An interesting quote from Herzog

HerzogisGod

HerzogisGod

Well-known member
I found this 100% true, yet a bit hard to digest



"Coincidences always happen if you keep your mind open, while storyboards remain the instruments of cowards who do not trust in their own imagination and who are slaves of a matrix... If you get used to planning your shots based solely on aesthetics, you are never that far from kitsch.†"

Werner Herzog


I personally cant stand the thought of storyboards, although I draw them and use them constantly. I know I'm limiting myself to the average, bottom of the barrel, "my film looks like everyone' else's film" CRAP.
Establishing Shot, Medium Shot, Close UP...the same stupid framing and compositions you end up seeing on television....blah blah blah. Classic and contemporary compositions work, don't get me wrong, they are very appealing, and for good reason. But it's so true that we're all ending up with the exact same looking films. It's disgusting, really, and the exact opposite of what I love most about the creative life
 
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yeah, i don't storyboard. i prefer to light the space, rather than specific shots so we have the freedom to block the entire scene as a dance between camera and actor. i like creating and reshaping scenes in the moment and constantly make adjustments based on what the actors are doing. i feel it keeps the content and form unified, fresh and spontaneous. working off a blueprint of storyboards would drive me mad from boredom. i'm an artist dammit, not a craftsman. **eyeroll**

being able to effectively communicate with the crew becomes much more important when you don't have a picture to show them, though. I do have overhead diagrams of the space with the blocking mapped out, but I also surround myself with intelligent, creative people eager to collaborate and offer ideas in order to offset the fact that we aren't necessarily sticking to the plan. :)
 
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It's good to know there are others :)

For the most part I dwell on the scene in my mind, factoring in the locale and whatever unconscious inspiration Im running on at that point in time; other films, directors, advice, a good book I just read, my own personal drama :) then I'll shoot it. I will storyboard only if I know Im gonna be pressed for time.

I'm always grateful for the accidents though. I keep my mind open to them because they are always around us
 
I didn't storyboard anything from either of my first two shorts, but I think I'm going to do really detailed storyboards for my next one. I know there's a chance that it will limit some creativity on set, but I think it'll be better to become really organized in regard to shot selection before trying to wing it on set.

Once I can look at a scene and have it immediately boarded in my mind, I'll stop using them. At the moment, I think I need to at least make an overhead diagram with camera blocking and talent blocking to make sure I cover everything.
 
Thats a generalization of everyone NOT Herzog.

I'm a coward because sometimes I like to put what I picture in my head.. down on paper?
 
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Zak, do you think it's a good idea for amateur directors to use storyboards?

I know the right answer is that everybody is different... but I still want your opinion.
 
i think you need to prepare. I do an incredible amount of preparation. I spend entire days in each location prior to shooting, just visualizing the blocking for actors and camera, watching what the natural light is doing throughout the day, etc.

preparation for some might include storyboarding. but to really put yourself on a path toward mastering this artform, and i think this was herzog's point, you need to learn and have experience in the process of incorporating the space and characters you are shooting as they exist in real life and not try to force them to adhere to how those things exist in your head. and that might mean throwing away or revising lines that the actor can't deliver in a believable manner, adjusting and tweaking character motivation to add depth, dropping unnatural blocking that reads as forced. and most importantly, knowing how to capture the magic of the spontaneous -- prepare to be surprised.
 
Solid advice. I'm going to do a whole lot of both on the next film -- heavy storyboarding but being really open to new things as well.
 
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