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Cinematography3 min read

LESSON 104

Blocking actors and camera

Who stands where, and when.

IN THIS LESSON

  1. What blocking is
  2. Why it matters on screen
  3. Recording it
  4. Practice: a blocking rehearsal

What blocking is

Blocking is the precise arrangement of performers and their movements in a scene. The term comes from nineteenth-century theatre, where directors such as W. S. Gilbert worked out staging on a model stage, using a small block to stand for each actor. In theatre, the director usually sets the blocking in rehearsal so that actors move for dramatic effect, stay visible to the audience and work with the lighting. In film, the word also covers the arrangement of actors within the frame, and the movement of the camera has to be planned together with theirs.

Why it matters on screen

Positioning can establish or change the meaning of a scene. Who is closer to the camera, who stands and who sits, who crosses the room and when, all tell the viewer about power and feeling before a word is spoken. Blocking also decides what can be filmed: where the actors stop determines focus marks, where lights must be hidden, where the boom can reach and which coverage the editor will need. A scene that is blocked clearly can often be covered in fewer set-ups.

Recording it

During blocking rehearsal, an assistant director, stage manager or director notes where each actor stands and moves. On film sets, marks are usually placed on the floor so actors hit the same spots on every take, and the script supervisor records positions and actions so shots will match. Those notes help with continuity when scenes are shot out of order over days or weeks. Photographs taken at the end of each set-up record positions, props and costume, so a scene can be matched even when it is picked up much later.

Practice: a blocking rehearsal

This is working practice. Rehearse the scene with the actors first, without the camera, and let movement come from the story. Then watch through a viewfinder or phone and adjust positions for the frame. Place tape marks at every stop. Call in the departments, camera, lighting, sound, for a marking rehearsal so each knows what to prepare. Keep the blocking simple enough that the actors can repeat it while thinking about the performance. Once it is set, change it only for a clear reason, and tell every department when you do.

Try it today

  1. 01Write a six-line scene for two people in a kitchen.
  2. 02Walk it through with two friends without a camera.
  3. 03Decide one moment where someone moves closer, and why.
  4. 04Place tape marks and film it in one wide shot.
  5. 05Watch it back and note where the blocking told the story.