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Film & TV · MS elective · 3 credit hours · 16 sessions

Directing for Stage & Screen

While the goal is the same—truthful storytelling—the methods for Stage and Screen are vastly different. This hybrid course trains directors to work across mediums. Students will compare the continuous, projection-based performance of Theatre with the fragmented, intimate nature of Film. The curriculum covers blocking (proscenium vs. 360), rehearsal techniques, and adapting a single scene for both a live audience and a camera lens.

§ 01 By the end you can
  1. Contrast "Theatrical Truth" (Projected) with "Cinematic Truth" (Internal)
  2. Master blocking for a Proscenium Arch vs. Blocking for Camera Coverage
  3. Conduct rehearsals: The "Table Read" vs. "On-Set Run-through"
  4. Understand the technical differences: Lighting grid vs. Film set
  5. Direct a single scene in two formats: One for stage, one for screen
§ 02 Sixteen sessions

The whole semester.

  1. 01The Audience Relationship: Live vs. Recorded
  2. 02Script Analysis: Beats & Units (Universal)
  3. 03The Rehearsal Process: Table Work
  4. 04Directing for Stage: Picturization & Composition
  5. 05Stage Blocking: Triangles & Levels
  6. 06Voice & Projection for Theatre
  7. 07Stage Management & The Crew
  8. 08 · MidtermMidterm Examination
  9. 09Directing for Screen: The Camera as Viewer
  10. 10Cinematic Blocking: The 180 Line
  11. 11Film Acting: Adjusting the Volume
  12. 12Coverage & Continuity
  13. 13The Tech Rehearsal (Stage) vs. The Shoot (Film)
  14. 14Post-Production: The "Second Directing"
  15. 15Multimedia Theatre: Blending the two
  16. 16Final Project: The Dual-Format Scene Adaptation

Midterm around session 8. Final project briefed at session 8 or 9 and developed in stages until the juries.

§ 03 Final project

Final Project: The Dual-Format Scene Adaptation

How it’s judged

Recommended reading
  1. Directing for the Stage by Terry John Converse
  2. On Directing Film by David Mamet
  3. A Sense of Direction by William Ball
  4. Changing Direction: A Practical Approach to Directing Actors in Film and Theatre by Lenore DeKoven
  5. The Director’s Journey by Mark W. Travis
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