The Blocking

Blocking - How the actors use the space and move in relation to the camera and other actors in the scene.

Staging - The positioning of actors within the frame as well as the movement of the camera itself.

Great blocking and staging are the key to any successful shot. If a scene is blocked well it can only get better and if it’s blocked poorly, it makes your job very difficult. The scenes below contain examples of exceptional blocking and yes, there’s a reason why so many are Spielberg films. Pay careful attention to how the actors use the space they are in, frame sizes, why and when edits are used, and sometimes more importantly, why they are not.

If you have a scene from a movie you think is worth adding please let us know.

Thanks to DP Richard Vialet for giving us this idea and access to his ever-growing list.

This page is dedicated to the memory of Director Jonathan Kaplan who would have loved it.

(and The Staging)