand close to camera so you see more or less 
what it is seeing.
F. Speed:

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a. Slow or simplify character movements when camera must 

follow them.
b. Comedy is often paced up to a third faster 
G. Space
a. Decide whether the necessary geographic revelation of a 
scene should be early or delayed.
b. Tie spatial elements together in same frame rather than 
manufacturing their relationship through cutting.
c. What are the politics of space between the characters? 
H. Coverage
a. Cover anything important liberally so you have cutting 
choices later.
b. Ample coverage allows you to emphasize or even change 
POV.
I. Editing:
a. Shoot hefty overlaps between matching shots so editor has 
choice of cutting points.

Chapter 30 Breaking Down the Script

A. Planning on Paper:
a. With the script supervisor, turn the screenplay into a final 
shooting script.
b. Draw a floor plan for each sequence with your DP to show the 
characters’ movements.
c. Mark in the scene’s axes and camera positions, taking note of 
shifting lines of tension
B. Marking up the script:
a. Bracket coverage for each camera position. 
b. Plan for establishing shots—early or late in the scene—to 
clarify scene geography and character placement.
c. Use movement to link angles at action match cutting points. 
d. Allow plenty of overlap between angles so your editor has 
adequate choice of cutting points.
e. Characters’ eye-line shifts are a gold to filmmakers. Use them 
to motivate a camera movement or a POV shot.
C. Axis decisions:
a. Make your scene “breathe” between subjective (near axis) and 
objective (far from axis) camera angles.
b. Be sure to show character’ spatial changes with a 
comprehensive shot that establishes their movements.
c. Sketch a storyboard frame for each camera setup if you fear 
screen direction won’t remain consistent.
D. Composition and meaning: 
a. Through artful composition show relatedness (between people
and things) wherever possible.

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b. Make crib cards for each scene listing “mustn’t forget” points. 
c. Cover important moments of the scene from more than one 
angle.
d. For editing later, make sure you have every part of every 
scene covered, and cutaways and cut-ins noted for shooting.

Chapter 31 Before the Camera Rolls

A. Cheat characters away from walls to minimize shadow problems 
B. Adjust heights of seated characters to facilitate panning shots 
C. Use stand-ins to develop lighting and focus requirements 
D. Make sure actors’ costumes, make-up, etc are comfortable 
E. Check that all props are to hand 

Chapter 32 Roll Camera

A. Choose a shot marking system and stick to it. 
B. Keep a paper trail of consistent picture, sound, and continuity logs. 
C. Designate when anyone other than the director may call “cut!” 
D. As you shoot, cut the shots together in your mind. You may well 
catch something overlooked.
E. Encourage shooting of,
a. Room-tone or atmosphere 
b. Still photos for publicity 

Chapter 33 Location Sound

A. Location Sound:
a. Monitor all recorded sound through ear-enclosing 
headphones.
b. Aim to shoot useable location sound even when setup takes 
longer.
c. Watch for microphone shadows 
d. In tricky lighting situations resort to body mikes 
e. Dampen room resonances and exclude unwanted ambient 
sounds if you can.
f. Make room tone and atmosphere recordings to suit sound- 
design plans.
g. Shoot wild lines whenever original may be substandard. 

Chapter 34 Continuity
A. Script Supervision:
a. Make a story chronology to ensure any material shot out of 
continuity will match.
b. Make prop and costume list for each scene and liaise with AD, 
props, and costume people to ensure right materials are on
ready for each sequence.

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c. Script supervisor should observe action from beside camera. 

B. Coverage:
a. Maintain strict watch on what is and isn’t yet shot. 
C. Matching. Pay attention to,
a. Dialogue variations. 
b. Placing, timing, and nature of actors’ actions. 
c. Handling and placement of props or other objects. 
d. Speed, direction, and stopping of mobile camera shots. 

Chapter 35 Directing the Actors

A. Warn actors that shooting is very slow and frustrating. 
B. Watch constantly for tension in your cast members and be ready to 
dissipate them.
C. Don’t ever abandon your cast for the crew: let the DP lead the crew. 
D. Give players last-minute orientation before most takes. 
E. Move to another take or new shot quickly, to keep up momentum. 
F. Always give actors brief feedback, or redirection if they need it. 
G. Use side-coaching to, 
a. Turn a scene toward a different subtext.
b. Inject spontaneity when an actor is flagging. 
H. Shoot reactions with all actors involved, not just the one on-camera. 
I. Be ready to challenge your cast by putting new elements in the mix, if 
spontaneity lags.
J. Be especially solicitous during nude scenes or others making tough 
demands on the cast.
K. Lead by example by demanding much of yourself. 
L. Do not allow insecure cast members to seek the help or opinion of 
crew or the other cast members.

Chapter 36 Directing the Crew

A. Leave directing the crew to the DP: you belong with the cast. 
B. Keep all communications brief, positive, and action-oriented. 
C. During takes, crew members stay expressionless and out of actors’ 
eyelines, or they’ll start acting for the audience.
D. Always check setup or composition changes by looking through the 
camera.
E. Listen to what crew want to tell you in private, but avoid justifying 
your actions or extended intellectual discussion
F. Watch dailies in an atmosphere of intense concentration. 

Chapter 37 Monitoring Progress

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A. Shooting:
a. Check off the scene’s important points on your crib card. 

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B. Leadership:
a. Have your act together. Your leadership style sets the tone for 
the shoot. You won’t feel confident, but fake it till you make
it.
b. Delegate directing the crew to your DP. 
c. Make the decision for a further take quickly so everyone stays 
focused.
d. Expect extreme tension in everyone at the beginning. 
C. Morale:
a. Cater to everyone’s creature comforts. 
b. Give public credit to anyone who deserves it. 
c. Use breaks for mending fences and picking up loose ends of 
information.
d. Make sure to have personal exchanges with all crew members 
so you are seen as a personal friend.
e. Keep all dissent from actors. 
D. Supervision:
a. Director alone judges performances and decides on additional 
takes
b. Script supervisor keeps strict watch over coverage and 
matching.
c. Only camera operator may know whether framing and pacing 
were OK
d. Sound recordist listens for intrusive background sounds and if 
necessary covers with a wild track.
e. Sound recordist asks for silence to pick up any atmosphere or 
sound effect.
E. Authorship and monitoring Progress:
a. Hear and see actual subtexts, rather than those you hope for. 
b. Each beat must be clear if scene dialectics are to be clear too. 
c. Cover exposition and other vital points more than one way. 
d. Examine the imprint a take has left on you: 
i. What life-roles were played out?
ii. What came from the characters this particular time? 
What truths emerged?
e. Check your crib card to keep on top of losses and gains. 
f. Be sensitive to the scene’s hidden meaning and energy, and 
allow it to exert the appropriate control.
g. Expect always to have missed something good. What have 
you missed this time?
h. Do you have all the necessary confrontations in your movie’s 
system of issues?
F. Dailies:
a. See them as soon as possible and more than once. 
b. Let them act on you—don’t argue yourself into believing 
something is present

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G. Keep daily watch on,

a. Cost flow 
b. Schedule variations and contingency coverage. 
H. Director, AD, and key personnel confer at day’s end to plan next day. 

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