Directing - The Fine Arts of Blocking and Composition
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- čas přidán 25. 05. 2015
- When it comes to directing, one set of skills that always separates the wheat from the chaff, are the fine arts of blocking and composition. They're the extra punch in selling great performances, and reeling your audience in. In this video, I look at what makes and breaks great directing, through clever staging and camera movement.
Turn on the captions if you want to know what films the footage onscreen is from.
For educational purposes only.
Films used (in order of appearance):
Fallen Angels - c.1995 - dir Wong Kar-Wai
Guardians of the Galaxy - c. 2014 - dir James Gunn
Super8 - c. 2011 - dir J.J. Abrams
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol - c. 2011 - dir Brad Bird
Close Encounters of the Third Kind - c. 1977 - dir Steven Spielberg
In The Mood For Love - c. 2000 - dir Wong Kar-Wai
Unforgiven - c. 1992 - dir Clint Eastwood
High and Low - c. 1960 - dir Akira Kurosawa
The Iron Giant - c. 1999 - dir Brad Bird
Taken 2 - c. 2011 - dir A Dog that just licked a Lime (Olivier Megaton)
Jaws - c. 1975 - dir Steven Spielberg
The Bourne Ultimatum - c. 2007 - dir Paul Greengrass
Snowpiercer - c. 2013 - dir Bong Joon-ho
Haywire - c. 2011 - dir Steven Soderbergh
13 Assassins - c. 2010 - dir Takashi Miike
Gone Girl - c. 2014 - dir David Fincher
Cure - c. 1997 - dir Kiyoshi Kurosawa
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy - c. 2011 - dir Tomas Alfredson
Animal Kingdom - c. 2010 - dir David Michôd
Songs used:
Yumeji's Theme - Shigeru Umebayashi
What A Difference A Day Makes - Dinah Washington
There's another song at the start that comes from the footage of Fallen Angels, but i cant seem to find a source for it. If anyone knows, share it with me and I'll credit it here.
This video is for comparative review purposes only and is protected under section 107 of the Copyright Act, which states: "the fair use of a copyrighted work, including such use by reproduction in copies or phonorecords or by any other means specified by that section, for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching (including multiple copies for classroom use), scholarship, or research, is not an infringement of copyright."
3:58 'The camera motivates the action, rather than the action motivating the camera...which is why it looks fake'- Brilliantly put!
He's right and wrong at the same time IMO. Amazing video, but, those two shots are not necessarily wrong or fake. If you know the dogs are coming, then the camera should? follow them and end with the reaction of the policeman. And the door to the broken car. It's designed to focus the attention on the actor and his surprise. If you put a Bale or whatever coming out that door that changes things a bit doesn't it. I found most of his analysis great though. Inspiring ...
'Slick with nothing gained' perfectly sums up JJ Abrams directing.
Such an impatient director who doesn't know how to tell a story through the lens.
I'd like to see you do a better job
Zsht I enjoy Abrams more as a writer than a director because I don't think he has yet figured out how to match his powerful characters with a shot that is just as powerful.
daniel Moulton This is a poor response to criticism. You don't need to be as good as someone else to be able to criticise what they're doing. Isn't that the point of giving the highest ranking jobs only to select well trained professionals? They're supposed to be able to do it better than everyone else, and we're supposed to hold them to a high standard, because that's the point of their being put in that position to do that job.
To put it another way, we don't need to be hatted chefs to criticise a bad meal, or politicians to criticise the decisions of the president.
Yep. JJ Abrams can tell a good story, but this is a BIG reason why he hasn't been able to become a great storyteller. It's still early in his career and he's only directed 5 movies so far. So, we'll see. He'll probably improve somewhat.
But he certainly has potential.
Directors need to know DP work as well as Editing...
This was truly an excellent exposition on the art of Directing. Clint Eastwood's simplicity is brilliant and Spielberg's synchronization of the camera movement and actor blocking always pulls the viewer to exactly where he wants you to be. As a martial arts enthusiast, I must say I HATE the quick cut, shaky cam, close up fight scenes. They show us nothing. Thanks Dan Fox for a fine piece of work.
+Paul Campanella Thanks Paul! I'm glad you liked it.
Dude, this was great!
+KriscoartProductions Hey man, I have a channel just like this, perhaps you like to check it out??
This is a criminally under viewed video. Great work!
I am film student learning how to direct I watch this video more than 50 times in deferent time everytime I watched I understood more,
All I am trying to say you can’t test the knowledge that this video teaches you,
I really appreciate the creator if this 4 years university knowledge in less than fifteen minutes
I promise I will make shoutouts on big stage as I am your student,
Thanks again
Thank you very much! Good luck with your studies and make sure you don't take anything for granted - particularly the hard work and stomaches of your cast and crew. No joke, treat them well and feed them well and they'll love you forever. Same with dogs.
Excellent! I cracked up at the Taken 2 and the guy on the left walking into the light in Snowpiercer. Great stuff. You've earned one more subscriber sir!
Excellent and to the point-this video on blocking was more instructive than entire hour-long "masterclasses" by established directors! Kudos to you Mr. Fox and thank you!
i'm working on a short film myself and I must say this insipired me to change many of my shots. thank you dan for that well-spoken video :)
Great video dude! Well put together and really interesting
I love that closing credit. Clever.
You make me want to watch even more films thanks :)
+z Haxeu Thanks mate!
So so so so great! Great humor, great voice, great comparisons. Brilliant!!!!!
One of the best videos about directing on the net,thank you!
Great juxtaposition of what works and what doesn't. I am a huge Steven Spielberg fan so this was especially fun to watch.
Great, great video essay. Exactly the kind I'm looking for.
That video is awesome for my learning experience! Thank you for showing me completely new aspects to look at when watching movies! Great editing and explaining.
Thanks for taking the time to share Dan - BRILLIANT Stuff!!!
What a lovely video! Especially loved your advice at the very end. Thanks for this, Dan - It's one of the best filmmaking "how-to's" out there 🤘
Hugely helpful please make more as an aspiring filmmaker and mainly a director the composition part was something I didn't even think about thanks
Awesome info!!! Cant wait for more.
Excellent study! Thank you.
Great points , I agree every great film has a flow throughout the film . Many of the greats understand this . I really apreciate your analysis! Keep it up
Excellent, thank you.
With the separated head the video become pouring jokes out of nowhere. Loving it.
This is amazing! Thank you so much for making this video
Hi there, I also have a couple of video's about filmmaking, perhaps you would like to check it out? Cheers
This was a brilliant video! Thanks a lot for this.
It really shows when a director takes his time with the material in hands! This is an amazing video! Thanks a lot!
+Ivan José Hurtado Barón Thanks mate!
You make such amazing videos! You taught me so much in this one. Please keep on making such great content. I definitely subscribe!
Good video man! I love the comparisons
Thanks a lot for this video.
This is outstanding.
This Breakdown was brilliant
loved it! one of the best essays I ever saw!
really helpful in understanding many aspects of filming, especially about composition, thank you so much
You made me so inspired:)) Thank you very much! You are doing amazing creations!!!
Amazing work!
What a way to learn directing so informative thanks mate
Well done - bravo. And thank you.
Great, great video. Thank you for uploading!
thank you for the advice and detailed explanations x
Best video on the topic I've seen so far.
Watched it again. This is great. Never gets old :)
Liked the little jab at "Taken 2" in the credits
Dan you're awesome, you shed light on the true art of composition and blocking. I will never understand how filmmakers can be happy shooting 20-30 cuts on an action scene.....yes I'm talking to you TAKEN2! haha, more videos please Dan....Dan the man!:)
It is a matter of perception; if you as the director want a fight to feel like"i don't know exactly what the hell all happened , but in 10 seconds the opponent was on the floor" then make fast and chaotic cuts. If in contrast you want to emanate the feeling "I am a martial arts specialist , I am always in control and all moves are in slow motion for me, I exactly knew how to block and hit the opponent.. in 10 seconds" then you want more long shots, more overview, more control.
It is a choice. Not a mistake.
I get that argument, but its also the same kind of logic that deifies every decision a director makes and says there's no bad decision any director can ever make. Sure art is subjective, but a film like TAKEN 2 is literally using that technique to hide its lack of stuntwork even more than it is trying to show its frenzy of energy and flurry of punches
Great Breakdown and advice, thanks!
awesome work!
Thanks! Great work!
thank you, that was awesome
Amazingly explained, thanks!
Great channel Dan!
omg i learn so much only in 1 video. thx!!!
That was incredibly helpful! Keep up with the good work!
Thank you!
Very inspiring.. Thank you very much!
This was an excellent video.
GREAT JOB SIR!
Very informative video. Thank you.
Fantastic. Thanks so much for this.
Marvelous,marvelous piece of work.
Art Vandaley Thanks mate
learned so much here. thank you
@7:31 I had to stop the video to laugh. That line about the cameraman was hilarious. Well done young man lol
Merry Christ-mas, Dan Fox. A hearty well done for this essay. What we found most entertaining was the manner of your presentation. All too often one finds the odd essay presented in a grave manner as to sound un-agreeable to the palate. Cicero would have been pleased with your method. Well done, sir.
superb teaching, truly excellent !
this is excellent.
"...Camera is motivating the action rather than the action motivating the camera." Very important line!
this was great!
Amazing! Definitely subscribed!
more videos like this please!
WOW you are brilliant in your presentation!
Amazing!!!!! Well done!!!!!
Wow I loved this I'll be checking out what more you got
Amazing video. I think this video should be shown at film school when teachers are trying to teach their student how to direct a movie. Nice Man! Keep up the good work.
Hello Dan. This is my first watch of your videos. Very good work man, I will be subscribing. One thing though, when you talk about that scene in Guardians, the crisis scene, I think James Gunn prefered to make it that way because it is a comedy, and the scene plays out some jokes. Maybe he didn't wanted for us to feel that rise of a tension just for it to break right after with a comedic beat, but this is just my opinion.
Anyways, great work. :D
+Douglas Reginaldo Yeah I originally had a line that also said it was also a comedic beat as well, but I ran it past a few people and got the advice to cut it, since all the examples after that aren't from comedic films, but from more tense moments. I agree with you though, that's one thing I wish I'd fixed. Cheers!
Exactly - there's a self-conscious element running throughout GOTG - taking aim at the things we take for granted / tend to take too seriously in sci-fi films. The director makes the characters look slightly absurd standing in a pack facing the camera full frontal in their flamboyant make-up and costumes. I think on that level the blocking, colours and compositional elements work well.
thank you for such a wonderful video :)
enjoyed this
Nice work! I hope you continue with more of these.
Murphington Cheers!
Amazing! Thank you for putting this together.
Thanks Javier! Glad you enjoyed it.
Great One Dan !!!
Great work!! kee it up.
Awesome sir, video.
7:12 that was really clever. That character switch had the right line.
Just subbed, keep up the good work man!
Amazing job man! I learned a lot from this
Fanatic video and humor. Wish I met you sooner.
this is inspiring, good job!
you deserve more subscribers, much better than everyframeapainting, nerdwriter, and much much better than channel criswell.
I'm going to have to flat out disagree with you on the scenes from SnowPiercer. The first fight scene is as choppy and hectic as it is to emphasis the panic and desperation of the risk being undertaken. While the second scene is much more tense and fearful. If that first fight scene were filmed in the style of the second, the feeling would be all wrong and the scene would project the proper feeling.
Yeah I agree with you. This was the first video I made and after bugging those around me with a few different drafts, I decided to just upload it and get it over with. This is one of maybe.. 2 or 3 things in this video I disagree with myself after spending time away from it, all because I didn't bother to put in more effort to iron out awkward or less-nuanced phrases/observations. Thanks for watching anyway Dave!
I can definitely commend you on putting this together. Certainly better than anything I've put out in the world! Will definitely watch more! cheers!
Cheers Dave!
Dan, you are wrong, in that your observations about SnowPiercer were right the first time. Overly kinetic camera work combined with choppy editing seems to be the go-to style for high action scenes today (fights/car chases). Call it the lazy Paul Greengrass effect. A great example of a creatively blocked fight scene, as well as a masterful tracking shot, is Old Boy hammer fight scene (both Korean and Hollywood remake). Your videos are great. Please keep making them.
@@danfox4969 I agree with your first take on that shot. I don't need a shaky camera getting in the way of the hectic action it portrays. You shake the camera when you're, subconsciously most likely, overcompensating your scene, because you don't really believe the action will hold on its own, or because you're rushed or for whatever reason. And, IMO, no cut is needed from start to finish in that shot. He runs to kill a man. Woo starts open and closes in on the action as you'd expect, but the cuts cut the scene. They break it apart.
Brilliant. Just brilliant.
Love your avatar!
Cheers VDSW!
nice work
amazing! subscribed!!
This is great. Fantastic analysis. Make me want to create! Comics, movies... stories. Well done Dan Fox. Keep it up, and make a Patreon campaign maybe? If you need any animation, let me know. :)
*Very* good video.
Brilliant brilliant brilliant brilliant
Awesome Work, Please keep on More :)
Wow, this is great!
I learnt a lot thanks!
Superb
You have an awesome page mate!
wow thank you.
+Dan Fox Wow man this was really great. I wish you had continued to make more videos.