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Hello all!
I have a production for a short film coming up in a little under a year, so I’m just now starting pre-pre-production, basically.
One of my favorite directors is Stanley Kubrick, so I like to look at his work and learn from it, whether that’s his films, his photography, behind-the-scenes of his productions, etc.
Something interesting that I learned about Stanley Kubrick is that he didn’t like to have a lot of the cinematography planned out beforehand; he liked coming up with a lot of shots on set because he felt that it was more creative, and it allowed him to find unique shots/compositions that he wouldn’t have found if he already had the whole scene planned out.
I found this very interesting, and I wanted to try it out on my upcoming short film, but I want to hear the opinion of other directors/cinematographers first. Is this beneficial, and have you done this before for a film – if so, how did it go? Should I edge away from this Stanley Kubrick method of cinematography and stick to more common practices of having all of my shots planned out beforehand? Should I settle for something in the middle – or is there something I haven’t even considered at all yet?
I’d love to hear all of your thoughts. Thank you!
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I’m a cinematographer turned director. I think this is personal preference and also depends on the story/project imo. For me, having a plan is what enables me to get creative on set, not the other way around. Kubrick was a special talent.
Having a safety net is what allows me, and others, to get creative on set. The lack of it usually does the opposite in my experience.
What I like to do is get as much time as possible on location before shooting starts. Either make a basic storyboard then or in the coming days, with the location in your head. Then on the day of shooting you’ll have a plan everyone can follow, a safety net if things get hectic, that will enable you to stay open to spontaneous input from actors, DP, yourself ect.
Kubrick had very, very long shooting schedules planned and then he usually went over schedule. He spent five days shooting the final push in on the photograph for “The Shining”… and then a week later spent a few more days reshooting it! He also did extensive lighting tests of every set during production — on “Full Metal Jacket” he spent a week lighting and testing the bathroom for the night scene when R. Lee Ermey is killed. Most of us don’t have that luxury. Being well-organized with pre-planning doesn’t exclude the possibility of coming up with new ideas on set.
Bottom line is do your homework. Plan carefully. Shot list or storyboard. Then be open to any new ideas on the set if they are correct for the movie and you can quickly plan your coverage and editing around the new approach. Don’t rely on being an improvisational genius on the shooting day, winging it with no advanced planning.
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