TVCs - post 3

After classes were finished on Friday I had a rather fantastic brainstorming session with Ben, my DP.

Ben had said in a previous meeting that one of the problems he has had with directors in the past was that he didn't fully understand their vision for the piece; he felt they had simply assumed he would take the same interpretation of the script that they had. Although our brainstorming session was unconventional in a "real-world" professional sense, I think it will probably have a huge contribution to remedying that problem, and when it was done I really felt that we were on the same wave length about how this TVC should shape up.

Basically what we did was se ourselves up in an empty classroom with a white board and drew big messy mind maps on the board. We started with the main ideas and images of the script, and worked our way outwards, writing down all the images, concepts and feelings that we could think of that were linked to these key things, and then from that pulling in all the filmmaking techniques that we could think of that might be able to convey these things. We also discussed how the key ideas and images fitted together structurally, ie what parts constitute the journey, resolution, climax etc, and how the audience should feel at given points.

A lot of the ideas came from me, because I have spent a lot more time thinking about the script than Ben, but he also had some great additions that I had not thought of. The most important thing though was that having the opportunity to explore all of these ideas with me means that when I discuss the shots with Ben he will know the ideas that they come from and he will understand the sensations I am trying to convey, and therefore he will be able to offer up ideas and adjustments that will be strongly relevant to the end goal, instead of feeling confused about why I am doing a particular thing in the first place.

I just wish the soundie could have been involved too! But having had this experience now (and seeing how empowering it is for both me and my collaborator) I will make sure that I can share the same information with the soundie and editor, even if it is in a different way.