The readings we were assigned by Tom Reilly interested me – you rarely hear a lot about/from assistant directors, but it’s a completely different perspective on shooting a film. The first thing that Reilly said that stuck out to me was when he noted that filmmaking was like engineering – constructing one, complex piece (a film) out of many smaller pieces (the shots/frames). This made me think about the part editing plays in the filmmaking process, even as early on as pre production and production. While it clearly must be considered, suggesting that it’s as important as anything else at that stage fascinated me. I agree that there does need to be a vision from the director about how scenes are going to be strung together, but does that then undermine the editor’s artistry and reduce him to performing an entirely technical role? I’m not sure.

The next Reilly reading was jarring to me. He contended, over the course of a chapter, that actors should not have a role in blocking a film – as he says, ‘actors should act, directors should block.’ And he did contend it well. He put forward some very valid points, especially from the perspective of an AD. He made me think about how complex the blocking of a scene can be on a professional film set. The story of the blocking in Glengarry Glen Ross detailed the process really well. The main point he made that impressed me was that if a director is to allow actors to block a scene, he or she is subtly relinquishing control over the finished product. This I agree with, but it made me think about how important it is to have strict control over every facet of a film vs how important it is to make a film organically and artistically. From my perspective, getting actors to help with blocking makes the process more dynamic and natural. It’s not really my place to say if one way is better, but it struck me as too clinical a way to view art.