Film Directing Fundamentals, 4th Edition

Chapter 4Staging

Unlike the theater, we are not staging (also called blocking) for a proscenium, which has the audience outside of it. Nor are we staging for a theater in which the audience surrounds the action in two-, three-, or four-sided arenas or might actually sit on the stage. In each of these cases each member of the audience has but one point of view from a static position. In film, we are staging for an audience that can be anywhere because the camera can be anywhere. Therefore, as you become more visually proficient, you will move toward an integration of staging and camera. Often you will visualize a shot, then stage the action to get it. However, for teaching the craft of staging, I have found it best to keep it as a separate process—just ...