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June 02, 2005
Block, Light, Rehearse, Shoot
If you happen to have the chance to watch a film being shot, maybe like this, it might look as if you’re watching paint dry… but in fact there are any number of things going on, and if you don’t know what to look for, you could miss it. If you look closely, you could see blocking, lighting, rehearsing, shooting, “turning around”, “moving on” or wrapping… but in this post, I’m going to focus on blocking, lighting, rehearsing and shooting… the foundation that makes up a working film set.
Orchestrating all of the different people and departments that it takes to make a film is very difficult work. The grips, electrics and set dressers don’t want to get in the way of the actors, make-up and hair people and vice versa. That being said, the protocol of “Block, Light, Rehearse, Shoot” helps to keep this orchestration flowing.
Blocking
Blocking happens when the director, actors and DP (Director of Photography) first enter a location or stage. As a director, I want my actors to inhabit the space, make it their own and find their “business” that they are going to perform during the scene. Based on their decisions and blocking, I decide where I want to put the camera and how I want the composition of the shot to look. Once this is decided, the actors leave the set and…
Lighting
…we then move on to lighting. This is when the DP tells his Gaffer (in charge of lighting and power distribution) and Key Grip (in charge of safety, rigging and shading) where he wants the camera and how he wants to light the scene. Sometimes lighting a scene can take two, three, four hours or more depending on the complexity of the shot… thus when non-film people watch filming, it can look like watching paint dry. Also during this time, set dressers move all of the pieces of furniture on the set to match what is being shot and the continuity of what was shot before. This is the labor intensive part of shooting. From here…
Rehearsing
…when the lighting, set dressing and camera position are set, the actors come back onto set to rehearse the scene. The rehearsals are not only for the actors but for the boom operator, focus puller, dolly grip, DP and others to get their movement down to pull off what is required in this specific shot. When everyone is pleased with their respective roles and all issues have been resolved…
Shooting
…we shoot. This is when you see the slate move in front of the camera and the director yelling “action” and “cut”… the fun part… actually, it’s all fun, you just need to know what to look for.
I am grateful for the DP that explained this format to me as it helps immensely when orchestrating, there’s that word again, all of the moving parts that make up a film set. No matter if you’re shooting a no budget indie or a blockbuster… work like the pros… Block then Light then Rehearse then Shoot… your crew will thank you for it and believe that you know what you’re doing. EB
Posted by ethan at June 2, 2005 03:14 PM
