Fundamentals of Stage and Film Direction

Anatoly Antohin

Spring, 2002 3.40-5.10 pm Green Room & Lab Theatre Office Hrs: by appointment Phone: 474-7754 ffaga@uaf.edu

This course will be focused on the art (science) of stage direction and film directing – a brief history of its development, functions of the director, and components of the art. Specific areas to be studied are script analysis, composition, working with actors, and organizing a production. The student will direct two scenes (stage and video) and a number of shorter performance assignments dealing with focus, movement, and prop. There are two prompt books, scene analyses, rehearsal schedules, and one written critique of a Spring production. Two tests on Dramatic, Performance and Film theory.

Texts: Directors on Directing; Directing Actors by Judith Weston (recommended). The following plays are also your required reading Tragedy – HAMLET, Shakespeare; Comedy – Inspector General, Gogol or/and Twelfth Night; Drama – Three Sisters, Chekhov.

Please read all three plays right away as they will be used as examples throughout the course.

Recommend: Acting in Person and Style, by Jerry Crawford.

Attendance: Each student will be allowed one absence without penalty. After one, each subsequent non-excused absence will result in lowering the final grade for the course by 5%.

Grades:

Attendance/participation & discussion 20% Performance projects (scenes): Midterm and Final exams 20% + 30% Written assignments + Promt Book 10%

Class Projects 10%

Tests 5% + 5%

All Assigments (written or performed) will be submitted on time or penalized 5% for each late day.

Performance projects may include:

- a silent scene

- a video assignment

- a movement assignment

First Scene: a short scene from Hamlet, Inspector General or Three Sisters.

Second Scene: Video project.

Written Assignments may include:

- a scene analysis

- 1 play critique from a directorial standpoint

- a promptbook, including analysis of scene, play, characters, rehearsal schedule, ground-plan, graphs, prop/light/costume, etc.

Class Schedule

Week 1 1/17: Intro, History, Functions. Spectatorship. Theory: Begin Script Analysis. Review Aristotle's "Poetics". Idea(s) into Concept.

Week 2: Discussion/Script Analysis. Scene Graphs. ABC of Dramatic Composition.

Week 3: Text and Subtext: Dramatic and Performance Composition. Focus Scenes Due/Begin Blocking. Theory: Stanislavsky and Meyerhold. Method Acting (Realism) and Scenometrics.

Week 4: Movement and Blocking. Objective and Obstacle. `Silent Scene'– visualization and physicalization.

Week 5: Time and Space. Working with Actors: Acting Areas. Dramatic Theory Test.

Week 6: First Round of Scenes.

Week 7: Discussion of the Scenes Presented.

Week 8: Design/Lighting/Sound concepts. Assignments for Final Scenes. Basic Semiotics for Directors. Video.

Week 9: Rehearsal Techniques; Actors – medium and tools. Textbook: I. Class Project: Endgame.

Week 10: Discuss Final Video Scenes Concepts. Genre. Style.

Week 11: Director's Choices. Theory Test.

Week 12: Video Production; Discussion..

Week 13: Editing I. Viewing.

Week 14: Film Techniques for Stage Directing.

Lab Theatre. Final Exam.

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