N.26 | "Seven Samurai" (9 cut to movement examples), 10 rules on working with actors from Jodie Foster plus more

JOURNAL ENTRY

BROUGHT TO YOU BY: the film storytelling library

Feb 09, 2025: we’re getting ready to shoot a 10-minute short at film school. This will happen on Feb 22, 23, and 24. There’s a problem though. I broke my foot last week.

I hit my foot on a door. I was just rushing for no reason. Lesson learnt. Thank you life!!! With a broken foot, and wearing a walking boot, I don’t think I’ll be there for the whole three days.

FILM STORYTELLING

Seven Samurai (9 cut to movement examples)

I watched an interview with Sidney Lumet once. In the interview, Lumet calls Akira Kurosawa “the Beethoven of movie directors.” Wow!

Since then, I’ve started to pay much more attention to the details in Kurosawa’s films.

Kurosawa was one of the few directors who acted as his own editor. One of the hallmarks of Kurosawa’s style is the fluid camera movement. Cut to movement was one of his favorite techniques to achieve such fluidity.

I’ve put together a montage of my favorite scenes from Seven Samurai where Kurosawa used cut to movement: watch a 3 min 12 sec clip here Note: unfortunately, this video is blocked on YouTube in some countries. Apologies to people in Australia, Canada and more.

Cut to movement is an editing technique that is used to cut from one shot to another. The cut happens exactly when the character is in the middle of the action in the first shot and then the cut shows the continuation of that action in the second shot.

As you watch the clip, pay close attention to each scene and see if you can spot the cut on the movement. Train your eye to recognize what’s happening, where the camera is placed first and where it is moved after the first shot.

Cut to movement is one of the reasons Kurosawa’s movies flow so well. I first started to notice that in Rashomon. Learn this technique, so that you can apply it to your films.

Source: From the film storytelling library.

TIDBIT I’M PONDERING

10 rules on working with actors from Jodie Foster

I’m watching Jodie Foster on Masterclass, and taking a lot of notes. At some point, she gives away some golden nuggets on how to work with actors.

1. Good directing is good parenting: support your actors, be positive and allow a certain degree of freedom. But, you also have to give them boundaries and structure. You have to be both controlling and freeing.

2. Children actors cannot be bribed: children are the most natural on set. If they don’t want to do one thing a second or a third time, they won’t. You won’t be able to bribe them.

3. Communicate with actors before and after the take: don’t invade the actors’ space while they’re performing. If you have to say something, do it in pre- or post-production.

4. Be concise, positive and honest when communicating with actors.

5. Speak to other directors: reach out to other directors who worked with the actor before and ask how it is to work with them.

6. Adapt your directing to each actor.

7. Exploit your actor’s strengths.

8. Be thoughtful about multiple takes.

9. Embrace collaboration at any point in the process: when the actor wants to change something that doesn’t make sense to them, you stop and listen. Actors have instincts you might not have.

10. Create a calm and respectful environment: treat everyone with respect and professionalism on set.

Source: From Jodie Foster Teaches Filmmaking on Masterclass (paraphrased and/or quoted).

FILM STORYTELLING

Melancholia (clean single shot example)

A single shot features one character alone in the frame. A single can be any shot size. It can be a full shot, a medium closeup, a medium shot, an extreme closeup or anything else.

There are two ways to frame a single.

A clean single, which is when no part of any other character is visible in the frame. The individual character is the primary focus. It's best used when you want the audience to focus on the action of the character. It can convey a character's isolation as well.

You can also have a dirty single, which includes a limited presence from another character in the frame.

Source: From the film storytelling library.