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FilmSkool — a free film school

Goodfellas - Scorsese's Masterclass in Visual Storytelling

Breaks down how camera movement and blocking establish power hierarchies within the crew well before dialogue confirms them.

Just an Observation · 13 min · Intermediate · DIR · Directing · 2018

What you take away

Try establishing a character's status purely through where they stand in the frame.

Watch it

Filed under

The films of Martin Scorsese

Oscar winners for directing

Annie Hall (1977)
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975)
The Godfather Part II (1974)

Books on directing

The director’s monitor

FEELWORLD LUT7 PRO — A bright 7" monitor at a quarter of the price
Accsoon CineView SE — Video to a phone, for under three hundred
Accsoon CineView Quad — Four inputs, switchable — a tiny multicamera village
PortKeys BM5 III WR — Monitor that can also run the camera
Hollyland Mars 4K — 4K wireless to four phones at once
Atomos Ninja V — The 5" recorder-monitor that made ProRes RAW normal

More Directing

Akira Kurosawa "My Life in Cinema" - 1993 — Luca De PALMA · 116m · Advanced
David Fincher: Se7en - The Directors Series — Indie Film Hustle Podcast · 30m · Advanced
Memories of Murder (2003) - Ensemble Staging — Every Frame a Painting · 7m · Advanced
'Parasite' Director Bong Joon-ho Breaks Down the Opening Scene | Vanity Fair — Vanity Fair · 13m · Advanced
Martin Scorsese: American Boy - The Directors Series — Indie Film Hustle Podcast · 26m · Advanced
Big Screen Symposium 2015 - In Conversation with Jane Campion (Moderated by Philippa Campbell) — Script to Screen · 70m · Advanced
Chloé Zhao Directing Masterclass | IFTA Skills in Focus — IFTA Academy · 89m · Advanced
'Dune' Director Denis Villeneuve Breaks Down a Scene | Vanity Fair — Vanity Fair · 11m · Intermediate
Masterclass de Wes Anderson & Joel Coen (2019) — La Fémis · 91m · Advanced
2001 A Space Odyssey (1968): 2001 The Making Of A Myth — Top 10 Movies · 42m · Advanced
Director Rian Johnson Breaks Down a Scene from 'Knives Out' | Vanity Fair — Vanity Fair · 9m · Intermediate
'Wicked' Director & Cinematographer Break Down the 'Dancing Through Life' Scene | Vanity Fair — Vanity Fair · 14m · Intermediate

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