Blocking

[Shannon Martha]

So I know there are multiple ways to do blocking and was wondering what people think is the easiest and most efficient. I was taught to put a box around the word, draw a line to the right of the page, and write down the blocking there. I am in the middle of reading Thomas Kelly's Back Stage Guide to Stage Management and he put a number above the word that the move is supposed to happen on, then write the blocking on the blank left page.

How does everyone else do it?

[BayAreaSM]

I hadn't read his book, but I suppose I do the Kelly style. Though I have generated my own blocking sheet, which I photo copy onto the backside of my script pages then reverse my script so that my script is on the left and my blocking notes are on the right (since I'm right handed). I picked this up from a PSM I was interning under and she was left handed, so she did just the opposite. My generic blocking page has numbers, lines to write my notes on next to the numbers and room at the top for a mini ground plan.

[nick_tochelli]

I use a hybrid version. I generally box and use the right hand margin, but when the right hand margin does not provide enough room for me to do what I need to do, I star it. Then on the left hand page I write out the blocking or cue sequence or whatever I need to write out and put an arrow with "return to page" to indicate I'm done with my break out.

[MatthewShiner]

When I take blocking.  I put a number next to the point the action happens, and write the blocking out on the opposite page.

I have "blocking" pages put in between the script pages  (with corners cut off so you can easily grab the other page underneath).  It usually has a mini-ground plan, a column for tech notes or director buzz words. 

[BARussell]

I use a similar system to Matthew's, I write the number next to the word, and one the opposite page, which for me is the left, cause I'm left handed O have at the top a ground plan, and at the bottom lines fore writing blocking and other notes, and I draw pictures on the ground plan when the action is complicated or I am too lazy, and I do that the same way but with letters instead of numbers.

[Joshua S.]

I've done blocking a number of different ways.  My favorite way is to have a small groundplan at the top of every page.  I use this groundpland to notate where teh actors are standing at the begining of that page and then write my blocking from there.  This way, even if I miss some blocking on a page I have a clear picture every 2 minutes or so of where people are supposed to be.

While this is the system I prefer I have worked several shows where I didn't get the groundplan early enough to prepare my book in this way.  Also, if I think the director may move furniture around after the groundplan is complete, I don't do this.  There is nothing worse than preparing a fresh script with photocopied groundplans on every page only to have the director decide the couch needs to be on the other side of the room.

I've also used the numbers and blocking page method, and while this definitely keeps the script page the cleanest, I find I still end up writing notes in the margin of the script page, because it's quicker.