Secrets of Screen Directing

The Tricks of the Trade

Patrick Tucker

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2019
• ISBN:
  9780429647734
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Media & Performing Arts
• Subtopic: Film & Video

Secrets of Screen Directing: The Tricks of the Trade is a practical guide which bridges the gap between classroom learning and the realities of being on a set. Author Patrick Tucker uses insights and techniques gained from over 40 years of directing both screen and stage to open up the craft of effectively telling stories, exploring the reality of a directing career with practical day to day solutions and problem-solving methods for working directors.

This book addresses the fact that most professional directors spend their careers directing other writers' scripts, and deals with the practicalities of working on continuing dramas. Following the Director's mantra of 'show, not tell' it contains over 300 illustrations, diagrams, paperwork examples and floor plans, with lists and charts throughout. Covering planning, preparation, and shooting a project, it delves beyond just script construction and into the nuts and bolts of screen directing.

Directors at any level are always under huge time constraints, and this book provides immediate and simple solutions to working under such restrictions. This is an ideal resource for filmmaking students and early career directors to refer to when encountering a problem, as well as all those screen enthusiasts, actors and writers, who want to know what directors actually do.

Chapter 1

Preparation

In some fast-moving shows, if you are appointed as director you may not get the script until you turn up on the first day of prep, and then you have up to ten days to:

• prepare the script and lists;
• audition the actors new to the series;
• choose the locations;
• research any new situations (such as up-to-date intensive care procedures);
• meet heads of department;
• prepare up to 70 scenes in order to produce all the paperwork associated with them, so that you are ready for your Planning Meeting.

It’s now time to read the script—but before you start doing that, here is a process that will not only end up with you understanding the script well but also ensure you’ve generated all the necessary lists and ideas for each department that will soon be knocking on your door, asking for information.

Even if you have a longer preparation period, this is still a good place to start.

Reading the Script

How often should you read your script? Ten times, as the books recommend? Actually, most of us just read the script ONCE. The following points are also illustrated in the Appendix: Useful Lists: 2: Reading the Script, with examples of the paperwork involved in 8: Paperwork Extracts.

Before You Start

Get a Notebook of Ideas (usefully re-named your Silly Book to encourage you to put everything down, not just the logical things). Also prepare your Scene Sheets: a page for each scene so that anything pertaining to that bit of the script can be jotted down along the way.

Read the Script

Take notes as you go. At the end of the reading, write out your instant phrase in your Notebook of Ideas that sums up what the script/episode is about. Also, at all stages of reading the script, jot down any idea—especially ones that seem silly—in your Notebook. Many of these will turn out to be of great value, since they are your instinctive rather than logical reactions to the words you are reading. If there is anything you do not understand—ASK. Once in an edit, my producer asked me what the actor had just said. I didn’t know the word but thought it was a technical term that the character would use—it turned out to be a typo, missed by the script editor, the actor and the director (and a necessary re-shoot: oops!)

Add Tabs to the Edge of the Pages

Go through the script, adding a tab to each scene, so you can easily and quickly get to any scene you want when studying the script. If really keen, you can also colour each tab according to the location (all the scenes in the Pub could be yellow, for instance, making it easy for you to check all Pub scenes for any particular reason). Write the number of the scene on both sides of the tab, as when you are looking for a scene you will want to be able to find it quickly.

Prepare the Location Chart

Read through the script to prepare the chart, noting down how many locations there are, how long each scene will be in that location and any problems that the location may pose. This allows you to see where the weight of the filming will be. This is useful for when a location manager or Line Producer gives you a schedule of what you are filming and when, and you can check back with this chart to make sure that your own understanding of what will take extra time and what will not is matched by those preparing the schedule.

Prepare the Actor Chart

As you go through the script, note down where each character appears so you can create an overall pattern for the entire script. This is useful to see who interacts with whom and where. This also helps when an actor asks, “Where do I next appear?” It is a good tip to put down the time of day ACCORDING TO THE SCRIPT for each scene, as many hands might have contributed to the final script, and illogicalities (such as someone returning with groceries only ten minutes after leaving the house) are not unknown. It also allows you to alert actors as to how long they have had to get to the scene from where they last were in the script—do they arrive out of breath or lazily enter with a cup of coffee?

Make the Prop List

Go through the script carefully, noting down what particular properties you may require for each scene. Put these onto your individual scene sheets. Especially note down any that may take extra money or time to acquire.

Do Your Costume and Makeup Notes

Go through each scene, making any notes (onto the scene sheet?) that occur to you about costumes and makeup. In particular, note down anything that may add time to the shoot—such as the use of a prosthesis, blood or someone washing hair on camera (and so taking an hour and a half in the makeup chair for the hair to get back to “normal”).

Start Planning the Extras List

Go through the script to note down where your extras will appear; start to note down what type of extra you would like: what age, characterisation, costume or activity that would contrast with or echo the action going on in the scene. These extras are a wonderful way of sharing with your audience what you feel about a scene, and asking for a group of teenagers is no more expensive than asking for any other group, such as senior citizens, builders or even nuns.

Make the Shot Complication List

Go through the script carefully to note down which scenes may attract a particularly difficult shot, with extra complexity such as a track or a crane or Steadicam—anything at all that would add texture and complication (and time) to your shoot. Note down anything out of the ordinary, such as wanting to pull focus, the use of a very long zoom lens, filming in/on a moving car, etc., that will be needed to alert the DOP so that they can hire the equipment in (or tell you the budget will not allow this).

Compile Your Scene Sheets

Apart from the above-mentioned lists, prepare a scene sheet if you have not already done so, which is one page dealing with each scene, and on this sheet put all the props, extras and technical complications, as well as any idea that you may have had about the scene. This is enormously useful when you have your meetings with the different departments, as you can just go through your scene sheets rather than leafing through the entire script trying to find your notes.

Find a Theme

Now give a theme to each scene and write it down on the sheet. It can vary from the mundane Hello to the Alison character to the profound The problems of existence come crashing down on Henry’s head.

Read the Script Through Once Again

Read it simply, with all the knowledge you have gleaned from creating your lists, noting down any new thoughts in your Notebook of Idea...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Half Title
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Preface
• Acknowledgements and Thanks
• Introduction
• 1 Preparation
• 2 Planning the Shoot
• 3 Screen Grammar
• 4 Telling Stories With Pictures
• 5 Planning the Shots
• 6 Planning the Sequences and Staging
• 7 Working With Actors
• 8 Working With Crew and Staff
• 9 On Set
• 10 Post Production
• 11 That’s a Wrap!
• Appendix: Useful Lists
• Bibliography
• Index of Films: With Director(s) and Year
• General Index
• Biography
• Notes