In film, blocking describes the movement and staging of characters in relation to the camera. it is the art of directing the eye around the actors to create emotion and better convey a story. it is where you place the actors inside of the frame.
Blocking is something unique to film, even if it borrows some techniques from the theater. It is not simply about how the actors interact with one another but how they move and position themselves in relation, juxtaposition and in tension with the camera itself.
A good storyteller uses blocking to reveal something about the internal state of its characters. A great storyteller uses it to illuminate and intensify conflict between characters.
There are some great examples of really complex blocking in film history, of elaborate storyboards and scenes that choreographed for weeks because so many different actors have to move together and precisely the right time to properly capture a sequence. There is the legend of Hitchock, who often claimed that he was bored while filming his movies, because he had already carefully planned the blocking his head.
There is the subtle art of Kurosawa who used camera movements and actor positioning to convey emotion and the relationship of one character to another. Or the elaborate blocking of Max Ophuls, who had characters come in and out of frame in a sort of chaotic dance that was nothing short of spectacle. And any of the early comedy legends, Chaplin and Jaques Tati come to mind, paid careful attention to staging.
Modern film uses many of the same blocking techniques, of course. But some of the most incredible examples these days come from TV and music videos. For instance, Amy and Dan Palladino consistently block their scenes in such a way that give consistency and depth to the world around their characters. This started even with Gilmore Girls where they walked around the neighborhood as people came in and out, giving a sense of the world beyond their conversation. But it was, of course, damn near perfect with Marvelous Ms Maisel, which smashed together fast-paced dialogue and movement that reflected the turmoil and emotion of its central characters.
If there is a modern master of blocking, it could very well be Hiro Murai. Murai got his start directing music videos for bands like Block Party, St. Vincent, Gym Class Heroes, and eventually Childish Gambino. It’s this latter connection that led him to develop Atlanta alongside Donald Glover.
Murai directed a lot of the early episodes of Atlanta, borrowing from the mechanics and staging of music videos to create a world that’s only slightly out of phase with our own. A normal, everyday kind of life painted with a subtle brush of the absurd.
In an interview with Deadline, Murai made it pretty clear why he considers blocking important.
I really enjoy blocking and staging. I think most of visual storytelling is camera placement, and how to stage action around the camera.
In the last few years, Murai has taken his unique visual language to some standout episodes of Barry, before collaborating on creating The Bear, where showrunner and directory Christopher Storer has clearly picked up the blocking mantle to create something where camera and actor movement is almost like a character itself.
In other words, blocking isn’t simply a way to frame a story, it is part of telling the story itself. And that’s a point of view that has been really important for how The Bear is filmed. It’s often claustrophobic and chaotic, but there is always a clear rhythm to how characters move and interact with one another that bounces actors in and out of the frame
There are episodes where that’s really on display. Obviously in the first scene, “Review” will be memorable because of how well it does the one take. And Season Two has its finale, which uses blocking to create a divide between the front of house and the back of house for most of the episode, before those two are collapsed together, unified by a final five minutes of chaos.
Anyway, I watched “Fishes” from Season 2 again. It’s an acting master class. I mean everybody in that episode is an incredible actor, with nuanced and tight performances. It’s written so well that it can carry the entire season on its own.
But on a rewatch I was really struck by the blocking. When characters get up, and when they sit down. When they enter a room and leave it. When Carmy brings Michael his present, there is much about their relationship communicated through how they choose to move around each other. And, of course, the perfect staging of a car blowing through the house.
It’s an incredible episode in terms of performance and writing, but I think I’ll always remember it for its blocking, descended on down from Murai.