Stanley Kubrick:

Taken from the website KUBRICONIA Stanley Kubrick was always interested in technology. These photos show his office with a brand new IBM Computer from 1984. Of special interest is all the charts, maps and diagrams on his walls. As a visually oriented person, he would have used these as storyboards as well as for production planning.

Stanley Kubrick: Use of the camera and viewfinder

As organized as Stanley Kubrick was, he also used a Director's Viewfinder in order to find the exact shot required. He also looked through the lens in order to ensure that he had the shot that he required, based on the lens that would provide the effect he required. He was not afraid to use fisheye type lenses to create certain effects, telephoto or zoom lenses. He even threw a camera out of a window, destroying it, to create the effect of Alex jumping out of a window in A CLOCKWORK ORANGE.

Stanley Kubrick: Production papers

Stanley Kubrick, like all filmmakers, requires standard Callsheets and production schedules. These are examples of these from A CLOCKWORK ORANGE and EYES WIDE SHUT. Also included is a note to himself regarding SPARTACUS.

Stanley Kubrick: No detail too small

Stanley Kubrick used an anthropologist to choreograph the movement of the Australopitecus at the start of 2001. These details of the movement lend to the reality that Kubrick is creating in the film. This adds to the audience's experience and enriches it. Notice the details in the enlarged notes.

Stanley Kubrick: Use of Models or Maquettes

Stanley Kubrick as a consumate pre-production planner, had models (also called maquettes) as a way to ensure the filming was successful. Some of these ended up on-screen, such as the maze model from THE SHINING. There is also a model showing from EYES WIDE SHUT.

These models, like architectural models, can help to anticipate problems such as shadows and perspective that may require unique elements such as special lenses or cranes or dollies in order to achieve a certain result.

Stanley Kubrick: Obsessive Scriptwork

Stanley Kubrick realized the importance of the script. Not just the words, but also the visuals and the sounds. In these notes from the never produced film on NAPOLEON, he breaks down the pages into the categories of PICTURE/DIALOG/OTHER SOUND where he can make excessive notes in order to capture all aspects of the filmmaking.

Stanley Kubrick: Unique approaches

Hopefully these various illustrations of Kubrick's work will demonstrate his unique approach to filmmaking. They should also suggest simple ways that filming can be approached, either at his level of obsession or a more basic approach.

Illustrated here are examples from the Maze scene in THE SHINING, which can be seen on Youtube. Notice in the sequence how effectively the steadicam is used to create tension. Notice the maze floorplan which suggests how the steadicam sequence will be shot. No doubt the model of the maze which was used in the film was also used in the planning of the sequences with the maze.

Stanley Kubrick: Perfectionism Demonstrated

In this annotated photo is listed all of the relevant details, including the lens size, (18mm), the Aspect Ratio 1:1.85 (with note "Obviously you compose for that but protect the full 1-1:33 area"), and shows how some trees can be used to cover up poles. He also further emphasized by noting that "THERE IS NO OTHER WAY TO DO IT/REPEAT NO OTHER WAY excercise the greatest care as the compositional effect of a different path might be BAD BAD BAD"

The end result is shown as well. Notice the path and the trees that are hiding the poles efficiently.

Stanley Kubrick: Storyboards and Annotated Photos

Stanley Kubrick used storyboards for certain aspects of his work, at other times he used photos. He liked to use photos as a way to illustrate directly from costumes and locations. He also encouraged their use as a way to illustrate lighting and other effects that he used.

Stanley Kubrick: Sketches

In order to explain his vision to his collaborators, Stanley Kubrick used to draw sketches to illustrate his ideas. In some cases he would get these converted into storyboards, which were especially important for special effects films such as 2001. In many cases, Kubrick would draw directly onto photographs, which we will show later. Notice in these sketches how it is rendered simply, but effectively in the final shot. These sketches are from SPARTACUS.

Stanley Kubrick: Obsessive Organization

Stanley Kubrick's thousands of boxes contained an obsessive amount of research for his various projects. He used these boxes and had a series of index cards as a way to organize himself. Anthony Burgess, the writer of "A Clockwork Orange" used to call him the "Sasco man" after the British term for Index cards. Here are a few different examples of Kubrick's organizational approach.

Index cards are an excellent way of organizing as they can be arranged as storyboards, carried easily, changed easily and displayed easily.

Stanley Kubrick: Obsessive Perfectionism

Stanley Kubrick made some of the greatest films of the 20th Century. Many of his films defined their generations and spoke about the times that they were made in. Films like PATHS OF GLORY, LOLITA, DR. STRANGELOVE, 2001, THE SHINING, A CLOCKWORK ORANGE and FULL METAL JACKET provided a sense of the societies that they were made in.

Stanley Kubrick started originally as a 16 year old still photographer working for LOOK magazine, and then proceeded to work as an independent filmmaker throughout his career. Stanley Kubrick controlled every aspect he possibly could in his films; from script-writing, location finding, set construction, cinematography, editing and even distribution. His obsessive perfectionism suggests a true "auteur" which may be bordering on autism.

A glimpse into the Kubrick mind can be seen in the documentary "Kubrick's boxes" which talks about his thousands of boxes in his home, as well as the book "The Stanley Kubrick Archives".

We will examine some of the aspects of the Kubrick approach to filmmaking which may provide some insight into the filmmaking process.

Alfred Hitchcock: "Psycho"

The film "Psycho" was created at about 1/4 the cost of Alfred Hitchcock's previous film "North by Northwest". This was in part because of less locations and studio time, as well as Hitchcock's organization and use of preproduction. Production designer Saul Bass developed storyboards for the famous shower sequence. You can see a DETAILED ANALYSIS and the TRAILER

Alfred Hitchcock: Family Plot

"Family Plot" is Hitchcock's last film and it feels like a parody of his filmmaking. The plot seems very campy compared to most of his films, involving psychics and a very 70s feel to it. You can see the PREVIEW to decide for yourself.

A detailed examination of the use of storyboards and floorplans in "Family Plot" is listed at the FAMILY PLOT CEMETERY SEQUENCE Of particular interest in the storyboard is how the camera movements and the camera angles are illustrated. The use of floorplans is especially important in complex scenes involving multiple actors and complicated camera moves.