ABSTRACT
The point of any technique is to make the doing of a thing easier and more efficient, and in the case of directing, it should also provide clarity. Flaws in the writing notwithstanding, scenes often play soft and mushy because the actions, when juxtaposed together, are in agreement. As counterintuitive as it may seem, the director's job is to make the actors as uncomfortable as possible. Confrontational scenes where tempers flare and the stakes are at their highest are often easier to frame analytically because the conflict is so vivid. A good scene usually contains a series of rising obstacles, especially to the character whose action drives the story. Key story points often raise the stakes and the level of difficulty for the protagonist; how the character deals with those obstacles is subject to the writer’s intention, the director’s instructions, whatever action the actor is playing in the scene and the truth of the moment.
