Blocking and Rhythm

[LucaM]

I was wondering about the relationship among the blocking of the scene in production and the rhythm of it in the final editing.

For example, among the countless amazing shots in Roger’s career, i really love two shots that seem to me so perfectly coreographed that i keep on wondering how they were created. One is the scene in The Village in which Lucius grabs Ivy’s hand and run with her in the cellar. The other one is the scene of the death of Jesse James. Not the most challenging scenes perhaps (i mean, i suppose the blocking of 1917 was more complex than a quantum physics theorem) , but i find that in both scenes everything is so perfectly timed – the actors movement, the camera movement, the soundtrack – that they do seem a dance coreography. Simple scenes, but perfect. I noticed that in a movie the shots that really struck me are the ones with great coordination among actors and camera. I love light but i’m attracted by movement (or lack of).  I’ve read that Sergio Leone said to Kubrick that in Once Upon the Time in the West (i hope to remember which  movie the article was about) created such a coordination by recording the soundtrack before the shot and shooting it while listening to the soundtrack (or something like that). Of course, in every movie the final goal is to make everything come together to create an armony, but i’ve always loved how beautiful, simple and natural those two scenes i was talking about are.

So, my question is if those scenes were blocked and shot with such an effect in mind and, in general, if this armony of movements depends more on the blocking of the scene or on the rhythm created by the editing.

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[Roger Deakins]

I would say it is a combination of what is shot and editing. The balance can vary between a film that is tightly storyboarded or worked out in a blocking rehearsal and one for which alternative coverage is provided.

Both the scenes you mention were conceived prior to the start of shooting. The Village was entirely storyboarded and our shots were almost exactly as we had planned. Jesse James was also pre planned (a shot list rather than complete storyboards) but some shots we added as we worked with the actors.

[LucaM]

Thanks for your reply, Roger!

The Jesse James scene inspired me for the blocking of a scene in one of the shorts i’m working on (this in particular is a little school project, actually). I loved the crossing movements of Jesse and Robert and it suggested me how to make my scene a bit more interesting, moving the characters in two different diagonals across the room.  A great plan, with a nice storyboard, a shot list, etc etc.

Too bad that everything went downhill because of a series of unexpected problems and so goodbye to my great planned shot. I found an alternative on the spot but i hope to use that crossing movement somewhere else, it’s simple but beautiful and effective.

[Author]

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