Blocking, Prose, and the Perfect Combination
A few weeks back, when I first discovered Every Frame a Painting, I spent a lot of time re-watching Tony Szhou’s tribute to Robin Williams and the way he moves in movies. It’s one of the most succinct explanations of the importance of good blocking in a series that is full of great instalments that examine good blocking and framing (see also the episode on movement in the films of Akira Kurasawa, which is brilliant). The bit that particularly resonated with me was a section where he examines back-to-back clips from Jumangi as an example of what Blocking actually is: “Good blocking is good storytelling. If you’d like to see this for yourself, pick a scene and watch how the actors move…You can watch this film with the sound off, and still understand most of the story. That’s good blocking. Everything you need to know about the characters, their relationship, and how it changes, is presented to you through physical movement.” I
