Camera Blocking

This is the precise placing of actors in a film scene. It’s a rehearsal process where actors decide and plan where they will be at each point in the scene, and where they will move during the scene, in relation to the camera.

It’s important because an actor has to be in frame, usually facing the camera, and not obstructing the view of the camera. Without this rehearsal process, it would be easy for an actor to move in such a way that they’re standing in front of the camera, or out of frame.

It’s not generic “rehearsal,” because it specifically involves movement and placement. Blocking has no concern with line delivery, facial expressions, or the quality of the acting in general. All blocking is concerned with is where the actors are positioned and how they move through the frame during a scene.

It’s called “blocking” because it was (and sometimes still is), planned out using blocks (action figures, whatever).

Why I Looked It Up

I’m reading a book about the history of the Saturday Night Live, and the process is discussed quite a bit. Actors apparently hated it, because it would take hours.