ABSTRACT
I'm a big believer in a director preplanning the way they will shoot their films. The idea of sitting down in the calmness of your own home (hopefully calm), without anyone looking over your shoulder or anxiously checking their watch, and being able to let your mind wander and imagine all the possibilities of a scene—that is both a luxury and a sacred space for any director. Alfred Hitchcock, a famous proponent of preplanning every shot, said that by the time he arrived on set, he felt he had already made the movie. Of course, some might argue that is exactly the problem with preplanning—it limits a director to a plan that had no input from the cast or crew and wasn't inspired by any great ideas on the set. I agree with both thoughts, which is why I support a third approach: directors should come to set with a solid plan and then be prepared to amend it or throw it out if better ideas surface.
