(Reading) Recommendations for Camera Blocking / Scene Design

[Hanno Mertin]

Hi everyone,

in my film school I am learning a lot, but yet none of my cinematography teachers have talked about “rules” for camera blocking / scene design for classic yet complicated staging of actors. For example in the podcast episode with Editor Lisa Churgin she talked about a “rule” for how to shoot a triangle staging of actors having an interaction of some kind, like a dialogue – something that comes up all the time. Paraphrasing a bit, but Mrs Churgin said, “youre either in the triangle or you are out of the triangle", and Slawomir Idziak had mixed both "in" and "out" during the movie 'Gattaca' - she said it didnt cut together so they had to reshoot it.

At my film school, the directors most often expect me (a cinematography student) to be aware of such “rules” on how to cover a scene, from simple one-on-one to complex table group interactions. So this comment from Mrs Churgin sparked my interest because that seems like a “rule” one should know ahead of time. I am aware of the importance of eyelines, the 180 deg rule and controlling “looking space” in the composition of a frame, I assume those all play into these kind of situations and are the foundation of it all. I wondered if there are more of these kind of “rules” (a term not to be taken too seriously but still very fitting for what was described in the episode). So if anyone has a recommendation for how to study simple to complex camera blocking situations, either in the form of a book, articles, videos or maybe even movie scenes that show various blocking situations, I highly appreciate your input.

Thanks guys!
All the best
Hanno

@hannomertin
Cinematography Student | Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg

Topic

[Hanno Mertin]

Oh sorry, something got messed up with the formating there I guess

@hannomertin
Cinematography Student | Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg

[Roger Deakins]

I learnt through shooting documentaries and from watching films. I would suggest watching the masters of camera blocking: Melville, Tarkovsky, Bresson, Goddard, Huston, Wilder, Kirosawa ….. Study a film, a good example would be Army of Shadows, and try to understand why Melville moves the camera in one scene and shoots with a locked off camera for another. When and why he crosses the line. Why he uses a long series of seemingly simple shots to build up an event or simply cuts from one event to another with no connecting tissue. Why he holds a shot for an extended length of time or uses a rapid montage – etc.

[Hanno Mertin]

Yes Sir, will do. Luckily my film school has a fairly extensive library of films 🙂 thanks for taking the time.

@hannomertin
Cinematography Student | Filmakademie Baden-Wuerttemberg

[rama lingam]

Master Roger I am just wondering Why he holds a shot for an extended length of time in ‘army of shadows’ Nazi marching opening scene?

[CarlZand]

I love all of those filmmakers Roger mentions. I was born in 1976, living in the north of México, in one of the most dangerous cities in the world, and I am a film buff (that is and has been my safety route); I have learned more about the human condition with those masters. Huston, Ozu, Melville, Bresson, Cassavetes, Buñuel. and the list goes on…

Other art forms like music, painting; just observing ordinary life, really, has had a major impact in how I understand films and life. That has played a major role. For instance, I am an amateur street/still photographer, and when it comes to writing, one book: “In the Blink of an Eye,” by the great Walter Murch, has been a big landmark for me when it comes to writing. It is a book about film editing, but, the soul of the conversation applies to storytelling and intuition, with a heart. Look it up.

There is always some new experience in many art forms of expression to learn from. So, thank you for this forum and let´s keep the ball rolling. Cheers to all of you.

 

[Stip]

I like the book series “Master Shots” by Christopher Kenworthy.

It’s more of a picture book, analysing scenes from famous films, directors and DPs, all organised by themes. It’s a very practical tool, basically showing you ways how some of the masters went about specific scenes/tasks (e.g. a dialogue between two people with changing power-dynamics, ways to reveal something ect).

I never found myself copying something, it just inspires and helps to find your own solution when stuck.

[thegjuka]

Hello Hanno,

The book you are looking for is Film Directing: Shot by Shot, written by Steven D. Katz. In one chapter alone,  he presents 10 variations on staging for dialogue.

[Roger Deakins]

I think the only real rule is ‘if it feels right’. It is hard to cut two close up shots together, of people talking to each other, if the characters are looking to the same side of camera. But that said, I see it all the time. Sometimes it doesn’t bother me but more usually it does. You can take this basic fact and expand it to a three shot or an over the shoulder and on. But, take two people in a doorway. You can’t always physically put the camera over the ‘right’ shoulder but it can work. A straight reverse. It feels right.

[Author]

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