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Moving Performances

Performing starts with movement and smooth moves on camera that demand some tricks of the trade.

When normally graceful people get on-camera, they can turn into zombies or klutzes or puppets left dangling. Why is that? Sometimes it's stage fright, but more often the problem lies in the technical demands of the medium. Technical problems are fixable, as we're about to show you; so let's see how to block subject movement and help performers manage their bodies on camera. For convenience in this discussion, subjects (performers) are all "she," and any shooting area is a "set," whether on a stage or on location.

Block That Move!

Blocking means setting and rehearsing subjects' movements on camera. All subject movement should be staged strictly for the way it appears on the screen, no matter whether it looks natural in the real world (see the adjacent sidebar). For instance, if a subject enters from the side and walks up to the camcorder, her real-world path would typically be a straight line. When blocking her for the screen, however, it looks quite natural (and often more attractive) to make her path a smooth arc.

Now suppose she has "business" (rehearsed activity) to perform before ending up in front of the camera. For example, she crosses to the ficus plant in the rear and waters it, then moves to a side table, puts down the watering can, and finally takes her position in front of the camera. Each of these three positions has been carefully lit and each requires a slightly different camera focus; so it's essential that she stop on exactly the right "mark" (spot) at each location

The first two marks are easy because the subject can memorize her position vis-a-vis the plant and the table. To hit her third spot exactly, she'll need an actual mark - usually chalk or tape - on the floor.

There are three ways she can "hit her mark," as it's called. She can track the mark in her peripheral vision as she approaches it. She can feel the heat and brightness of the key light focused on her stopping position (professionals get very good at this), or she can actually look at the mark - a method that works best if she's supposed to gaze contemplatively at the floor. Whichever her method (or combination), you can help her by rehearsing her full movement path thoroughly before sho…