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Film Directing ^43
better inserted in such and such a place ? Is it likely to hold up the action if it is put in ?
Here is why it is essential to view the film as a whole before starting on production. The story is divided into many little scenes — each photographed separately. It is possible that scene 40 may be the first to be " shot." The 39 earlier scenes may even be kept until the very end before the camera records them. Thus, one's mind's eye must have a very clear view of the whole production if one is to tackle the problems connected with it.
Why ar^ scenes " shot " out of order ? There can be a variety of reasonsThe players needed for these scenes may be engaged on ^another picture, they may be ill. Tliere may be scenes that are needed away from the studio altogether ; there may have been a hitch in the construction of the set through some unavoidable mishap. All sorts of accidents or delays may arise to throw the best laid plans temporarily out of gear. And all the time there is a schedule laid down which strictly limits the tim-e allowed for the whole of the shooting. So it is that the scenes are made in what looks like the most haphazard order.
How vital it is, then, for every scene, every action, to be detailed down to the very last raising of an eyelid. If I were to go into the studio with only a hazy idea of how I was going to treat the subject, muddle and chaos would result. At least it would in my case, although different directors have different ways of working.
Sometimes, of course, even after months of labour and careful preparation, a sudden flash of inspiration when the story has started may alter things a little. It would be foolish, in these circumstances, to adhere rigidly to the fixed schedule of the story. One must have a rather " elastic " mind ; be able to see how this new idea is going to affect the rest of the production. Few producers would be thanked by their companies, for instance, if, after the film was half-way through, a completely different complexion were put on the story through a flash of inspiration, and all the film was scrapped, for work to start again on the new way.
The Importance of Thoroughness
That is why I stress the importance of thoroughness. That is why I do insist on my players knowing their scenes several days before they are " shot." It is useless to expect an artiste to come on the set, give him his scene, push him in a corner to " run it over," and then imagine that he will act it as it should be acted. An artiste must be given time to know every word perfectly ; to understand exactly what he has to do, and to have a chance to " get into the skin of the part." In some films you may have noticed a disjointed effect. They fail to reproduce the harmonious whole that all of us strive to obtain.
A film should appear, when it is completed, to have been " shot " from beginning to end in one complete piece. That, as you will understand, can seldom be achieved in fact ; but careful preparation can give the impression of a complete whole. It would be useless for me to begin shooting on scene 35, for instance, following scene 67, if I had not a complete idea in my mind of what I wanted. Preparation, then, is everything.