"A director's statement is a written proposal of the directors vision for a film."
This statement is often asked for by a producer in order to see the directors vision of the film. That way, depending on whether the vision is right for the job, and it's worth funding, they will hire a director based on this statement. It's also good for the producer, as they know what needs to be done in order to complete and bring the directors vision to life.
A directors statement can be a variety of different sizes, depending on if you have a page limit or not. They are always changing as well, along with the development of the script and the whole project.
Here are some examples of the key aspects of the directors statement to focus on:
Story
- What the story is about?
- What genre does it belong to?
- What is the time period?
- What is the hero's goal?
- Cinematic scene
Themes
- Moral
- Lesser themes
- Subtext
Vision
- Performance
- Visual look
- Cinematic Style
- Editing
- Music
- Post sound
- Visual effects
Since this directors statement isn't written for the purpose of getting hired, I decided to focus on some of these elements, but include a lot of detail to get across my point, without focusing on the story - due to the fact that I wrote the story. I've also added a few more points, as I feel they are important to mention and I also found these points in other directors statement examples I had read.
http://directing-101.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/week-13-directors-statement.html
Here is a rough outline of my directors statement - the full one is in the pre-production book:
Visual Style
‘Young and Famous’ will have a very natural sense and will the aim is to make it look realistic - the show will feel as normal and naturalistic
as possible, to create the sense that the audience is looking into the
couple’s lives. The
audience should be able to watch the show and feel as if most aspects of the show are relatable. The content of
the show will be the only aspect that might be slightly different to reality,
which hopefully will intrigue the targeted audience.
Colour
The colour of the show will be kept quite simple with a few
exaggerations. I want the colours to be vibrant and saturated, to create a
positive and joyful tone, and to show the couple’s enthusiasm that they feel
within their life. I did some research on the colours and vibrancy that is usually used within sitcoms, and the results that I found were positive in developing the show.
In 'Mrs Browns Boys', the colours are vibrant and they stand out,
especially the blue on the cupboards seen in the kitchen, the red in the living
room and the purple in the main characters cardigan. This is very similar to how I want our final product to look like, as I think it will work well alongside the
characters personality, locations & storyline. However, I don't want the
vibrancy to be overpowering as it still needs to look natural
and realistic.
During sad and defeated scenes, the saturation and vibrancy of the show will need to be decreased. So the audience get a sense of the sad emotions the
characters are feeling, and it differs to the look of the rest of the show. This will create a different tone, to show the audience that there is a different emotion being presented.
Shots and Framing
The variety of shots that will be used are: WS, MS, CU, ECU,
OTS and ES. These shots are chosen specifically for the sitcom element of the
show, and how involved we are with the characters. All of the different shots will affect the audience’s emotions
and connection with the characters, and make what they are watching more
relatable. The framing of all the shots will be tight to bring the audience into the story and make them feel closer with the characters that are on screen.
Lighting and Contrast
The lighting will be natural to make it seem realistic, so, upon research, high-key lighting is the desire for the show. This type of lighting is often
used within sitcoms and comedies as everything is usually lit in bright way. The natural lighting
throughout the window can aid the desired look, but extra equipment might be
needed in order to achieve the look in an effective way. The bright lighting
will keep the show looking natural, aiding the realistic and relatable
aspect of the show.
In 'Outnumbered', I realised, the lighting in each episode is very natural, and it's clear when it’s
morning and afternoon within the episode. This is through the use of lighting
coming through the lighting devices used on a daily basis. This is an aspect that would be key when showing the time of
day within the pilot episode of ‘Young and Famous’.
Cinematography
Multicam
Within TV sitcoms there are two main formats that can be
used, these are the ‘single-camera sitcom’ and the ‘multi-camera sitcom’. These have been research in detail, previously on another blog post, but this will be explored in detail within the directors statement in the pre-production book.
We’re incorporating the idea of a traditional ‘multi-camera sitcom’, which is
usually in a studio and in front of an audience, within an on location shoot. Due
to the location being a house, we will need to shoot our sitcom like a feature
film. However, we will be using multiple cameras at once, to keep continuity
apparent and to keep the performance of the characters and scene as natural and
consistent as possible.
This way of filming will mean the editing process will be straightforward,
smooth and clean as we put all the shots together. Some of the benefits of the
multi-cam set up are that we have more time on shooting days to be efficient with getting a lot of shots,
everyone will be relaxed on shoot, and making sure every shot has been
filmed will be less stressful. This is significant as I want the shoot days to
be as relaxed and comfortable for everyone as possible.
Fixed or Movement
Since the show has a natural, realistic tone, the movement
of the camera is quite significant as it can affect the tone of the show quite
heavily. In a traditional ‘multi-camera sitcom’ the shots are static and only
have slight movement in order to follow characters movement across the set.
However, some ‘single-camera sitcoms’ and feature films use hand held movement
in order to create a key element within the show/film.
In order to create a natural effect, I want the cameras to be static. Having static shots will allow
the audience to feel more involved in the story as the shot is simple and not
distracting. When the character is moving within the scene, either naturally or
from one room to the other, there will be slight movement to follow the action.
Performance
Characters Performance
The character’s performance is really important in how the
storyline and all of the character’s relationships are shown on screen. The
actors will need to be natural in their acting and portrayal of the characters, however, there are some specific traits that the actors will need to present clearly, to clearly portray the character.
In both Outnumbered and
My Family (2000-2011), the characters
portrayed are all natural and realistic, and relatable for the audience. The two couples in both shows are presented really
well as there is a clear sense to who they are as individuals as well as a
couples. This is important for Annie and Dean, as they both have
different personalities and traits, but they work well as a couple.
Crew Size
The preferred size of crew is a small number, due to the
location and the naturalistic tone of the show. All together there are 6 characters that will be starring in
the pilot episode, but they will not be needed for shooting every day. The
maximum amount of talent we will have on one day will be 4 actors, but not all
of them will be needed throughout the whole day.
Similarly, the amount of crew will be a small number for the reason of not wanting the set to be overly crowded. The number of crew will
be roughly 6 or 7 people, which will cover Director, DOP, Producer, Camera
Operator, Sound Operator & Runners. If the set has a relaxed
atmosphere, then everyone will be able to do their job in a calm way, and that
will come across, in a positive way, on screen.
Editing
When editing comedy, the timing of each shot is really
important in telling the story and sharing the jokes. The pace of the show
will consistently be quite quick, meaning it will be quick cut, in order to
show the story progressing quickly. The wide shots will be used when
introducing a new scene, and the closer shot sizes, such as MS, OTS & CU,
will aid the sense of the audience being involved within the character’s lives.
There’s at least one
element that will need to be added into the episode during the editing, and
that is an image of a newspaper article. This newspaper article will spiral into screen, almost like it has been
thrown onto the ground. This is sometimes used on shows such as The Simpsons (1989 – ) to move the story
along, or put emphasise on a problem within the episode. This will have to
be edited on After Effects, with a newspaper article that will have to be
edited on Photoshop, to make it effective within the story.
In terms of what software will be used when editing the
episode, the options were either Adobe Premiere Pro & Final Cut Pro. Purely
based on the multi-cam aspect of the shoot, we will be using Final Cut Pro to
edit. Within Final Cut Pro, there is an automatic audio sync feature
that makes the multi-cam sync more accurate which is really important within
the editing process. One very useful and effective aspect of Final Cut Pro, is
you can watch all the angles simultaneously and switch or cut to different
angles at the same time, all of which will be in real time. That makes editing
less complicated and quicker, which in turns gives more time for improvements
and viewings until we are really happy with the outcome.
Mood and Tone
The overall tone of the show will be happy but with an
underlying tone of sadness, which works alongside the characters emotions
throughout the show.
Throughout the episode, determination will be the
consistent mood and tone of the episode, while the characters have a boost of
ambitiousness to achieve their goal. To create this mood, the shots will be cut
quickly during the editing, to keep the pace fast and intriguing, and the
lighting will be bright and natural. This will create a warm and homely tone to
the show, which is desired throughout the whole episode.
Once the characters start to
feel defeated, the editing will slow down. This is to emphasise the sadness the
characters are feeling, and to show how beaten down they are feeling. Then as
the scene gets happier, the editing will pick up to pick up the audience’s mood
within that scene.
The overall tone for ‘Young & Famous’ is a combination
of determination, ambitiousness, and high energy, along with underlying sadness
and sentimental moments.
Audio
Diegetic
In terms of the audio that will be heard within the episode,
I want it to be quite simple so it’s not too distracting, but it also needs to
sound natural.
The diegetic sounds that will be heard, will be both the
dialogue and sound effects. In order to make it realistic, sound effects will
be needed to be added within the post-production aspect. Having sound effects will bring the show to
life and make it relatable for the audience. The dialogue is very important
within the show, as it aids the progression of the story, so it’s important that this is clear and identifiable.
Non-Diegetic
The non-diegetic sounds that will be heard is music, but a
limited amount of it. There will be music added along with the title sequence
to keep it entertaining, and to add the upbeat energetic mood and tone of the
show clear from the beginning. There will also be music added along with the
establishing shots of the house, that will be used to show the time change, but
this music will be short stings.
Both the music for
the title sequence and the short stings, need to be 80s inspired. This is due
to the age of the old couple.
A good example of a title sequence with old music would be Keeping Up Appearance (1990 – 1995) The
music for this is very upbeat, fast tempo, and is quite old. Ours would be
similar in the old aspect and the fast tempo, however, I think ours needs to
have more energy and more within the pop genre to express the characters
personality.
TV Sitcoms
Here is a list of sitcoms I want my crew and cast to watch before shooting, so they get an idea of how this show will be created through all aspects - tone, visuals, sounds, etc.
- Outnumbered
- Gavin & Stacey
- Motherland
- Mrs Browns Boys
- My Family
- Terry & June
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