Filmmaking and Blocking –
By manipulating spatial relationships and visual composition, blocking can alter the audience’s perspective, guiding their emotional response, and enhancing the thematic depth of a film. In this article, we will explore how blocking can be used to shift the audience’s viewpoint, create tension, convey character relationships, and ultimately shape the cinematic experience.
1. Directing the Audience’s Attention
One of the most immediate ways in which blocking can alter the audience’s perspective is by directing their attention to specific elements within the frame. Through the careful arrangement of actors and objects, filmmakers can guide the audience’s gaze, emphasizing certain aspects of a scene while downplaying others. This technique is often used to reveal or conceal information, controlling what the audience knows at any given moment and thereby influencing their emotional engagement with the story.
For instance, in Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho (1960), the blocking in the infamous shower scene is meticulously crafted to control what the audience sees and when they see it. The tight framing and deliberate placement of Marion Crane (Janet Leigh) within the shower create a sense of claustrophobia and vulnerability. As the camera focuses on her, the sudden appearance of the shadowy figure behind the shower curtain becomes all the more shocking. The blocking in this scene not only heightens the tension but also manipulates the audience’s perspective, leading them to share in Marion’s terror and disorientation.
By strategically positioning actors within the frame, directors can create a focal point that draws the audience’s attention, even in a crowded or complex setting. This technique is especially effective in ensemble scenes, where multiple characters interact simultaneously. Through blocking, a director can ensure that the audience’s attention is focused on the most narratively significant elements, guiding their understanding of the scene and its emotional undertones.
2. Establishing Power Dynamics and Relationships
Blocking is also a critical tool for establishing power dynamics and relationships between characters. The physical positioning of actors within a scene can communicate dominance, submission, intimacy, or alienation without the need for dialogue. By altering the spatial relationships between characters, filmmakers can subtly influence how the audience perceives these relationships and the underlying tensions within the narrative.
In The Godfather (1972), director Francis Ford Coppola uses blocking to convey the power dynamics within the Corleone family. In one particularly striking scene, Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) and his father, Vito Corleone (Marlon Brando), are positioned in such a way that Michael’s ascension as the new head of the family is visually reinforced. Vito, once the dominant figure, is now seated, physically lower than Michael, who stands above him. This shift in blocking reflects the transfer of power and subtly alters the audience’s perception of Michael’s character, marking his transformation from a reluctant participant to a powerful leader.
Similarly, blocking can be used to convey intimacy or distance between characters. In Lost in Translation (2003), director Sofia Coppola frequently positions the two protagonists, Bob (Bill Murray) and Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), at opposite ends of a room or separated by physical barriers such as windows or doors. This blocking emphasizes their emotional distance and the isolation they feel in their respective lives, despite the deep connection they share. As the film progresses and their relationship develops, the blocking shifts to bring them physically closer together, mirroring the growing intimacy between them and altering the audience’s perspective on their relationship.
3. Creating Tension and Conflict
Blocking is an essential element in creating tension and conflict within a scene. The way characters are positioned relative to each other and to their environment can generate a sense of unease, anticipation, or confrontation. By manipulating the physical space, directors can build suspense and draw the audience into the emotional intensity of a scene.
A prime example of this is in Quentin Tarantino’s Inglourious Basterds (2009), particularly during the tense tavern scene. The blocking in this scene is meticulously designed to heighten the sense of danger and impending violence. The characters are arranged in a cramped, enclosed space, with German soldiers occupying strategic positions that restrict the movements of the Allied spies. This arrangement not only creates a claustrophobic atmosphere but also visually communicates the precariousness of the situation. As the tension escalates, the blocking emphasizes the increasing pressure on the characters, with close-up shots and tight framing that make escape seem impossible. The audience’s perspective is thus shaped by the blocking, which amplifies the suspense and keeps them on edge throughout the scene.
Blocking can also be used to create visual conflict by placing characters in opposition to each other within the frame. This technique is often employed in scenes of confrontation or moral dilemma, where the physical distance between characters symbolizes their ideological or emotional divide. By carefully positioning characters on opposite sides of the frame, directors can visually represent the conflict at the heart of the scene, altering the audience’s perception of the stakes involved.
4. Enhancing Thematic Elements
Beyond its impact on individual scenes, blocking can also be used to enhance the thematic elements of a film. By consistently applying specific blocking techniques throughout a film, directors can reinforce the central themes and motifs, subtly influencing how the audience interprets the narrative as a whole.
In Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining (1980), the recurring use of symmetrical blocking and long corridors serves to reinforce the theme of madness and the inescapable nature of the Overlook Hotel. Characters are frequently positioned at the center of the frame, surrounded by the imposing architecture of the hotel, which seems to close in on them as the story progresses. This use of blocking not only creates a sense of entrapment but also mirrors the psychological deterioration of the characters, particularly Jack Torrance (Jack Nicholson). The audience’s perspective is thus shaped by the blocking, which aligns them with the characters’ growing sense of paranoia and fear.
Similarly, in Wes Anderson’s films, such as The Grand Budapest Hotel (2014), the use of precise, almost theatrical blocking enhances the whimsical and often absurd tone of the narrative. Anderson’s meticulous framing and symmetrical composition, combined with the actors’ deliberate movements, create a unique visual style that reinforces the film’s themes of nostalgia, memory, and the passage of time. The audience’s perspective is guided by this consistent use of blocking, which invites them to view the film’s world through a lens of heightened reality and stylized artifice.
5. Manipulating Time and Space
Blocking also plays a crucial role in manipulating time and space within a film, allowing directors to alter the audience’s perception of these elements to serve the narrative. Through creative blocking, filmmakers can compress or expand time, create parallel actions, or shift the audience’s focus between different locations or moments.
In Christopher Nolan’s Inception (2010), the complex blocking of scenes within the dream layers is essential to the film’s exploration of time and reality. As the characters move through different levels of the dream, the blocking is carefully choreographed to maintain the spatial relationships between them, even as the environments shift and the passage of time varies. The audience’s perspective is constantly being manipulated through the blocking, which blurs the lines between the dream and reality, creating a sense of disorientation that mirrors the characters’ experiences.
Similarly, in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman (2014), the use of long takes and fluid blocking creates the illusion of a continuous shot, manipulating the audience’s perception of time and space within the theater setting. The seamless transitions between scenes, combined with the dynamic movement of the actors, create a sense of immediacy and immersion, drawing the audience into the characters’ world and blurring the boundaries between the stage and reality.
Blocking is an indispensable tool in the filmmaker’s arsenal, with the power to alter the audience’s perspective in profound ways. Through careful positioning and movement of actors within the frame, directors can direct attention, establish relationships, create tension, enhance thematic elements, and manipulate time and space. In doing so, they shape the audience’s emotional and intellectual engagement with the narrative, transforming the film from a mere sequence of images into a powerful and immersive storytelling experience. As filmmakers continue to explore the possibilities of blocking, its impact on the audience’s perspective will remain a vital component of cinematic art. Contact us to learn more.