Ron Howard's MasterClass Workbook: Choosing, Refining, and Developing a Story, Appunti di Cinematica

Scarica Ron Howard's MasterClass Workbook: Choosing, Refining, and Developing a Story e più Appunti in PDF di Cinematica solo su Docsity! RON HOWARD T E AC H E S D I R EC T I N G 2RON HOWARD INTRODUCTION ABOUT THIS WORKBOOK The MasterClass team has created this workbook as a supplement to Ron’s class. Chapters are supported with a review, opportunities to learn more, and assignments. We recommend dedicating a notebook to your course work. MASTERCL ASS COMMUNIT Y Throughout, we’ll encourage you to discuss elements of the class and share work with your classmates in The Hub. You can also connect with your peers in the discussion section beneath each lesson video. Ron Howard is a legend on both sides of the camera. As a child, his portrayal of Opie in The Andy Griffith Show and Richie Cunningham in Happy Days launched him into every living room in America. After leaving acting to direct, Ron developed an extensive directorial résumé which includes Cocoon, Splash, Parenthood, Apollo 13, A Beautiful Mind, Frost/Nixon, Solo: A Star Wars Story, and the beloved TV series Arrested Development. In addition to being a box office blockbuster, he is a two-time Academy Award–winning director. ABOUT RON HOWARD “I have endeavored my whole life, to try to demystify the process of directing. If you start to look at it piece by piece, scene by scene, sequence by sequence… it is a lot less mysterious. Because these stories, they are mosaics. And the more you understand that, the more exciting it is.” 5RON HOWARD CHAPTER REVIEW Ron emphasizes fresh storytelling throughout his MasterClass. Familiar myths and themes can feel modern and significant when they are presented in a fresh way, and traditional cinematic approaches can feel new when the story feels current. Look for a story that triggers inspiration for you. You should feel an emotional connection rather than an intellectual one, and find visualizing the story—even dreaming of the story—irresistible. Be sure the story has the potential to offer something fresh and interesting to audiences and be worth their time and money. Evaluate your idea for freshness; then, look for a series of powerful moments within the story. Identify, understand, and build to those scenes. If you’ve earned it, audiences will feel the impact and want to discuss and revisit that feeling. LEARN MORE • Ron points out that George Lucas’s Star Wars uses a classic narrative structure, but that it feels completely fresh in its new context. Read Joseph Campbell’s The Hero with a Thousand Faces, which deconstructs the familiar themes, myths, character psychology, and narrative structure found in the Star Wars movies. • Watch Gil Junger’s 1999 film 10 Things I Hate About You with an eye for its narrative structure and theme. The film is an interpretation of Shakespeare’s play The Taming of the Shrew, retold in the context of 1990s teenage America. Parse out in your notebook the elements of Shakespeare’s story that Junger retains, and those he updates. ASSIGNMENT • What are your instincts, aesthetics, and voice for storytelling through film? Begin to collect and organize stories, themes, films, scenes, filmmakers, TV shows, and other visual styles that you are drawn to in a notebook. Do you notice any patterns? Continue to add to this collection throughout your class. SUBCHAPTERS • Make It Personal • Present a Fresh Take • Look for Powerful Moments • Back up Instinct With Craft “Storytelling is almost always a combination of something old and something new. And it’s the something new that gives it the contemporary relevance that makes it immediate and meaningful.” —Ron Howard 2. CHOOSING A STORY 6RON HOWARD CHAPTER REVIEW Falling in love with a story is easy—we already have the instincts to spot a story we love. The challenge is to then take a step back and evaluate that story objectively for its strong and weak points. Even with Ron’s exposure to the film medium and his experience with creative problem-solving on set as both an actor and director, he still finds parts of the storytelling process to be mysterious and frustrating. He created a checklist approach to demystify those problem areas and to give himself a more global view of a project he has fallen in love with. Ron draws from books, colleagues, and his own instinctive questions about the script to form his checklist. After the second or third read, he evaluates fundamental ideas like: • What are the screenplay’s strengths and weaknesses? • Are there fatal flaws? • Are the characters interesting? • Who is in conflict? • Is there a thematic narrative question? Is it being answered? • What are the themes? Then he rates key components on a scale of one to ten. Here are some examples of key components: • Lead and key characters • Structure: • Suspense • Surprise • Sequences • Momentum • Genre • Themes If, for example, Ron rates the suspense of a script at a “six” that signals that he will have to find ways to strengthen that component for the script to work. There is not a definitive equation for an effective script. You have to build your own checklist according to your taste and judgement, and Ron reminds you that whatever resources you use to assemble your own, there is no template or formula. SUBCHAPTERS • Ask Questions of the Script • The Checklist: Rate the Key Components • Build Your Checklist “It’s a way of taking what personally excites you about a story and beginning to deepen your understanding of why it might excite you—beyond some personal connection— to an emotional and intellectual intersection.” —Ron Howard 3. EVALUATING A SCRIPT 7RON HOWARD 3. EVALUATING A SCRIPT It’s about what helps you as a director understand how narrative works. It’s about taking that emotional connection to a story and finding a deeper understanding of why and how it struck you. LEARN MORE • Read the following: • The Art of Dramatic Writing by Lajos Egri. When Ron was a teenager, his dad recommended it, and they often discussed how characters drive story. • Making a Good Script Great by Linda Seger. It’s the inspiration for many points on Ron’s checklist. • Screenplay: The Foundations of Screenwriting by story analyst Syd Field. • Robert McKee’s Story: Substance, Structure, Style, and the Principles of Screenwriting—another resource from which to borrow story evaluation checkpoints. ASSIGNMENT • Ron’s checklist is an evolving resource built from a collection of experiences and resources. Start reading through the list above and design your own checklist for evaluating a script. Use Ron’s examples to get your list started. Post your list in The Hub and connect with classmates with whom you share a similar approach to story selection. Continue to grow and edit your checklist throughout your filmmaking process. 10RON HOWARD CHAPTER REVIEW In these case studies, Ron walks you through his belief that almost all stories are made of something old and something new. He explains how he kept each story fresh and relevant even if the themes, characters, plot, or genre were familiar. In Splash, the genre was familiar—it’s essentially a 1930s romantic comedy—but the fantasy element of the girl being a mermaid was new, adding comedy and surprising visuals. Ron knew the plot for Cinderella Man was familiar, but when he came across the Popeye “Out to Punch” cartoon in his research, he laughed at how similar it was to the story they were telling. It pushed him to tell the story in as visceral a way as possible and to root the story in Braddock’s struggle to pull his family up and out of poverty. Ron felt that the screenplay for Cocoon was promising but that it didn’t connect with audiences on a human level. His wife Cheryl has a degree in psychology and often worked with geriatric patients, observing that as humans we never really grow out of our high school psychology. Ron applied this teenage psychology to the senior citizens in the film as they began to return to youth, making the characters more relatable. With Apollo 13, Ron started with a journalistic approach, intensely researching the true story. He was primarily excited about the cinematic ways to take the audience along with the characters. As he got deeper into the project, the emotional themes that he unearthed surprised him and contributed to his attachment to the movie. LEARN MORE • Watch Splash and identify how it mirrors the 1930s romantic comedy genre of movies like Charlie Chaplin’s City Lights. • The research for Cinderella Man included watching footage of Jim Braddock and other boxers of the era, Raging Bull, and cartoons of the era. Listen to Ron describe his research process in more detail in this radio interview. SUBCHAPTERS • Splash • Cinderella Man • Cocoon • Apollo 13 • A Beautiful Mind • Rush 5. STORY INSPIRATION: CASE STUDIES 11RON HOWARD CHAPTER REVIEW Development is a tough, emotional time during which the director’s vision for the script is going to be challenged. It is difficult to get everyone involved in the process of making a film to agree on a screenplay worth investing in. As a director, you’ll find that you can either defend the script articulately or not. If your screenplay makes it out of development hell and to the point where you hear, “Okay, go make it,” you go! Find your collaborators both creative and logistical and stay deeply involved with both. Ron encourages you to think about development in three phases: • Phase 1: Dream, prep, focus your ambitions, and get realistic. • Phase 2: Make the film and push for every creative opportunity. • Phase 3: Take the raw material in for its final rewrite—in the editing room. LEARN MORE • Much of Ron’s advice in this chapter encourages you to get emotionally prepared for the long journey of getting a film from phase 1 to phase 2. He points out the many logistical obstacles along the way and encourages you to embrace the constraints you’ll encounter. With the right approach, these constraints can lead to creative breakthroughs much like they do in other industries. SUBCHAPTERS • Development Hell • The Work Begins • Think in Three Phases “I have found over the years that you have to understand one thing about directing: that every project you get involved in ultimately is just going to find its way to breaking your heart at some point, no matter how successful it is. There’s gonna be something about it that just disappoints you.” —Ron Howard 6. DEVELOPING THE FILM 12RON HOWARD CHAPTER REVIEW Ron’s “Six of One” rule asserts that if anyone he respects enough to hire has an intuitive suggestion that still accomplishes the scene’s goals, he will test it. This rule invests people deeply in the project, builds trust, and makes it easier to say “no” when he needs to. Akira Kurosawa shared the idea of working in a group of three with Ron. Think of a triangle made of three collaborators—the writer, director, and producer, for example. You drop a creative problem in the middle and bounce it around until you have a solution. This structure is also useful when voting ideas in and out. When filming A Beautiful Mind, Ron, Russell Crowe, and writer Akiva Goldsman worked as three to find a way to “play fair” in revealing the schizophrenia of Russell Crowe’s character, John Nash, to the audience. Akiva’s expert knowledge of the illness and Russell’s idea to gradually increase affects in his performance gave Ron an idea he could work with as a director. ASSIGNMENTS • Start finding people you can work with on your next (or first) film project. • Take a project-based film production class or a specific screenwriting, editing, acting or lighting class at your local university or community college to get familiar with each role in the process. • Join your local film society. Their websites often have opportunities for grant funding, residencies, and networking events. • Volunteer as a PA for a film or television production happening in your area. • The Hub is a great way to meet other filmmakers in your region. Introduce yourself and your project or join a project posted by a local classmate. SUBCHAPTERS • Revel in Collaboration • Engage With Department Heads • Work in Threes • A Beautiful Mind Collaboration “Creative problem-solving really sustains the sense of inspiration because a director’s job is to maximize the potential of a story, to fulfill the possibilities that a story offers.” —Ron Howard 7. COLLABORATION, PART 1 15RON HOWARD CHAPTER REVIEW It is crucial to feel confident about your creative compatibility with your cinematographer. Have a conversation about other films they’ve done and what you visualize for your project. You want the cinematographer to feel the film the same way you do. Give them something tangible to react to, like a script, and let them talk about how they naturally begin to visualize the film. When you begin working with the right cinematographer, don’t be intimidated by the photography. Talk to them about what you want audiences to feel and trust them to push the language of cinema in your project. LEARN MORE • Take a photography class to build your visual vocabulary and to learn the basics about capturing light on film. Learn how to employ terms like aperture, shutter speed, exposure, and composition. ASSIGNMENTS • Many new directors ask Ron about how to ease the intimidation factor of working with a cinematographer. Having the tools to communicate fluidly with the cinematographer will give you confidence and ease your worries. Trust them to translate how you want audiences to feel to the photography of the scene but learn a bit of their language too. Practice the the language of cinema. Run a cinematography case study of one of your favorite films. Watch the film for cinematography. Record lighting styles, interesting composition, or camera movements and, side by side, write down how those moments are making you feel as a viewer. SUBCHAPTERS • Find Creative Compatibility • Rely on Your Cinematographer • Let Them Stretch You Visually • Don’t Be Intimidated “I have learned more from cinematographers than probably anyone else in the big collaboration of making movies and television shows.” —Ron Howard 9. WORKING WITH CINEMATOGRAPHERS 16RON HOWARD 9. WORKING WITH CINEMATOGRAPHERS ASSIGNMENTS CONT. • New directors often ask Ron for advice on meeting with cinematographers because newcomers find the technical language of the field intimidating. He tells them to get talking to cinematographers, describe what they want to see, and practice the terminology. So, find a partner to present your case study to using two specific scenes. Walk them through the cinematographic approach in the scenes and the emotional content those strategies contributed to the story. The more you practice the language of cinematography, the more productive and creative your meetings will become. 17RON HOWARD CHAPTER REVIEW Ron approaches the cinematography of a film the way an actor approaches a role. He thinks about how to get inside the world of the film and look for the possible ways to deliver that story. He begins to visualize the the cinematographic choices that will bring the story to life much like an actor discovers the details that make up their performance. Ron first learned how to use light as a character in his films on the set of A Beautiful Mind from his director of photography, Roger Deakins. Deakins reflected the psychology of the characters in each sequence with his lighting techniques. In Splash, cinematographer Don Peterman pushed Ron to not sell the romantic comedy genre short and still make it visual by playing with telephoto lenses, long lenses, super wide shots, handheld, and low angles. Variety is energizing to audiences. Salvatore Totino taught Ron about using different lens sizes and different generations to demonstrate how different textures can give an audience different feelings. If you want to peek into different visual styles, don’t forget internet video hobbyists and the endless supply of content they create with a freedom different from professional filmmakers. Documentaries are another great place to borrow style and technique. Anthony Dod Mantle, a cinematographer with extensive documentary experience, worked with Ron on Rush to build a look that felt unplanned, quick, and energized—so that it would be suggestive of the feeling at a Formula One race. LEARN MORE • Ron says of spotting a compelling photograph in a magazine, “Collect it. Give yourself something to talk about, to think about, to dream about. And just begin the process of understanding what that movie could be.” Find an image and journal what emotions it brings up, what it reminds you of, and what you drew you to it. • Watch the 1970 documentary Gimme Shelter. Parse out in your notebook the elements Ron references as a source of inspiration for the cinematography of Rush. SUBCHAPTERS • Let the Movie Talk to You • Use Light as a Character • Experiment With Lenses • Mix the Medium • Learn From Hobbyists • Borrow From Documentaries “A lot of what we perceive in life has to do with light.” —Ron Howard 10. CINEMATOGRAPHY 20RON HOWARD 11 . PRODUCTION DESIGN ASSIGNMENT • The production designer has to juggle the needs of many different departments that contribute to the look of the film while maintaining consistency in the look. Ron spends a lot of time with the production designer at the beginning of a project gathering material to define the desired look of the film. As a look into that process, pick a specific time period and place. Then go out and take 20-30 photos of locations, props, and wardrobe or source reference images to build a sense of that time and place. Select from your images to compose a look that works together aesthetically and accurately. A few examples of specific time and place: • A cabin in the mountains in the 1950s • A free clinic in rural Oregon in the 1980s • A 1990s waterpark in Southern California 21RON HOWARD CHAPTER REVIEW Frost/Nixon was shot as an independent film with a limited budget. One of the first big decisions to make in terms of production design was to decide how to show the era of the film, the 1970s. Per production designer Michael Corenblith’s suggestion, they toned down the over-the-top 70s style and palette in order to reflect the undercurrent of tragedy in the story. Ron wanted to shoot a phone conversation between Frost and Nixon with both actors actually speaking over the phone in back-to-back sets so that it would capture the energy of the stage production. Corenblith found a way to make the set work. They had four cameras going at once and the scene captured the energy Ron envisioned. They were even able to shoot it in half the time. The actors in the film had already worked together on stage in the 2006 Frost/Nixon play, so in order to ensure that their performances were fresh, Ron kept Michael Sheen and Frank Langella apart throughout production—a practice they had started during the theater run. Ron chose a naturalistic style, hired camera crew with documentary experience, and rarely ran rehearsals. Instead he started with the actors’ natural blocking tendencies and gradually added in specific staging. Writer Peter Morgan had always talked about Frost/Nixon like it was a boxing match, so some of the interview scenes were shot to reflect the combative nature of the conversation with rapidly paced cuts making the Q&A feel like a blow-by-blow broadcast. Other scenes were designed more to make audiences feel like they were watching television, and by the end they moved to close-ups—all about their innermost feelings. Ron was anxious going into Frost/Nixon because it was financed, planned, and shot like an indie. Ultimately, the challenges energized him. He relearned the power of performance and shot the movie at a point in his career where he had more confidence in the cinema and was able to save powerful moments of performance for the perfect opportunity. SUBCHAPTERS • Find the Energy • Discover on the Day • Make the Shooting Style Reflect Character • Let Fear Energize You “I relearned that there is no more powerful conveyor of emotion, humor, [or]suspense than what great actors performing great dialogue can give a director.” —Ron Howard 12. CASE STUDY: FROST/NIXON 22RON HOWARD 12. CASE STUDY: FROST/NIXON LEARN MORE • Watch a recording of the interview scene from the original Frost/Nixon play to get a sense of the live-action energy that Ron wanted to preserve in the film adaptation. • Read more on Ron’s process of opening up the story for the film version in this 2008 interview. Which shots in the film could not have existed in the play? 25RON HOWARD 14–16. CASE STUDIES: SCENE DECONSTRUCTION ASSIGNMENT • Analyzing what great directors have done in the past is a way to gather inspiration and practical suggestions for filming styles and for building a menu of possibilities. With the sound off watch each of these scenes a few times: • The Mad Max: Fury Road scene in which the War Boys pursue Furiosa and Immortan Joe’s wives. • The Matrix scene (no CGI used!) in which Neo and Trinity initiate an action-packed lobby shootout during the first leg of Morpheus’s rescue. • As you watch, keep a running log of the cutting patterns and staging. Keep these deconstructions in your notes as a practical reference if you want a scene to play in a similar way and as a source of inspiration when thinking through an action sequence in your project. 26RON HOWARD CHAPTER REVIEW Ron was surprised when he began casting by the revelation that most actors were skilled enough to play the role, but that he had to pick “the one.” As he advises, use chemistry as a tiebreaker. You need to feel a connection between the actor and the role, sense creative compatibility, and trust your gut. Testing an actor is a great way to see how an actor takes direction and reveals his or her working style. Ron tries to bring actors together for testing before final casting to make sure they work as a whole and in pairs for crucial relationships. Be meticulous in order to avoid replacing an actor on set and resorting to shooting techniques to minimize a role. LEARN MORE • Throughout this chapter Ron emphasizes the gut feeling and intangible qualities to pay attention to during the delicate process of casting. Ron cites Tom Hanks as Forrest Gump as an example of great casting wherein the actor seems to have an innate connection to the character. Watch a few scenes from Tom’s audition for the film and note your own gut feeling if were you in the director’s shoes. • Identify other films that you feel are exceptionally cast. Look for footage from the casting room and see what you feel from that first exposure to the role. Could you see the connection immediately? SUBCHAPTERS • Be Meticulous in Casting • Follow Your Gut • Look for Creative Compatibility • Test the Waters • Overcome Casting Missteps • Respond to the Intangible Qualities “There has to be some kind of connection between the actor, the performer, and that character that you can just readily accept.” —Ron Howard 17. CASTING 27RON HOWARD CHAPTER REVIEW To protect your actors, start with a clear picture of their working style. Some actors operate from a psychological space, other respond to simple result-based direction. The more you learn how to help your actors, the more they will help the movie. Ron came to directing with an acting background so often actors feel like they can trust him from the get-go. Take acting class- es to understand the process of inhabiting a character. You’ll be more confident and empathetic when giving direction and be bet- ter prepared to help actors through tough scenes. Trust that experienced actors can pinpoint exact emotions and give the performance you need. In Ron’s story about his experience directing veteran Jason Robards Jr., he was blown away by Jason’s ability to move into a different level of emotion with the direction he himself supplied, “Ron, do—do you want a sadder face?” The results stunned Ron. If you ask actors to only dutifully execute a director’s plan, Ron feels that “you’re not making artists of them. You’re not inviting them to express themselves, to make creative choices and contributions.” Bringing an actor into a collaborative role is a show of respect and unlocks an honesty that ultimately audiences will pick up on. When working with an ensemble of actors, start by learning about how each actor works best and do what you can to shoot in a way that best supports each person’s approach or prioritize to benefit the style of the actor carrying the scene. The choices you are making within the frame will influence the way that actors perform. Be sure you know how to get the performance you want from that actor or that the frame is not encroaching upon an actor you want to encourage to be free. LEARN MORE • For insight into the most practiced methods actors study to approach their role, read about different acting methods like those of Stanislavski, Meisner, and Strasberg. SUBCHAPTERS • Protect Your Actors • Understand How They Approach Their Role • Take Acting Classes • Prepare for Every Moment • Trust Experienced Actors to Get There • Let Actors Participate • Know Your Ensemble’s Different Styles • Your Stylistic Choices Influence Performances “It’s not essential that you lead them. It’s essential that you protect them.” —Ron Howard 18 & 19. WORKING WITH ACTORS, PARTS 1 & 2 30RON HOWARD 20–26. FROST/NIXON STAGING CHAPTER BREAKDOWN CONT. Chapter 24—Steadicam Staging: Shooting with a steadicam in one continuous shot, a “oner,” requires technical willingness from actors as the shooting is highly choreographed and actors need to be able to hit specific marks to create a seamless feel. Note how differently Ron builds out the blocking with this new camera and aesthetic. He stages as if he is the steadicam in order to accommodate the camera. Chapter 25—Steadicam Staging for Frost POV: Next, Ron shoots from David’s point of view—first filming David head-on and then filming from his eyeline. This footage could be intercut with other steadicam footage or could work on its own entirely. Chapter 26—Staging for Indie Shoot: This chapter demonstrates an indie style which is useful when logistical and budgetary challenges must be accommodated. Staging is dictated instead of naturally letting ideas unfold or exploring input from collaborators in order to save time (and money). There is one rehearsal followed by multipurpose shots. Ron moves and speaks more quickly and his practical directions communicate a sense of urgency. LEARN MORE • Watch Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman and note the oners. Try to visualize how the scenes were staged for the string of continuous shots throughout the film. • Watch Frost/Nixon paying close attention to the scene used in these chapters. Try to pinpoint the process Ron demonstrated in the first staging style. ASSIGNMENTS • As you watch these chapters for the first time, take notes on the choices Ron makes and the direction he gives to get the shots and performances he needs for each approach. Ron believes that limitations can push creativity among a strong team. What is successful about each of these approaches? Does one style succeed more than the other in the case of this story? Which approach did you like best and why? 31RON HOWARD 20–26. FROST/NIXON STAGING ASSIGNMENTS CONT. • On your second watch, take notes on how Ron manages the people on his team and the environment that creates. What sense do you get of his relationship with the crew? Where do you see his collaborative work style coming through? 32RON HOWARD CHAPTER REVIEW In the first approach of the blocking exercises, Ron wanted to show how staging can fall into place following the instincts of the actors, the point of view of the director, and what could be done with the camera. There are so many different but successful ways to approach the staging but it is the director’s job to narrow that down and commit. The more you know what you love as a viewer, the stronger your decision-making process will be. Screenwriters have to cover a lot of emotional ground in a scene so it’s good to give your actors something for their character to do. If they stay too focused on the other actors throughout the scene it feels unrealistic. Give them some “business.” If normal life is happening during a scene, it will feel more honest and human. Lengthy continuous shots require rigorous attention to the actors’ performances in the scene because the shot cannot be cut with any supporting footage later on. The idea is to go into the editing room with a complete, stand-alone performance. This type of scene can stick with audiences because they watch it unfold without the manipulation of editing and that feels very honest. Ron likes to shoot to leave himself with exit points so that any happy accidents that may happen in performances can be worked in later. Prepare as much as possible but walk onto set open to the possibilities. In Chapter 24 Ron wanted to try to stage a oner shot but the space was too tight so it was broken into two and it required a more technical approach from the actors and more choreographed staging. He then experimented with point of view where the actor looks directly into the lens and therefore directly at the audience. This too requires high technical demands of the actor who is not reacting to another actor and often can see their own reflection in the matte glass of the camera. When you have to compromise for time or budget’s sake, keep the compromise simple and remember that audiences won’t know what you couldn’t get. A place that is easily lit with some natural depth may not be everything you dreamed but it can be effective and visually solid. SUBCHAPTERS • Find the Fluidity • Give Actors Some Business • Remain Flexible • Marry Acting to Staging • Make Compromise Work • Discover Your Personal Preferences “Again, the director is the first audience member so if you make yourself an audience member and start to understand what it is that you like about it, you can carry that sorta focus into your work when you begin to make a film.” —Ron Howard 27. FROST/NIXON STUDENT BLOCKING REVIEW 35RON HOWARD CHAPTER REVIEW Ron emphasizes the value of showing your edit to an audience for feedback. You might be surprised by the way moments of confusion for the audience can lead you to a new, more creative version of a scene. It’s also helpful to watch films you love with the sound off to pinpoint inspiring edits. Prepare yourself for the first cut to be brutally long, difficult to watch, and potentially even heartbreaking. Then, do the unsettling but essential work of opening up problems to discover solutions—you might even find a little thrill in the results. LEARN MORE • During editing, you’ll see the same footage over and over so it is useful to return to your first impressions of a scene when you’re deep in the process. Listen to editor Walter Murch explain his technique for capturing his initial reactions to a shot—a reaction you only have one chance to preserve. ASSIGNMENT • Build and edit a storyboard to show to an audience using composed snapshots. To keep it simple, frame your story around your perspective on an outing. Use a two-pack of disposable cameras and head out to an event, hike, party, or even just a walk. Take pictures of the setting, objects, or people that stand out, and obstacles you encounter on the way. Lay out the photos and tell the story of your outing. Critique each photo it on its own and its role in the story. Arrange, edit, and add text or sketches if you see fit. Now show it to a friend or classmate and gather feedback. SUBCHAPTERS • Show the Edit to an Audience • Uncover the Story Again • Watch Other Films with the Sound Off • The First Cut Will Break Your Heart • Find the Thrill in the Discovery “When you discern that there’s a weakness that is not fundamentally wired into, baked into the thematics of the story, it just has to do with something that you could address [editorially], it’s important to go ahead, toss and turn, talk to your editor, talk to your producers, talk to your friends and drill down on that.” —Ron Howard 29. EDITING, PART 2 36RON HOWARD CHAPTER REVIEW Like each step of the filmmaking process, sound design is another opportunity to make choices that drive home how you want to tell your story. Ask yourself, how should sound travel throughout the theater? How are the pitch, speed, and volume of the dialogue contributing to the story? How should the sound design make audiences feel? We react to sound on a primal level and great sound design can trigger primal connections at precise moments in the story. Unrealistic and unnatural sounds can translate into moments of great impact—as can dropping sound effects at opportune moments Ron reminds us that all of these elements of postproduction— editing, music, sound effects, mixing—all of these details of the viewing experience “put the finish on the movie” and present it at its best. LEARN MORE • Close your eyes and listen to the unnatural, anxiety- inducing sounds in The Silence of the Lambs during the scene in which Clarice goes downstairs to Hannibal Lecter’s cell for the first time. Then watch the TEDx Talk, “The Beautiful Lies of Sound Design” to learn more about creating sounds and how they work on audiences. ASSIGNMENT • Record and analyze a soundscape. Choose a unique environment where you can record. Without making any sound of your own, record 1–3 minutes of continuous sound in the environment. Then listen and try to identify the source of every sound heard. What sounds did you expect to hear? What sounds surprised you? What sounds were easy or difficult to identify? What emotions did specific sounds draw out? Next, post your recording to The Hub and select a classmate’s recording to put through the same questioning. You won’t have context for their recording so your analysis might be a little more challenging in this round. SUBCHAPTERS • Sound Design Works on a Subliminal Level • Design Sound That’s Best for Your Story • Put the Finish on the Movie “The sounds—you know, whether it’s percussion or wind instruments or synthesizers are creating sounds that we relate to on this kinda primal level.” —Ron Howard 30. SOUND DESIGN 37RON HOWARD CHAPTER REVIEW Talk to composers like you would an actor or screenwriter. They are able to listen to the director’s motivations and reinforce those feelings, themes, or rationale for a scene. The best composers pick up on details of actors’ performances and build cues to add dimension to the story. Ron originally told composer Hans Zimmer that he saw Frost/ Nixon as a film with a 70s rock ‘n’ roll soundtrack and that he’d only need about “seven or eight minutes of score.” But Zimmer and writer Peter Morgan pushed Ron to try an approach that reflected the actors’ performances. That score became suspenseful and even psychological, bringing the sound “much closer to the heartbeat of the characters” and leaving Ron grateful that he was talked out of his initial idea. In the examples in this chapter, score composition followed the shooting of each scene. Another interesting approach is to start with a piece of music and shoot with a tempo and sound in mind. Even if that music does not end up in the final cut, its presence at a shoot can inspire actors and convey an emotional truth of the story. LEARN MORE • Listen to Hans Zimmer’s full score for Frost/Nixon. In your notebook, write out how the score landed close to the “heartbeat of the characters.” ASSIGNMENT • At this point in the class, we’ve seen and studied A Beautiful Mind in multiple chapters. This time, only listen to the movie but do not watch it. Identify and list the emotions you feel throughout at the time you are feeling them. Keep your list down to single words (e.g., fear, anticipation, confusion) or simple phrases. Upload your list to The Hub and compare your emotional map with your classmates. Was there an overall steering of your reactions as viewers or were responses more subjective? SUBCHAPTERS • Talk to Composers Like Actors • Use Score to Reinforce Theme • Frost/Nixon Score • A Beautiful Mind Score • Find Music Before Shooting “In the world of working with composers or making decisions on your own, it’s so much about asking yourself the question what should the music be? And you’ll have probably an instinctive answer and that may be right. But it’s always worth saying, ‘What else?’” —Ron Howard 31. MUSIC AND SCORING