Left, Right, Left

Ages ago I read in a storyboarding book that the protagonist of a film generally travels from the left of the screen to the right. This spans from the fact that in the West we read from left to right, so, logically, it would make sense for our eyes to follow the same direction. I put this theory to the test and, sure enough, in most films it was true. This also means that the antagonist is more likely to travel from the opposite direction – inevitably confronting each other.

I wanted to point this out because it’s such a good way to use camera movement and action to build up to a clash. I’ve used this amazing scene from ‘Vampire Hunter D’ as an example. This is the scene where we are first introduced to ‘D’, through the eyes of the bounty hunter gang. They are both after the same bounty, so they don’t really want to be friends. As this is a Japanese film the direction of the protagonist is opposite from Western film (because they read funny.)

The guy with the beard has a sharp shot with his metallic bow and arrow, so sharp he doesn’t even have to look at his prey- he can just listen to their movements. As he hears a horse galloping behind the hill he shuts his eyes and follows the sound with his bow. A brilliant entrance for our hero- as we don’t even see him coming!

Just before he moves towards that ‘sweet spot’ we cut to a close up of his bow, a direct opponent of the gallop. Then, just at the exact moment, SWOOSH! He releases the arrow which hurtles towards our hero. It cuts to an intense movement as the camera follows it through the graveyard- only to be caught by D’s hand. D’s horse buckles. His cape flaps up. We cut to a wide as he makes a silhouette in the moon. They all stare at him in disbelief. He snaps the metal arrow.

BRILLIANT!

If you haven’t seen this film I recommend doing so. The story and dialogue are a bit cliché, but there are a few scenes like this that are jaw dropping. The design concepts are pretty stunning as well.

Let me know what you think? Any thoughts, examples, arguments? I like arguing.

Storyboard exercise 1: The Bourne Identity

Hi there.

I thought I'd start off this storyboarding blog with an exercise. An editor once told me that the best film practise you can get is from actually studying films. So, I thought I’d start off with my favourite – The Bourne Identity.

Here are rough thumbnail shots of the opening sequence. I’ve tried to keep the thumbnails as loose as possible and include the bare minimum of detail. What I’m interested in is what the camera reveals and how the characters develop.

The story starts with an accidental meeting of a man floating in the sea (on the left side of the screen) and a fishing boat (on the right side.) As they cut back and forth from the interior of the boat to the exterior with the man, the camera moves closer on both sides. Finally, it ends up on a close up shot of one of the fishing crew realising what he has found. This is the moment when the two sides meet.

From here on we’re with the fishing crew, mainly the doctor. We’re discovering about this mysterious man as they are. It’s as if we’re another fisherman among the action. The camera mimics this by rocking back and forth with the doctor’s actions and the movement of the boat. It’s not until the doctor finds out that the bed is empty and the man has woken, that the camera now shows the perspective from the man’s point of view.

I love this scene because it builds up and ends on intense emotion. It also raises the important questions for the story, “Who is this man?”, “What is this thing in his back?”, “Why has he been shot?”, “Where has he come from?”

It is a stark contrast from the following scene at Langley, which is very sterile and business-like. The camera there is held back from the characters and is quite steady, emphasising the distance and hostility.

You can read the script here. It’s interesting to see what they’ve changed to bring it more to the point.

www.dailyscript.com/scripts/bourneidentity.html

Please note:

The shots travel downwards, not across. Also, I accidentally spelt ‘identity’ incorrectly on the top of the page. I suffer from dyslectica. Sory.