The Director’s Journey with Mark W. Travis

WHY AM I MAKING THIS MOVIE? – This is a vital question that needs to be asked before you decide to make a movie.
Once you know the exact answer to this question, you can get going with pre-production. Otherwise it may be difficult to work at all.







THE NINE BASIC STEPS OF FILM DIRECTING BY MARK W. TRAVIS

Pre-production

1. What is the story really about, FOR YOU? (What can I say? Everyday my story changes. I, as the director, need to maintain a high level of energy going within the crew.)
2. What is the scene about?
3. Why is this scene in the movie? (What would you lose if the scene wasn’t in the film?)
4. What must I, as a director, achieve within this scene so that it will function properly within the movie? (vision: What does the scene bring to the movie?)
5.What are the character objectives, obstacles, arcs, means, actions, activities, adjustments, windows of true nature (What is going on within the character?), risks, stakes, etc?

Production
6. How can I direct and stage the scene in order to clarify and underline the essential dynamics within the scene?
7.How can I capture (record) this scene in  order to enhance the essential dynamics of the scene? (What is the event that is worth shooting)

Post Production
8. How do I rediscover the story that is contained within the material I have created? (Discover the movie you are actually making. It will be the best version of your story.)
9. How do I reassemble this material in order to create the most dynamic version of my story?

The director and the script.
 1. As a director you need to ask yourself once again why you want to turn this particular script into a movie.
 2. Read the script. While reading the script stop your brain working on the shoots or staging and hold yourself back to be able to understand what the script is really about.
 3. Start forming a relationship to the story. (How the story relates to your life? Can you see similarities between the story and your life? How the story effects you? What do you feel reading the story? Etc.)
 4. The script needs to be analyzed scene by scene for the director’s vision to be clarified.
 5. You need to do the script breakdown to be able to analyse the script.
 6. It is important to know what is the protagonists’ journey throughout the script?
 7. The story is in the characters and the characters must be doing something. So the audience can see what journey the characters are going through, how the journey affects them and whether they are going in the direction they wanted to go.
 8. Inciting incident - this is some kind of incident that happens to the protagonist and turns his/her life upside down; to propel the character on a journey. It usually happens at the beginning of the script or just before the script started and we learn about this later on in the script.
 9. In every script each character has flaws and the director’s job is to find each character’s flaws.
The character must fight with his/her flaws during the course of the story.
 10. The Scene Objective is important to be clear to the director in order to achieve everything that it is possible to achieve within the scene.
 Don’t make the assumptions that what happens in the scene is an objective to drive the character. Often the objective is much deeper and hidden.
 11. When the scene doesn’t sit in properly, it doesn’t fulfil the targeted objective. The writer would either have to change the scene or the scene would have to be deleted from the script/film. As a director you see that the scene is just not right and have to make the right decision.
 12. Only actors can deal with the overall objective of the script since only actors know what will happen to the character. The character doesn’t know that.
 13. Characters make adjustments all the time, day and night to make their journey more interesting.
 14. In a script usually one problem ends and another begins to push the plot of the story forward.
 15. Don’t give the audience what they want straight away, give it at the very end. If you give them everything at the beginning they probably will not want to watch the rest of the film.
 16. To be realistic the movie or the script has to be a lot like real life. The characters’ behaviour has to be like in real life too, to be believable to the audience.


Terms for characters and actors.

Objective - what the character is trying to achieve throughout the movie
-    Public (conscious)
-    Private (unconscious)

Obstacles - getting in the way to achieve what the character really wants
-    Other characters
-    Environment (physical & social)
-    Self

The Gap is Objective = expectation vs result

The actor & the character

Left                            Right
brain                          brain
ACTOR                       CHARACTER
-    Knowledgeable      - Naive
-    Omniscient           - Unaware
-    In control             - Out of control
-    Objective             - Objective
-    Obstacles             - Obstacles


Director & Actor/Character

 1. Direct the character, not the actor.
 2. Try to make the scene work differently each time.
 3. You need to work out the reality and the truth with the character, not the actor.
 4. Each character takes a risk, it’s an internal nature of the character. To make it more interesting the risks need to be more intense.
 5. Window of true nature – it happens during the performance when something intense happens inside the character. It usually lasts for a second or two. However the longer the character stays in the window of true nature the more fake it becomes.
 6. For the director the most important tool is staging so use it well to express your story (Staging is the character’s relation to other characters and camera.)
 7. Look for the core moments with the character and this way you will be able to discover what the scene is really about.
 8. Discover what the main character expects from other characters.
 9. As a director you often shape the performance in post-production. That’s why it’s important to have a lot of material to choose from.
 10. Don’t talk to and direct the actor, talk to and direct the character.
 11. As a director you need to shoot down the actor’s brain.
 12. While rehearsing don’t talk to the actor, talk to the character. Ask the character (not the actor) all the questions you need to ask about the character.
 13. Take the actor into the character’s world, help to coach the actor without a plan for the scene.
 14. While walking onto the set with the actors give them a topic to talk about (this is a concentration exercise). On the word “action” the actors dive into their characters.
 15. Bracketing – it means “slightly different each time”. Before every take you need to send characters back with different attitude, give them different approaches to the scene. This way the actor can give you a range of material and while editing, you can choose which way to go.
 16.  Editing a film is like rehearsal process in the theatre.
 17. Look for small moments and see how a little information can change/trigger the change in the character.
 18. Emotional trigger - happens by taking one element (it might be anything: a word, an image etc.) to create a whole new emotion.
 19. Don’t push the actors outside his/her comfort zone.
 20. Create special boundaries within which you give your actors total freedom to be creative.
 21. Director needs to be, just like an actor, able to improvise with the actor and see where the improvisation is going to take him.



Actor/Character/Rehearsal.

1.    Give the actors (always as characters) tasks to do and observe what is happening between them.
2.    Use an element of surprise - physical action to surprise the character.
3.    While you work with the actors, throw them little tasks.
4.    If something doesn’t work, reframe your idea.
5.    Don’t care what the actor thinks about the character.
6.   The deeper you get into feelings, the more complex everything that happens on the screen becomes.
7.    Never talk about the scene just send actors as characters into the scene. The scene will happen on its own.
8.    The characters don’t know they are in a movie.
9.    The director is the committee and has to judge whether the rehearsal is going in the right direction or if it’s getting off track. If it’s getting off track, change the information you have been giving to the characters.
10.    If for some reason the scene or exercise is not working, change the information you gave and see what happens.
11.    You can be brutal on the characters and the actors will feel safe. You can tell anything you want to the character and the actor will not feel upset or offended.

EXERCICES

 1. Ask the character general questions, anything you want. These questions are designed for general knowledge (ex. I want to know if you are a vegetarian or not.)
 2. After the first initial “getting to know you” try to get deeper into the characters. Ask more personal questions.
 3. After few first exercises try to send the characters into the scene and see what happens, how the energy shifts and how different the scene looks from the initial reading.
 4. While rehearsing or shooting a scene use bracketing - (It means to giving the actors a topic to talk about before sending the characters back to the scene to trigger relevant emotions. Each topic will trigger a different emotion.)
5. Behind the characters’ actions and words are all the desires they want to say but don’t know how.
6. The easiest way to get the history of the characters out is to ask questions during the rehearsals.
7. Get the characters to talk at the same time or one talk at a time depending on what you want to achieve. Try a variety of approaches.


Director & the production & crew

PRODUCTION DAY

1.    7 am - 7 pm
2.    Daily news (what is going to happen during the day)
3.    First rehearsal mostly done for staging.
4.    Everyone is on the set to shoot.
5.    Bracketing


1. Crew has to be focused.

2. Divide the shots into three categories A,B & C to be clear what you need and what you might get if there is still time.

A.    List of shoots – If you don’t have this scene, you won’t be able to complete the film. This list is a must.
B.    List of shoots - The shoots I would like to get. If we get this, I (the director) would be very happy.
C.    List of shoots - If we have time left over.(Which almost never happens however the crew will work towards this aim), it would be fantastic to get these shots.

3. Get the crew involved as much as possible. This will make the crew happy and willing to work with you.
4. Remember that all the planning is done in  pre-production so do it well. This way you save loads of time and money during the production.
5. Be transparent with your crew so they know what you are doing all the time.
6. Keep everyone working all of the time. Make sure that nobody waits for you (the director) or the actors.
7. The take doesn’t have to be perfect; in fact it means nothing since you will cut it in post-production any way. So don’t try to achieve the impossible.
8. You need to decide and be certain what you are going for in the set up. So you are clear about this with your crew.


TIP for PRE_PRODUCTION
Try to storyboard with still cameras.

How to rehearse with your actors? Part 2.

How to choose OBJECTIVES?

• Objectives should be active.
• Objective is not the final result of the actor’s action.
• Objective should be more of the inner actor’s adjustment.
• Try to find the sense of intention behind the objective.
• Avoid saying “he is trying to get her to…”; use “he wants her to…” instead.
• Don’t get stuck trying to come up with the word to describe the objective. If you can’t find it, maybe it’s not necessary. Move on.

ACTION VERBS are the verbs that describe action and are playable and imaginative.
VERBS are a great way of communicating with actors. Instead of using emotions, use verbs. Try not to say things like “take it down” or “give more energy” because these statements are very confusing to actors and they don’t know what to do, give them ACTION VERBS.
My favourite way of working with the actors is using IMAGES to describe everything that is happening in the scene. This way you can describe dialogues, places, and subtext. The best way to use IMAGES is to work with the actors and share IMAGES and experience together. Instead of asking for emotions, use IMAGES.
Sometimes a very good way to get an actor’s imagination going is to talk about problems and the characters experiences. If you concentrate on an OBSTACLE it creates a sense of task and keeps the actor’s attention to the role.
Get all the FACTS regarding the character you can get from the script. Compare your notes with the actor’s notes.
Use questions WHAT IF? or AS IF? to adjust and interpret facts you are given. This is a very good way to talk about the character’s behaviour without using adjectives.
What is not being said in the script is called SUBTEXT. It is a very useful tool to figure out what is really being said and what the intentions of the scene are.
Without PHYSICAL LIFE there is no performance. PHYSICAL LIFE is a reflection of a character’s inner life.

The Man With The Spying
Glass - short film

Your directions have to be clear enough to relate to the character’s situation and relationships.
What you need from your actors is connotations, engagement with one another and ability to affect each other and to be affected.
You need to create such a safe environment for an actor that he/she will not want to be a character but A PERSON.
When you give directions to actors, they have to be simple. Don’t make anything complicated especially before you shoot a scene. Always make sure that the actors listen to one another and play off one another.
List of things to remember:

1. Keep it simple.
2. Communicate.
3. Listen.
4. Use your own experience.
5. Keep attention on the actors.
6. Don’t let the actors wander off.
7. Make sure one actor doesn’t feel superior to the other.
8. Make sure they don’t give direction to one another.

Try not to use adjectives, adverbs or indication. These are not stage direction tools and are not playable.
The best way to direct actors is to ask questions.

The Man With The
Spying Glass - short

Notes from my director’s notebook you might find interesting

1. Associations.
2. Make your action concrete to relate to your memory.
3. Contact is to see what is going on around.
4. Change motivations behind actions.
5. One actor has the same motivation as before and the other has changed motivation.
6.  Don’t follow the easiest way.
7.  The actor always has to be active even if he is static.
8.  You need to give actors concrete actions.
9.  We are to tell the truth.
10.  Always try to show the unknown side of things to the audience.
11.  Aim always for authenticity.
12.  Always seek for the real truth and not the popular conception of truth.
13.  Use your own real, specific and intimate experiences.
14.  Proceed step by step but without falseness, without imitating actions, always with all your personality and all your body.
15.  Remember about the silence of the mind.
16.  Our first obligation to art is to express ourselves through our own personal motives.
17.  Take risk of a failure in order to create.
18.  Use stimulation to give actors a chance to be creative.
19.  Emotion observed is no longer emotion.
20.  Act is to react.
21.  The goal is to find a relationship between the text and the actor.
22.  Give everyone a few minutes silence before shooting.
23.  Don’t let an actor show the audience the character’s inner life but live it.
24.  The actor needs insight into the character life experiences.
25.  Trust the moment.
26.  If an actor can’t concentrate, give she/he a simple task to relax.
27.  Give direction that doesn’t damage the actors’ confidence.
28.  Make sure an actor concentrates on an object.
29.  Before you start work, you have to know what it is you want.
30.  Motivate actors, let them make choices.
31.  It’s all about behaviour.
32.  Stay focused on the characters.
33.  Use single action to stimulate actor’s behaviour.

34. As a director you need to know the story, the characters, the environment and the back-story.

How to rehearse with your actors? Part 1.

Rehearsal is an important and integral part of any film production. I, personally, like to give myself as much time to work with the actors as possible so once in a production I can concentrate on shooting the film. Below is the list of rehearsal techniques you may find useful.

1. Stay loose.
2. This is the time to have ideas and try them out. Even if you don’t try them all, just keep working on the ideas.
3. What the character wants for the whole movie.
4. When you are looking/analyzing the character, pay special attention to what seems to be the most important that has happened to him/her.
5. Concentrate on the relationship between the characters, not the stage direction.
6. Replace adjectives with action verbs, images, facts, events and physical life.
7. Know what the movie is about.
8. Know who the characters are and try to back up your ideas with evidence.
9. Have alternatives in case your favourite ideas don’t work.
10. Keep re-reading and re-thinking the script, and deepen your ideas.
11. The directions that I think most actors respond to best are the ones that show insight.
12. The proper purpose of rehearsal is to stimulate the actor’s emotions and imaginative side so on the set the actors can work well.
13. It doesn’t matter whether you have half an hour to rehearse, set a schedule for it and plan tasks.
14. Decide which scenes you are going to rehearse. Locate scenes that are continuous and can rely on one another.

PLAN FOR THE REHEARSAL

1. Introduce people.
2. Tell actors how you work.
3. Make sure actors listen to one another and work honestly.
4. Introduce the group of actors to work together.
5. Let everyone talk about each other’s character.
6. As a director ask questions while the actors are talking.
7. Analyze the scenes with the actors.

THE GOALS OF REHEARSAL

• Make sure the actors are listening and work honestly, use themselves and find some authentic connection to the material.
• Investigate the text: explore questions, problems and possible meanings of individual lines and solve the structure of the scene.
• Block the scene and find the physical life.
• Establish the actor – director relationship, set up your system of communication, hear and try the actors’ ideas and smoke out their resistances.
• Before each scene take 5 minutes to talk about the scene and ask the actors if they have any questions or ideas. Take their concerns into considerations. Most of the time these are ideas to explore in rehearsal.
• Always set up the framework and goal of the rehearsal (This is to connect with the characters and relationships or to get at what is unspoken in the scene or it’s to work out physical activities).
• Discuss with the actors your policy regarding the stage direction.
• If you only have few minutes to rehearse, make sure the actors are listening to each other. This includes eye contact unless there is a reason not to and add some simple physical life.
• Ask as many questions as you can, this is one of the best directing techniques.
• We want the actors to feel they are making the direction because the director doesn’t know if the idea is working or not until the actor tries it out.
• Never tell the actors how and what to feel. Use facts and images, events, verbs and physical action to communicate with the actors.
• Decide what the character wants and stick to it, don’t change it.
• Don’t expect the actors to use their full emotional investment in rehearsal. In rehearsal we are looking for a choice that brings to life the scene’s structure and engages the actor’s interest. We aren’t looking for performance but the road that takes the actors to create the performance on the actual shooting day

At the rehearsal the actor should experiment with different ways of getting to what they will need on the set. Try as much as you want at the rehearsal and the most important thing is to establish the relationship between the actors.

The Man With The Spying
Glass - short film

You can always ask actors how they would like to work.
Good directoring often comes indirectly. if the director gets way too excited about an idea, the actor will most probably feel pressure to do it right at the first time.
Never let the actors direct each other. You have to establish that you are the director and it’s only you they can take direction from. The Director of Photography may of course talk to the actors but only when he/she needs the actor to move in a certain direction, not to tell them what to do in a scene.
Try to improvise emotional life, words and movement a lot in rehearsal. This technique gives the actor the permission to try out many ideas before finding the right one, which will be used on the set.
You, as a director, still need to prepare for the improvisation. The more you are prepared, the more you will get out of your actors.
John Cassavetes used to write scenes that he wasn’t planning on shooting and had the actors improvise around those scenes.
It’s good to improvise what might have just happened before the scene began. This way we give the impression that whatever happens in our scene is in the middle of something.
Don’t use up high emotions at the beginning of the scene, start with less dramatic events and build it up.
Use a metaphor as a tool. It is easier for an actor to connect to the scene events. (I very often use my own life as an example of something that is happening in the scene).
Try to let the actors come up with the blocking themselves. Something that comes natural to them in certain situations.
When an actor is emotionally stuck in the scene, it is very often because somehow the physical action doesn’t go with the character or the scene.
Violence and sex have to be always choreographed and marked. When physical action is set, the emotional life can be invested in the scene.
As a director use your instinct when it comes to work on the scenes with the actors. If something doesn’t feel right, stop. If it does, let it run.
If actors are resistant in certain scenes, don’t go into discussing their private life with them. Just reassure them that you believe in their ability to work it through. But at the same time let them know, if they need your help, you are there for them.
A good director works differently with each actor. When you develop your intuition, you’ll be able to tell whether you should push someone or leave them alone. Each actor works with different tools and you need to find what suits them best.
It is very important that you learn how to listen. If you ask a question, listen to the answer the actors give you.
An actor’s job is to find honest behaviour, not to control the effect. Reassure them but in an honest feedback-direction way. The actors will really appreciate that.
Try not to argue with an actor. This way he/she will shut down which is not going to help you direct the film or to get as much as you could from the actor. Of course you can challenge actors and confront them if what they do, doesn’t seem to be real or it’s not what you wanted.
Love your actors. If they feel you care, they can do a lot for you.

The Man With The Spying
Glass - short film

TOOLS YOU CAN USE WITH THE ACTORS TO WORK ON THE ROLE
Before you begin to improvise, you have to decide what the scene is about. You can still change your choice before the shooting of your scene. When you find the right choice, it will create the right behaviour and physical action of the character.
Ask QUESTIONS about the script and the character. It is also very important to know what the actor is thinking about the script. If he/she doesn’t like it, there is no point working with them.
If you get the feeling that the scene is not really working, choose the OPPOSITE/S to what the scene is about.
The character always NEEDS something from the other character or NEEDS to accomplish something within the scene or the whole film. Find what your character NEEDS and stick to it throughout the whole film.
SPINE is who a character is. Look for the real meaning of the character/person.
Usually each scene has a particular OBJECTIVE, which should be very simple and specific. Find playable objectives that will have both physical and emotional element.

SILENT BATTLE

Silent: Refraining from speech

Battle: Any conflict or struggle

Silent Battle:

Inner struggle with no platform to express oneself

No ear to listen, No hand to clutch on.

Silent battle is a short film I did in 2010 as a class project at Kibera Film School. It was a requirement for graduation. Each student had to produce two films, a short documentary and a short drama.

What is the film about?

The film is about 16 year old Vinnie who comes back from school for holidays hoping to define his sexual orientation. He seeks help/counsel from his friends, religious leader but none of them listens to him. They all speak condemnation to him. He doesn’t state his problem openly, instead he talks around it hoping either of these people will sit down and listen to him. He breaks up with his long time girl friend Flo. His mother who is the only family he has doesn’t give him any attention; she is always busy with other women things. Eventually Vinnie feels not wanted and tries to commit suicide.

Why this film?

During my first days at Kibera Film School one person asked me what kind of filmmaker would I want to be? Well the Spielbergs, Mel Gibsons, James Camerons, and our very own home filmmakers are already there. Do I want to compete with them?  Then this will be a loosing competition. I wanted to be different, unique. A filmmaker who tells stories with a human touch. My stories will be derived from my observations, my life and that of my friends, my literature etc.

Silent battle was derived from a story I read in a daily, my friends life, and partially my life, part of it took place a few days earlier at school. And so I wanted to bring all this together and let my audience have their own opinion.

The writer, producer, director Josphat Keya in a scene as Priest with Wilfred Masea as Vinnie the main character

Is the film a gay film?

Silent battle is not about if being gay or not being is right. It is not about telling people that you should accept gay people or you should condemn gay people or even banishing gay people. It is a life of a young man going through struggles that many young men are going through out there. They can’t sand and speak about them for fear of being either stigmatized or something worse. If you watch all the characters in the film, they represent different views of how people see this issue of sexual orientation. My film is telling my audience that hey, let’s not burry our necks down, there are issues that need to be heard, addressed. Let’s be fair, we shouldn’t shout curses to anyone, be wise with our statements, lest we loose our loved ones.

What was the reaction of your colleagues at school when they heard you were going to do this film?

Well, they did not take it offensive or do anything that could discourage me, instead they stood by me, and all the characters except for two were my classmates. My crew too was from my class. I have to say I received great amount of support from them. The film that is out there is actually a reshoot, the original film got lost even before it reached postproduction. My colleagues sacrificed a day to help me reshoot the whole thing again. I appreciate all their support.

I have to say my church too, when I went there to ask for space, I was even given more, the then youth chaplain gave me the priest robe and coached me how a priest move. From the church compound I used tow locations in the film. Mark you I had not made any prior bookings.

Any reactions from the audience you screened to?

The reaction is always that it is a gay film. Some ask me if I’m gay, some say that the main character Vinnie is truly gay, but I love the debate that goes on, at least they have something to talk about the film. Now something interesting is that, I screened it to a group of youths in East Nairobi. The reaction was awe; they wanted to meet this person behind the film, as I was not present during the screening. They came to the office. During our conversation with them they asked me why couldn’t I do a part two of the film. Really, this got me thinking that the story of Vinnie had just began. But this time round I wanted to involve more people in developing the 2^nd part.

Wow, that must have made you feel proud. Has your parents ever watched this?

Yes, my dada did during my graduation; actually it was the only short film that was screened then. It was a large crowd, I remember running to hide in one of the classrooms.

Why did you run? Weren’t you proud of your work?

No it’s not about being proud, but I did not know how my dad would react to this, actually when I came out while the film was going on, everyone was looking at me with this sad face. My dad was smiling. I think when he saw that scene where I acted as priest, which made him feel good. He is a church person.

So do you think he understood the film?

Actually to this day, I am not sure if he got the concept of the film. The only thing I here him saying is when am I going to show him the film with the priest. But I will not ignorant that he doesn’t know issues of sexual orientation exist. The thing is that from his generations it’s close to a taboo to speak about sexuality to your child, or should I call it shyness?

Are you gay?

Are you asking me because I did the film?

No, it’s just because when I watch it, I see someone’s life in it. This is indeed a story about someone struggling.

Great, it’s true its; about a struggle in someone’s life, as I said in the beginning, that my stories come from friends, observations etc. So Silent Battle is a story of many youths out there.

I suggest that we stick to the film. Thanks

So when you say friends, do you mean you have gay friends?

Probably yes, but they have never come out to say so. I think maybe they fear how I might react when they tell me. But sometimes I suspect that some are gay or even don’t really know who they are.

Have you ever asked them?

No, one thing with me if I suspect something in you that you do not want to share it, but you are showing it, I tend to speak about it in a way that communicates to that it is okay you can share it. But, I think that hasn’t worked.

So if your film were screened in a big festival, would you still hide the way you did during your graduation?

I would not, I have gained courage to stand by this film, I will respond to the crowd. If I am shy on my film, then what kind of a filmmaker am I. Silent Battle is from me, and I have to stand by it.

Any film festivals you have submitted it to?

LOLA Kenya screen film festival 2010, Sojourner Film Festival, A film Festival in Uganda and recently NYICFF New York International Children's Film Festival, requested to have a copy of it after watching it online. They were sourcing films for the 2012 edition of NYCIFF. But with reasons I wasn’t told it did not qualify to be screened. But that’s a recognition am proud of.

Before I forget, who is your target audience?

It is general, parents, high school students, teachers, religious leaders, etc.

Something about part 2?

Yes I am excited that a team of script writers from Kibera Film School have come together to develop the part two. One of them requested this and I am glad that the others willingly came on board. We are still on the planning process; the script is not yet done. We are doing more research. Part 2 will answer the hanging questions part one left, they will be new challenges, new characters, but also see the cut off of some characters as well. Watch this space for more. Actually am developing a blog on this.

Any last words?

I want to say this that we are living in a society where we do not give voice to some members of the society because we have already defined what and who they are and how they should be handled. We are all stigmatizing and being stigmatised in some way. We need to get out and listen to others, let’s give ears to all these voices that are whispering to us, if we do not unclench our fists and hold our bros and sis hands they will all be washed away down the stream. I am only saying tuwasikize; the next step will be determined by what they tell us.

To the Vinnies who feel that don have a hand to clutch on, hang in there, we know that you exist and your voices will be heard through film.

Watch the full film here: http://vimeo.com/14900073