EXAM

Well the exam is over. It’s been an interesting ten plus weeks with many ups and downs along the way. But we all made it to the end and crossed the finish line as a team. The exam went well. There are of course things I would have liked to have improved upon, which is why hindsight is a wonderfully woeful thing.

We shot the same five-minute script twice using two different shot lists and a different actor for the male lead. From the offset, I’d wanted a mature actor that was age appropriate for the role. Yet by the time I got the greenlight and was able to get the script to my actor, there was little time left to memorize the lines. Which was a shame but in no way a reflection upon the ability or willingness of my actor.

Everyone worked well together. The floor manager was particularly versatile, dressing the set, managing the studio floor and feeding lines to the actor. Which I’d like to have done using a discreet ear piece placed in the actors’ ear.  But time would not allow for such a concession to be made.

From 09.00 I was all too aware that the clock was against me. Initially we had to set the scene which ate up a few minutes. I should have stayed in the studio and walked the cast though the entire physicality of the scene. But I was too caught up in the routine of directing from the gallery. I wish I’d had the confidence to follow my gut rather then doing what I assumed was expected of me.

I felt comfortable in the directors’ chair, some of the shots looked really good. Killing the house lights in the studio added a sense of visual depth we hadn’t seen before. Watching the other director and the younger alternate actor was interesting. The physicality of the other performance was well rehearsed and highly polished. They had developed onscreen chemistry which made for genuinely compelling viewing.

My dual role of q-lab operatior was fairly-easy. There were a few technical hiccups, but they were promptly resolved. I had the opportunity to observe for long periods between my cues to play the required file at the required time.

What I think I learnt today is that I still have a lot to learn about directing. I didn’t take the position because I wanted too, it was a job that no one else wanted. I can direct and I’m getting better with experience, but it’s not something that comes naturally to me.

Directing is like conducting and orchestra. But, I’m inherently an off-beat. I have a terrible sense of rhythm. The only way I’m directing my way to Carnegie Hall is with fastidious practice. The thing which I enjoyed the most was seeing and hearing the dialogue I structured being spoken by the actors on screen. Seeing the words come alive in a visual sense from page to screen was the part I took the most pride in. I think, whereas I like directing, I love scriptwriting and should perhaps focus more on my passions in future.