During the course of Episode Three production I was often reminded of my experiences directing in theater, and one of the ways in which I found parallels between the two is in unwritten action. A stage script contains strictly the dialogue spoken by the characters and the essential (required) elements of stage directions. There are no instructions on how the characters carry themselves, or when they stand and move about the room, or even the mood and tone with which they deliver their lines. Everything is subject to the director’s vision and the actors’ interpretations, which is one of the reasons why a single show can be produced so many times and still be a different experience (for better or for worse). I don’t have as much experience on film, but I do know that (for the sake of storyboarding and cinematography) the stage directions are much more abundant and precise.

Through three episodes of Alexander’s scripts, the production team has gotten more comfortable with the logistics of shooting and can spend more and more of their energies focused on their particular unique tasks. Having story cards, the camera operator can spend less time worrying about what the angle is going to be and instead think about which lens and cropping to use. Having shot setup lists, the director of photography and gaffer can spend less time figuring out where the lights will need to be and instead work with more complex setups faster and more efficiently. And having an experienced team to handle all these aspects of the shoot and keep the production rolling, I can partially step out of the producer role and put my energies towards the finer aspects of directing. One such aspect that I’ve been pleased to explore (in episode three particularly) is the non-central action of the story– everything that happens that’s not in the script.
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