Art - Painters Paint, and so do ... Directors?

Recently, I have been taking summer classes at Erskine College. Due to the unforeseen circumstance of both my classes being cancelled, I had to quickly transfer into two other classes. Introduction to the Visual Arts was one of these.

The last few day, however, the class has started me thinking. I previously had an idea for a photograph which would involve costumes and sets. I would put on the costume, set up the props and take the photograph, possibly taking multiple photographs with different costumes and sets. Then, the photographs would be arranged in a grid-like formation for display. The location I wanted, though, reminded me of another thing: my acting class. Previously this year, I took an acting class at school. Among the things our professor taught us was that a play was a series of "moments," that is, little pictures that occur all throughout the production. My photograph idea was almost a series of moments put on display. Conversely, however, I would like to propose this: in a manner of speaking, a director is almost a painter.

No, the director doesn't use paint, he has a script guiding the characters, and the "paint" is the actors and actresses in costume; however, there are still many similarities. The director must ensure the blocking is not monotonous or pointless, and that it keeps the viewer's attention, much in the same way a painter must arrange the elements of the painting on canvas. The beginning and ending of a scene can be its own "moment painting." Indeed, many things can trigger a new moment painting, such as a character shifting across stage, an entrance or exit, or even the revelation of an important piece of information.

Another aspect is the lighting. Both directors and painters use light and shadow to alter their corresponding canvases. A director can use the center light to advantage, either to emphasis something or else to relegate it to the background or to put it in shadow.

Before closing, I would also like to point out that movies also illustrate the director as a composer of moment paintings. Through his or her directional choices in different movies, a director can become well-known for his visual style in the same way that painters can have different painting styles.