Shadowing the Pros

I recently viewed a recording of my teacher who was on a set to shoot a boxing commercial. He took us around as he shot the whole commercial. It was really interesting and insightful just watching him direct from the lights, the use of lenses, and the way he directed his actor. I noticed many things after shadowing him.

The first is setting up the scene. Setting up the lights and directing where the boom mic should stand. Where the camera will be coming from and more. It’s good to practice a little before recording so everyone knows how the scene would play out. Another thing I noticed was the use of mist. The use of the mist aided with highlighting the lights as well as helping the rays pop into the view of the camera.

The second is hiring a crew. My teacher had only a few crew members helping him out. I watched as he repositioned the lights around and changed the lenses of the camera and even fanned the mist around the room himself. I took this as a note to myself when I am filming on a set: It’s best to have another set of hands helping out in order not to delay the shoot. I wished I was there helping my teacher out when they shot so he didn’t have to reposition everything himself.

The third is directing to guide. My teacher started directing the actor as he began acting out his preparation for the scene. The scene was the boxer putting his hand wraps and boxing gloves on. He gave a direction and shared that he imagined the boxer using his teeth to put the boxing gloves on. The actor tried to comply but the idea of doing that wasn’t natural and was a little difficult to do. My teacher seeing the difficulty he was having, gave leeway to the actor and told him to put the gloves on as he normally does it. I see this a few times as he directed. He shares his idea but lets the actors freely act out the scene as naturally as possible. He guided the actor to the idea he wanted.

As a striving director myself the third thing I learned struck me. It reminded me that, as a director, you’re not there to micromanage the scene or the actor, you’re there to be a guide and the cast and crew are your aid to help you to bring that story to life. One thing I noticed through the process was how much fun my teacher had during the shoot. He was respectful and had a light aura around him, which I believe kept the set on a light atmosphere. Shadowing him throughout the shoot reminded me of what it means to lead and direct, as well as the kind of attitude one is supposed to have. I’m honestly excited to one day be the one on set directing a project with a cast and crew as well!