Table Of Content

Aesthetics of Film Production Exploring aesthetic decision-making skills through active, critical interpretation of the screenplay, this book investigates the ways flmmakers translate a screenplay into a pow- erful flm. Guiding the reader through the formal choices a flmmaker makes, this book encompasses all aspects of the flmmaking process, including directing, acting, cinematography, lighting, production design, sound, and editing. Author Joyce illustrates how to apply aesthetics in a way that encourages creative think- ing and stylistic choices, while emphasizing the importance of active decision-making to foreground the screenplay in the flmmaking process. Focusing on how flms should be crafted stylistically from beat to beat, the book provides tangible footholds to assist flmmakers with the aesthetic decision-making process, empowering flmmakers to create flms to resonate emotionally and intellectually. Ideal for students of flmmaking and aspiring flmmakers looking to train their gut and hone their creative and aesthetic decision-making in the flmmaking process. Additional online screenplay samples show how one singular story can be told with diferent emphasis and narrative perspectives. James B. Joyce is an Associate Professor at Cleveland State University, covering foun- dational production courses through senior capstone productions with a philosophy of emphasizing a synthetic relationship between content and craft. Currently, James is in preproduction for two short flms and is writing his second feature-length screenplay. Aesthetics of Film Production A Hands-On Guide to Authorial Voice James B. Joyce Cover image: Teresa Keserich First published 2023 by Routledge 4 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN and by Routledge 605 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10158 Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business © 2023 James B. Joyce The right of James B. Joyce to be identified as author of this work has been asserted in accordance with sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publishers. Trademark notice: Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation without intent to infringe. British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Joyce, James B., author. Title: Aesthetics of film production: a hands-on guide to authorial voice / James B. Joyce. Description: Abingdon, Oxon; New York, NY: Routledge, 2023. | Includes index. Identifiers: LCCN 2022021085 (print) | LCCN 2022021086 (ebook) | ISBN 9780367638337 (hardback) | ISBN 9780367638320 (paperback) | ISBN 9781003120896 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Motion pictures—Production and direction. | Motion pictures—Aesthetics. Classification: LCC PN1995.9.P7 J68 2022 (print) | LCC PN1995.9.P7 (ebook) | DDC 791.4301—dc23/eng/20220510 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022021085 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2022021086 ISBN: 978-0-367-63833-7 (hbk) ISBN: 978-0-367-63832-0 (pbk) ISBN: 978-1-003-12089-6 (ebk) DOI: 10.4324/9781003120896 Typeset in Bembo by codeMantra Access the Support Material: www.routledge.com/9780367638320 This book would never exist without Dr. Paul Monaco’s support. Paul taught thousands of students all the while encouraging them with honest curiosity and a gentle humor. He also demanded their best work and provided actionable feedback. As my mentor, I can ask for no better. Contents Preface ix 1 Aesthetics 1 2 Respecting the Audience 8 3 Story and Character 15 4 Critical Script Analysis for Technical and Aesthetic Decision-Making 24 5 Training Your Gut 33 6 Developing an Evolving Aesthetic 39 7 Engaging and Surprising Characters 44 8 Applying Active Characters 57 9 What’s Your Point (of View)? 62 10 Synthesis 71 11 Post-Production Begins in Pre-Production 79 12 Cinematography Without a Camera 85 13 Understanding the Importance of Diegesis in Sound Design 94 14 The Long Listen… and Other Editing Structures 103 15 The Director’s Responsibilities to the Actor: Consider Your Childhood Play 108 viii Contents 16 Final Footholds: your Call to Action 116 Appendix A: Character Analysis Sheet 121 Appendix B: Questions to Train Your Gut 126 Appendix C: Sample Marked-Up Script 128 Appendix D: Sample-Implied Narrator Perspectives 130 Index 179 Preface An Intermediate, Hands-On Approach to Becoming a Better Storyteller Filmmaking means making decisions twenty-four times a second. At least. Some decisions feel like gut reactions, and others will cause emotional turmoil. Some will appear “obvious” and some will surprise. What should strike the most fear in a storyteller’s heart really is the idea that some decisions are not active decisions at all. An active decision derives from selecting a choice that best serves the script (text and sub- text) as well as the audience at this particular moment in the script. Everything in flmmaking should be acknowledged as a choice. From con- cepts through stylization to the technical decisions—everything should refect the audience’s needs to know what happens on the textual and subtextual levels. This book focuses on a narrow portion of flmmaking: the decision-making process. It presumes a working understanding of how to physically produce a flm. Finishing a flm is the easiest part, even if it does not feel that way from time to time. Protocols and technical responsibilities ofer clear answers to many questions, but they rarely encour- age a compelling, visceral storytelling experience for audiences. “How do I successfully record media on this camera?” has a right and wrong answer. “What should we shoot next?” typically has little value or impact on audiences. Asking oneself, “What would make this moment clear to the audience?” is signif- icantly more nuanced, with few obvious answers. At least, without knowing which questions best provide a clear answer. “What addresses or implies what the character thinks or feels and how can I use that to shape audience experience at this moment?” provides a more complete experience. Introductory flm courses begin with nuts and bolts of production as well as the barest outlines of story structure. This text picks addresses what comes after understanding flm conventions and technical procedures. It addresses the why of decision-making. Though a tiny portion of the whole process of making a flm, it has the greatest impact in making a compelling flm. It shifts attention from getting a flm done to telling a memorable story, one that audiences fondly revisit over and over. In particular, this book considers two things: (1) who does the decision-making process serve and (2) what is the bedrock for making great decisions? Decisions will not serve the actor, camera operator, or even the director1. Deci- sions best refect what the audience needs right now and considers the ways that content 1 Or the director’s ego.