There are many commands on a film set. But "Action!" is definitely the most iconic word in the filmmaking jargon. What are the reasons for that, though? A few months ago I was listening to a Director’s Cut podcast with Clint Eastwood. Throughout the conversation, he explains that he doesn’t use "action" at all! In his mind, using loud and abrupt commands can be distracting to actors. For his films, he prefers using simple commands, in a low tone of voice. I thought it's really interesting, so in the following kind-of-an-essay video, I explore all the reasons why "action" shouldn't be a default. Origins Do you know that there’s a legend explaining why we call "action"? One day, director DW Griffith got quite upset about how slowly things moved from one setup to another. He was short on time, and in that frustration, he shortened a regular exchange of confirmation sentences and just screamed out, “Lights!” to get the electricians to set up the lights, followed by, “Camera!” to get the cameraman cranking, and finally followed by, “Action!” Read More...
Published By: NoFilmSchool - Thursday, 20 May, 2021