Directing. Film techniques and aesthetics. 5th, rev. ed

531 Pages·2013·11.588 MB·English

by  Rabiger

DIRECTING
FILM TECHNIQUES
AND
AESTHETICS
Fifth Edition
DIRECTING
FILM TECHNIQUES
AND
AESTHETICS
Fifth Edition
Michael Rabiger
Mick Hurbis-Cherrier
Illustrated by Gustavo Mercado
f
Focal Press
Taylor & Francis Group
NEW YORK AND LONDON
First published 2013
by Focal Press
70 Blanchard Road, Suite 402, Burlington, MA 01803
Simultaneously published in the UK
by Focal Press
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
Focal Press is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2013 Michael Rabiger, Mick Hurbis-Cherrier.
The right of Michael Rabiger and Mick Hurbis-Cherrier to be identifi ed as authors of this work has been
asserted by them 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.
N otices
Knowledge and best practice in this fi eld are constantly changing. As new research and experience broaden
our understanding, changes in research methods, professional practices, or medical treatment may become
necessary.
Practitioners and researchers must always rely on their own experience and knowledge in evaluating and
using any information, methods, compounds, or experiments described herein. In using such information or
methods they should be mindful of their own safety and the safety of others, including parties for whom they
have a professional responsibility.
Product or corporate names may be trademarks or registered trademarks, and are used only for identifi cation
and explanation without intent to infringe.
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Rabiger, Michael.
Directing : fi lm techniques and aesthetics / Michael Rabiger, Mick Hurbis-Cherrier.—5th ed.
p. cm.
Includes index.
1. Motion pictures—Production and direction. 2. Motion pictures--Aesthetics. I. Hurbis-Cherrier,
Mick. II. Title.
PN1995.9.P7R26 2013
791.4302(cid:2)33—dc23 2012027180
ISBN: 978-0-240-81845-0 (pbk)
ISBN: 978-0-203-07238-7 (ebk)

Typeset in Sabon LT Std
by MPS Limited, Chennai, India
www.adi-mps.com
M. Rabiger
To Lewis, Netta, Alma, Lauren, Freya, Jessica,
Olivia, and Helena with much love.
M. Hurbis-Cherrier
To Jay Roman and Joel Zuker: colleagues,
mentors, and friends.
CONTENTS
Introduction xxiii
PART 1: THE DIRECTOR AND ARTISTIC IDENTITY
1 THE WORLD OF THE FILM DIRECTOR 3
Cinema Art and You 3
The Director 4
Who Directs 4
Basic Responsibilities and Personal Traits 4
Leadership: Collaboration and Vision 6
Art, Identity, and Competitiveness 7
Identifying Your Themes 9
Identity, Belief, and Vision 10
Temperament Affects Vision 12
Find Your Life Issues 12
Subjects to Avoid 14
Displace and Transform 15
The Artistic Process 16
2 DEVELOPING YOUR PATH AS A DIRECTOR 19
Starting Out 19
Short Films or Features? 20
Working within Small Budgets and Limitations 22
The Good News 26
The Bad News 26
The Director and Technology 28
viii CONTENTS
PART 2: THE STORY AND ITS DEVELOPMENT
3 ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS OF DRAMA 33
Duality and Confl ict 33
Defi ning Confl ict 34
Elements of Confl ict and Action 36
The Objectives and Throughlines 36
The Stakes 37
The Obstacles 38
Action and Character 38
From Story to Dramatic Narrative 39
4 SHAPING THE STORY INTO DRAMA 41
Shaping the Story into Drama 41
The Beat 41
Dramatic Units 42
Dramatic Unit and Beat Analysis 44
The Dramatic Arc 48
Levels of Action 49
The Three-Act Structure 49
The Three-Act Structure Caveat 52
Essentials of Dramatization I: Making the Internal Visible 52
Essentials of Dramatization II: Questions and Revelations 53
5 PLOT, TIME, AND STRUCTURE 55
What is Plot? 55
Cause and Effect 56
Flow and Inevitability 57
Character-Driven and Plot-Driven Stories 57
Organizing Time 59
Where to Begin and End 59
Options for Organizing Time 60
Structure 67
Premise and Theme 69
Short Films and Story Scale 70
Short Films and Flexibility 71
PART 3: THE DIRECTOR AND THE SCRIPT
6 SCREENPLAY GROUND RULES 75
The Writer is the Writer, not the Director 75
Choosing What is Right for You 76
Screenplay Stages 76
Standard Screenplay Formatting 78
CONTENTS ix
7 RECOGNIZING THE SUPERIOR SCREENPLAY 81
Script Language and Technique 81
Stage Directions 81
Dialogue and Personal Directions 82
First Assessment 83
Getting Specifi c with Margin Notes 84
Assessing Cinematic Qualities 84
How is the Story Told? 84
Integrity of Characters and Motives 84
Uncover Character Subtext 85
Metaphoric Detail 86
Checking the Embedded Values 87
Viability and Working within limitations 90
Determine the Story Givens 90
Determine Project Resources 91
Viability and Safety Issues 91
Working Within Limitations 91
8 SCRIPT ANALYSIS AND DEVELOPMENT 93
Collapsing the Screenplay for Analysis 93
Analyzing Plot and Story Logic 95
Subjective or Open Point of View 97
Character Development 98
Static and Dynamic Character Defi nition 98
Character and Voice 99
Development 99
Internal Through-Line 101
Character Analysis 101
Establishing Character 102
Dialogue and Verbal Action 102
Verbal Action 104
Replacing Dialogue with Action 105
Testing Dialogue 106
Checking Exposition 106
Assessing Environmental Detail 108
Locations 108
Sound 109
Inviting a Critical Response 109
Incorporating Criticism 110
Assess and Reassess 111
x CONTENTS
PART 4: AUTHORSHIP AND AESTHETICS
9 CINEMATIC POINT OF VIEW 115
Telling Stories on Film 115
Point of View in Literature 116
Point of View in Film 117
Central Character, One Point of View 117
Implied Character POV 118
Subjective Character POV 118
Multiple Characters, Multiple POVs 119
The Director’s POV: From Concerned Observer to Storyteller 121
Observer into Storyteller 122
Audience POV 124
POV is Like Russian Dolls 124
Planning a Point of View 124
10 FORM AND STYLE 125
The Storyteller’s Vision 126
Visual Design 126
Sound Design 128
Performance Style 130
Editorial Style 130
Rhythmic Design 133
Directorial Style 133
11 TONE: NATURALISTIC AND STYLIZED APPROACHES 135
Genre and Style 135
Naturalism 137
Stylization 140
Distancing and Suspending Disbelief 143
PART 5: A DIRECTOR’S SCREEN GRAMMAR
12 FILM LANGUAGE 147
Film Language and Storytelling 148
The Shot and Mise-En-Scène 149
Creating Complex Meaning in an Image 150
The Edit and Montage 152
Cinematic Space and Time 154
Authorial Point of View 154
13 THE FRAME AND THE SHOT 155
Compositional Axes of the Frame 155
Essential Principles of Composition 156
CONTENTS xi
Closed and Open Frames 156
Deep Frames, Shallow Frames 157
Balanced and Unbalanced Frames 158
The Rule of Thirds 158
Camera Height 159
Common Shot Sizes 160
Shot Selection 162
14 THE MOVING CAMERA 165
Camera Movements from a Fixed Position 165
Dynamic Camera Movements 167
Motivating the Moving Camera 172
15 LANGUAGE OF THE EDIT 175
Shots in Juxtaposition 175
Juxtaposing Sound and Image 177
The Continuity System 178
The Basic Shots of Master Scene Technique 179
The Six Principles of Continuity Editing 181
Not Just for Two People 184
Visual Point of View 185
Storytelling Style and Coverage 186
Movement and Screen Direction 187
Changing Screen Direction 187
Editing and Time Compression 190
Real Time and Expanded Time 191
Shot Duration, Information and Perception 192
16 THE HUMAN VANTAGE OF CINEMATIC LANGUAGE 195
Human Vantage 195
The Concerned Observer and the Storyteller 196
Confl ict, Attention, and the Concerned Observer 196
The Actor, the Acted-Upon 197
Different Angles on the Same Action 197
Abstraction 198
Subjectivity and Objectivity 198
Sequence and Memory 199
Screen Language in Summary 199
The Filmmaker and Research 200
The Filmmaker and Practice 200
PART 6: PREPRODUCTION
17 EXPLORING THE SCRIPT 203
Interpreting the Script 203