Broadcast/Video Production II

 Objectives ◦ Identify the director’s responsibilities in each phase of production ◦ List qualities common to good directors

 Important Terms ◦ Audition ◦ Cast Breakdown by Scene ◦ Dry Run ◦ Scene Breakdown by Cast ◦ Script Breakdown ◦ Slate ◦ Take ◦ Take Log

 The Director’s Role in Pre-Production ◦ Script breakdowns ◦ Auditions ◦ Pre-production meetings

 The Director’s Role in Pre-Production ◦ Organization is key ◦ Director must make things happen ◦ Teamwork is crucial ◦ Taking on too much leads to mediocrity

 Script Breakdown: the process of analyzing the script from many different perspectives ◦ End result is a well organized and efficient production ◦ Allows the director to answer production questions and develop a realistic production schedule

 Script Breakdown ◦ Cast Breakdown by Scene: a listing of the program’s cast members that indicates the scene numbers in which they appear ◦ Scene Breakdown by Cast: a listing of each scene number in a program with all the cast members needed for each scene

Cast Breakdown by Scene John: 2, 5, 6, 7, 12, 14 Mary: 2, 4, 5, 6, 9, 10 Eric: 1, 3, 15 Mike: 1, 3, 15 Susan: 4, 8, 10, 11 Extras: 13, 15

Scene Breakdown by Cast 1–Eric, Mike 2- John, Mary 3-Eric, Mike 4-Mary, Susan 5-John, Mary 6-John, Mary 7-John 8-Susan

Scene Breakdown by Cast 9–Mary 10- Mary, Susan 11-Susan 12-John 13-Extras 14-John 15-Eric, Mike, Extras

 Script Breakdown ◦ Cast Breakdown by Scene  Tells cast where they need to be ◦ Scene Breakdown by Cast  Tells production staff if all necessary cast is present when shooting each scene  Used by the production assistant to remind performers when and where to be for the next day’s shoot

 Audition: the process by which a director makes casting decisions for a program by watching and listening to prospective performers

 In an audition, the Director ◦ Decides if a performer is capable of portraying the role he is casting ◦ Must be objective ◦ Listens to talent’s voice quality ◦ Tests talent’s ability to follow stage directions ◦ Should be in another room watching talent on a monitor because this is how the audience will see him or her ◦ Should never cast a good friend

 Auditions ◦ Directors are stuck with their casting decisions ◦ After shooting starts, an actor can be fired, but each scene that actor was in must be re-shot with the replacement performer

 Rehearsals ◦ Director holds rehearsals with cast ◦ As cast becomes proficient with the script, the cast attends rehearsals

 The Director Coordinates: ◦ Schedules ◦ Equipment ◦ Rehearsals ◦ Cast ◦ Crew

 The Director’s Role in Production ◦ Dry Run, or Camera Rehearsal: a practice session of scenes in a program that includes the talent, technical director, audio engineer, camera operators, and director  Costumes and makeup are not worn  Tape is not run  Studio lights are not turned on  TD practices camera switching

 The Director’s Role in Production ◦ When satisfied with the Dry Run, the Director calls for the actual shoot to begin ◦ Performers get into costume and makeup ◦ Crew readies the lights and other equipment

 The Director’s Role in Production ◦ During the actual shoot, the director  Always uses correct terminology in order to gain respect and to communicate efficiently  Uses a memorized start-up sequence of commands to start the program to combat nervousness or stress that lead to crucial mistakes

 The Director’s Role in Production ◦ During the actual shoot, the director  Always uses correct terminology in order to gain respect and to communicate efficiently  Uses a memorized start-up sequence of commands to start the program to combat nervousness or stress that lead to crucial mistakes

 The Director’s Role in Production ◦ Multiple Takes  Take: a term that identifies each time an individual scene is shot

 The Director’s Role in Production ◦ Multiple Takes  Planned to capture different angles  May be necessary due to a mistake made by the talent or crew, which causes the director to yell “Cut!”  Each scene should be retaken until three “good” takes are recorded  It is better to have a choice than to come up short in the editing room

 The Director’s Role in Production ◦ Multiple Takes  Never move on to another scene until the takes of the current scene are acceptable  When shooting of the scene is complete, rewind the tape and view the shots and takes of the scene  This additional time is justified and will prevent having to gather all the crew, talent, sets, props, and equipment to re-shoot weeks later

 The Director’s Role in Production ◦ Multiple Takes  The slate is very important  Slate: a board or page that is held in front of the camera noting the scene number, the take number, and several other pieces information about the scene being shot  For example, if mistakes made 5 times in Scene 5, the sixth take is slated as “Scene 5, Take 6.”

 The Director’s Role in Production ◦ Multiple Takes  Hold the slate in front of the camera for at least 10 seconds, but not more than 15 seconds  Then the countdown begins to initiate action on the set and to cue the performers

 The Director’s Role in Production ◦ Multiple Takes  Take Log: a written list of each scene and take number that have been shot and recorded on a particular tape – also called a shot log  When the performance of a scene is acceptable to the director, the take is circled on the log  Later, the director can scan directly to the beginning of the good take; instead of viewing all of the bad takes

 The Director’s Role in Post-Production ◦ Editing, adding music, scene transitions, sound effects, special effects, titles – referred to as “post” ◦ Trying to fix substandard shots in post- production is a terrible mistake because it can become so time-consuming that the cost is not within the budget ◦ The best solution is to plan and shoot the scenes correctly during production

 Start Something You Can Actually Finish ◦ Keep the program short; a dynamic 5-7 minute minutes vs. boring 30 minutes ◦ Keep it simple to reduce the chance for mechanical or human failure ◦ A small crew reduces complications; more people equals higher probability for failure ◦ Have a realistic budget proportional to the budget and scale the production for success, not disappointment

 Start Something You Can Actually Finish ◦ Be a professional; treat people with respect, provide plenty of reminders of scheduling, have maps and phone numbers available for everyone ◦ Be organized and do not waste anyone’s time ◦ Keep contact information for clients and cast members in order to communicate quickly and efficiently – to include address, home number, business phone, cell phone, pager number, and addresses

 Start Something You Can Actually Finish ◦ Keep an eye on the big picture; do not spend excessive time getting one small scene perfect, while sacrificing the time necessary to complete the entire show

 Being an Effective Director ◦ A good director:  Is not the dictator of the production  Takes the initiative to do whatever it takes to successfully complete the program  Knows the capabilities of the equipment and makes the most of available resources, instead of complaining about what is not available  Maintains an even temper in front of the cast and crew

 Being an Effective Director ◦ A good director:  Gives only constructive criticism when instructing the talent or crew  Is part artist and part technician  Knows the responsibilities of each crew member  Uses knowledge and experience to develop effective interpersonal relationships with the production staff

 Being an Effective Director ◦ A good director:  Delegates tasks, rather than trying to do everything personally  Is well-organized, almost to a fault  Realizes that making final decisions is his responsibility

 Wrapping Up ◦ The best directors have come up through the ranks and have held almost every production staff job along the way ◦ All of that experience is called upon throughout the production process ◦ A director can influence attitudes, emotions, and actions of the audience using visual media ◦ A good sense of ethics helps the director to be unbiased when presenting information

 Wrapping Up ◦ Having a well-rounded education in geography, history, and political science is beneficial for a director ◦ Always watch television programs and film productions to see what the professional do and how they do it ◦ Notice how a director makes a particular scene exciting

 Wrapping Up ◦ As you direct more programs, you will begin to develop your own style ◦ Meanwhile, work as often as possible in all of the technical positions ◦ Experience in each position will lead to success in future projects and responsibilities

 The End!!!