The cinema as a graphic art : on a theory of representation in the cinema (1959)

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METHODS OF WORKING OUT THE SCENARIO 1 film is that of deciding upon the compositional scheme of the shot by the process )j analysing the author's and director's versions of the scenario, and organically inuding this compositional scheme in the production scenario. The compositional ,ceme then becomes an inseparable element of the entire production project I the film as a whole, as it essentially should be of any production scenario in I true sense of the term. To work out the camera-man's treatment in a form is'.ated from the production scenario is a compromise resolution of the task, and ioractice it arises when the director's version of the scenario is not advanced Its final production form, in other words, to the form of the production scenario. Itnust be especially emphasised that in the absence of a well-thought-out comp itional scheme a preliminary purely technical treatment is in our view comptely useless. Having, on the basis of the previously existing material, established a number 0 factors determining the manner in which the camera-man is to participate in tl creative process of preparing for and shooting the film, we must now sumrrrise the conditions under which he can in fact fulfil the creative functions ptted to him. Obviously, first and foremost there must be unity in the creative attitude of tl director and the camera-man. Filming groups cannot be chosen by the a< ninistration assigning a certain camera-man to a certain picture, irrespective of h creative tendencies and gifts. He must actively participate in dealing with tl director's version of the scenario during the preparatory period, since only iisuch conditions can he get a thorough grasp of the chief scenario-directorial p-pose in the treatment characteristic of the given director. If he merely a ilyse the completed director's scenario without continual contact with the dector during the process of working out the treatment, he will be much less Ihly to discover the organic form of the required representational treatment. 1 he participate in the process of working out the treatment of the director's s nario, it will be possible to consider his proposals in advance and include I m in the production plan. And in certain cases these proposals may have a d:isive influence upon the directorial treatment of the film. When the director has completed his working out of the scenario, the camerann should be allowed a period of working on the film together with the art dector. The sketches for costumes and sets are produced during this period,1 ai in addition he works out compositional schemes for the various objects to b filmed, in conjunction with the art director. We attach particular importance to the question of working in conjunction v:h the art director. A specific peculiarity of the architectural construction of s s for studio work is that each set is planned for a definite camera set-up, taking i o calculation the definite angle of vision of the lens. Cases have been known qthe art director setting to work to construct studio sets without reaching pre1 linary agreement with the camera-man. As the result the finished set has f)ved to be of less value than it should have been, because of the fact that the 1 :uliarities of the optical transmission of the lens used have not been taken into a:ount. Now we must consider the various stages of the process of carrying out the cnera-man's treatment in the form predetermined by the particular scheme 2 3pted. Jointly with the director the camera-man works out the director's version 1 In Western practice art director (sets) and dress designer are commonly (and illogic£ r) separate persons who scarcely collaborate. — Ed. 125