Making of The Third Room Random Blathering: Blocking

I understand the importance of blocking but I'm not going to preach about it a whole lot, because I still haven't mastered it.  For those who don't know what blocking is; I'm going to explain it to you in a very simple method.

Blocking is the diagram of where actors/actresses and camera are located and how they move.  A simply blocking diagram looks like the worlds hardest game of twister, but it is usually broken down into shapes, colors and dotted lines.  One shape represents where Actor A stands and moves.  Another shape represents where the camera moves.  This is generally done for economic purposes so that takes can be redone again and again.  An actor will know his mark and where his destination is, so will the camera man. Blocking is just basically a form of choreography for all things filmed in front of the camera and the camera itself.  Important yes, but for the indie film maker it's really just as simple as making sure everyone knows where to go, what the camera is supposed to be shooting and where it is supposed to go.  Each scene will have it's own blocking diagram that will be well rehearsed.

If you know how to block then repeating shots and even scenes will be a piece of cake.  Even if you don't master it, at least keep a basic diagram on paper and make sure everyone that needs to know it is well rehearsed in it.

Now if you are looking for something to help you Block the Shot Designer App for Iphone and Andoird.  They can help you with basic blocking if that's what you need.

Shot Designer for Android
Shot Designer for Iphone

If you're looking for something a bit more robust you can always check out Hollywood Camera Work.