How Not To Direct Film?
If you want to direct film don’t do the way following film has been done. I am writing this post for not making fun of the filmmaker but just for learning purpose only. When things are funny, you understand them better. So this clip is from a 1974 Turkish film called KARETECI KIZ( Karate Girl). Some people say this movie inspired Quentin Tarantino for making KIllBill, but not sure how true is that. This specific action scene is regarded as the worst death scene ever in the history of filmmaking. So lets analyse the clip and learn how not to direct film.
There are many downsides of this clips including bad direction, bad cinematography, bad lighting, bad action, bad acting, bad background music and the list goes on. If you have a watched the scene you must have laughed a loud. Now thats the biggest embarrassment for the director. Please understand, when you write or direct film with specific genre, people are expecting those emotions from the director or actor. I am sure the writers and director and other crew members must have work hard on this film also but then something wasn’t right. Why would audience laugh at an action scene?
How Not To Direct Film?
- Director failed to convey the message of action to the audience. An action scenes are made to make audience excited. Audience must get excited and a lightening of energy must run through them while watching the action scene.
- Second failure of the director is that he allowed actors to do melodrama. Melodrama is a dramatic work that exaggerates to appeal to the emotions. Melodrama sucks.
- Director failed in composition of shots. Yes shot composition is a cinematographer’s responsibility but no one cannot shoot if the director doesn’t like the composition.
- Lighting was also bad as there are multiple shadows in the frame.
- If you watch closely, when the guy gets shot by the girl, he screams and tear your eardrums but you cannot see a drop of a blood on his tshirt. Then watch carefully and you can see that he has a pouch of fake blood in his left hand and when he gets shot second time he puts that blood on his tshirt. For gods sake, wasn’t there a thing called editing in back 70’s.
- When he gets shot 3rd time on his back there is still no blood. When the girl shots him for the 4th time, suddenly you see two blood spots on his back.
- Music was really bad. If you close your eyes and listen you feel like you are in the middle of rain forest.
Now lets visualise how to direct the same scene.
How To Direct Film?
- Make the action scene intense. Dont make it lengthy otherwise it can become a drag.
- Make the scene short and crisp.
- Dont miss continuity. If X shoots Y, then there should be blood on Y’s clothes instantly.
- Don’t allow melodrama. Ask your character to perform natural, like they live their day to day lives.
- Use appropriate music to make your scene to make it more intense. Just don’t use any music because you like it.
- Take variety of camera angles and shots and edit them very fast, that will give you the intensity.
There are lots of things which we can learn from this clip. The list is too long and I am kinda feeling lazy to write all those things here. But just learn one thing and thats How Not To Direct Film. 🙂
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