The Director Prepares

From screenplay until the actual shooting of a film, what does a director do to prepare? This class will explore, in depth, some of the many processes a director may use in order to develop and actualize her or his vision, including: screenplay revision, interpretation and breakdown, character development, accessing and communicating visual ideas for the look of the film, studying camera styles, and movement in order to decide how best to visually realize your story through your shot selection, staging, and casting. Each student will pursue a series of exercises, culminating in the directing, shooting, and editing of two exercises—one scene (a private moment) to develop character through cinematic storytelling and one scene, with dialogue, from the screenplay—in order to experiment with all the ideas developed throughout the class.