Mike Leigh is the head representative of British social realism, within the film industry, and his filmography is a showcase of British cinema in the world. He is often mentioned in the same breath as Ken Loach, with whom he shares an interest in social matters. Leigh is called a “tragi-comedian of everyday life” and…
Krzysztof Kieslowski: Morally Concerned Filmmaker
Krzysztof Kieślowski was, and still is regarded as, one of the most renown Polish directors in the world. He was born on June 27th, 1941 and died, a sudden death, on March 13th, 1996. He was a heavy smoker. Do you think he could have been still with us if he had been introduced to electronic…
Jean Pierre Jeunet: Fairy Visionary
Jean Pierre Jeunet, one of the most renowned French directors these days. He never attended any film schools, and he learned his craft by making short films, commercials and video clips. He was born on the 3rd of September, 1953 in Roanne, France. He has been interested in cinema since childhood. His favourite (directors) were Marcel…
Jane Campion: Women’s Cinema at its Best
”Women’s cinema” is a pretty new invention. Elevated by feminist orientated critics and theorists to the distinction of a film style it became a buzzword, applied without restraint to analyse all movie products made by women. Jane Campion is considered to be one of the greatest film directors, male or female, of modern times, whose films are…
How to Write a Film Script?
There are many good books and websites on scriptwriting, so I am going to be very brief on that subject. And please do research your local bookstore or a library for the books on the subject. This is how I write my scripts, so I believe that everyone has to find his way of working…
How to Work With the Film Crew?
Regardless of whether you work on a small set or a large one, you need to communicate well with all the members of the crew. By that, I mean explaining very clearly to the head of departments what you want and need from them (Head of the department will be dealing with the rest of…
How to Work with Actors?
There are many good books written on working with actors, so try to have a look at the library and your local bookshop. You can also try to find workshops for yourself in your area. However, the best experience you always get is by working with actors and learning from them and from your own mistakes…
How to Rehearse With Actors? Part 3
TERMS AND DEFINITIONS FOR FILM DIRECTORS/ACTORS (The terms come from Mark Travis’s workshops “The Directors Journey”) OBJECTIVE: the objective the character is trying to achieve throughout the film SUPER OBJECTIVE: The overall OBJECTIVE that carries the character through the entire story. b. ACT OBJECTIVE: The OBJECTIVE that carries the character through a single act of the story….
How to Rehearse With Actors? Part 2
How to choose OBJECTIVES? Objectives should be active. The objective is not the final result of the actor’s action. The objective should be more of the inner actor’s adjustment. Try to find the sense of intention behind the objective. Avoid saying “he is trying to get her to…”; use “he wants her to…” instead. Don’t…
How to Rehearse With Actors? Part 1
Rehearsal is an essential and integral part of any film production. I, personally, like to give myself as much time to work with the actors as possible so once in production, I can concentrate on shooting the film. Below is the list of rehearsal techniques you may find useful. Stay loose. This is the time…