John Badham On Directing - 2nd edition (eBook)

TABLE OF CONTENTS



INTRODUCTION by John Badham



Part I: A Lack of Trust: The Five Mistakes

Introduction: A Nasty Bit of Laundry

Chapter 1: Mistake #1: Directed by Anonymous

Get ’Em While You’ve Got ’Em, Before You Get ’Em

Homework…Do It

They’re On Board

On the Day

Failure Is OK

Summary

Chapter 2: Mistake #2: Know-It-Alls Rule

Summary

Chapter 3: Mistake #3: Filibusterers

Summary

Chapter 4: Mistake #4: Too Many Notes

Step #1: Cut and Validate

How Not to Watch a Take

Step #2: Privacy Please

Technology Sidebar

Step #3: Keep Them in the Loop

The Bull in the Arena

Step #4: Make It Fun

Step #5: One at a Time

Don’t Let Things Slide

Make It Their Problem

Summary

Chapter 5: Mistake #5: Enamel Grinders

Tales from the Trenches

Summary

Chapter 6: Working With Your Actors

A Cyber -Colloquium



Part II: Action and Suspense: The Three Strategies

Chapter 7: Strategy #1: Not Just a Pretty Chase

What Is Action?

African Action

Directing Actors in Action

Summary

Chapter 8: Strategy #2: Who, Where, and When

Point of View

ID and Locate

Orientation

Jeopardy

Countdown

Summary

Chapter 9: Strategy #3: Quick Techniques and Safety

1. Pointless Masters

2. Few Actions

3. Overlap Actions

4. Scissor Time

5. Not That Fast

6. Change-Up

7. No Immutable Rules

8. Booby Traps

Summary

Part III: Preparing the Scene: The Director’s Checklist

Before Rehearsal?

The Checklist

Chapter 10: The Scene Related to the Film

1. What happened before this scene?

2. What does it add?

3. What’s different at the end?

Summary

Chapter 11: Architecture of the Scene

4. Whose point of view?

5. Where are the beats?

Tool #1: Physicalizing

Tool #2: Characters Think Ahead

Tool #3: Use the Camera to Show a Character’s Thought Process

6. Where is the tipping point?

Summary

Chapter 12: Characters Enter the Scene

7. What do they want?

Rule #1: We Always Have a Goal

Rule #2: No Goal, No Acting

Rule #3: Every Character Has His or Her Own Goal

Rule #4: One Beat, One Goal

8. What do they expect?

9. What’s at stake for each character?

Summary

Chapter 13: Perks: Interacting Characters

10. What’s stopping them?

11. How do they get what they want?

Only Verbs… Active Verbs!

12. How does a character regard the other?

Summary

IV: A Director’s Survival Guide to Episodic Television

Chapter 14: Television - Not a Parallel Universe

A Political Minefield

Chapter 15: Research and Preparation

Self Preservation

Coverage

First Day of Prep

I’ll Never Forget What’s Their Name

Summary

Chapter 16: Concept & Tone Meetings

Your New Best Friends

Schedule Angina

Scouting and Loyalty

Summary

Chapter 17: Casting

If, When and Where?

Summary

Chapter 18: What’s the Story

CheckList Re-dux

Staging & Shot Planning

Summary

Chapter 19: On The Day

Welcome Stress

Rehearsal

Rules to Make Your Day

Summary