Director's Tip: Imagining music score as influence for camera movement

[vcassel]

Just thought I'd share a tip I picked up last year at a Delray Film Festival workshop where Alan Metter, South Florida local and director of Back to School, spoke on directing. I must admit that I didn't expect much, not being a fan of his films, but he was full of great advice I've never been taught in class or read in any book.

One tip that really stuck with me: imagine a music score, a string section maybe, while moving or as motivation for the camera movement. Later, when working with a composer, reverse engineer it.

Thoughts?

 

[Knoxworth]

As long as you remain open during the filming process, sure this could work. If he's proposing you use the exact beats, then this idea is very posh and forced. Stick to the general idea, not exact measurement. Shooting to the beat has disaster written all over it. Be open. Use the tone and energy of music. Think of objects in the frame as energy. How does it move across the screen? I would recommend thinking of individual shots as brush strokes. Especially for quickly edited scenes.

There are a few music videos I rewatched recently where I realized this is why they work so well. The energy flows between hundreds of shots like little paint strokes.