ABSTRACT
Every fi lm begins with a screenplay; ideally, a good one. Still, even in very good screenplays the director’s investigation might uncover fl aws as the screenplay is broken up into its smallest parts, even if the director is also the writer. A more intense focus, a more powerful lens, must be brought to the text now. The essence of every dramatic moment should be discovered and related to a dramatic whole. If we think of the screenplay as a forest and the dramatic moments as trees, we ought to be able to immerse ourselves in the forest to see every tree in minute detail. At the same time, we should be constantly aware of each tree’s specifi c place in the forest-its job in the fi lm. The fi rst step in this journey of discovery begins with reading the screenplay. This is also the fi rst step in our previsualization methodology-to see our fi lm before we shoot it.
