What movement can teach us about releasing control
Movement isn't just about what happens on the screen, says Sage Bennett, director at Greenpoint Pictures, it also includes the movement and evolution of those behind the lens. So, she says, sometimes you just have to let go.
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Filmmaking is an art form in constant movement; physical, emotional, camera, and story. It’s a dance, and I thrive on the challenge of managing this living, evolving piece of art in real time.
It evolves of its own accord while you’re inside of it. It’s unpredictable by nature, yet, so much of filmmaking is about control and preparation. Then, you get to that shot you were preparing so diligently for, and it simply doesn’t feel right. What then? We embrace the dance and keep it moving.
Movement isn’t just about bodies crossing a frame. It’s about the director, actors and camera evolving together.
Movement isn’t just about bodies crossing a frame. It’s about the director, actors and camera evolving together to find something that wasn’t part of the plan, but often makes the film better. Movement, by nature, is unpredictable. And we all need it.
Above: While the best dancers have incredible technical skills, they also know how to move freely and without judgment. The same applies to filmmaker, who have to let themselves be inspired.
The plan vs. the pivot
This is not about anti-structure or anti-rigidity. On a commercial set, there are multiple levels of approval and it can cause a great deal of distrust if you veer too far off script, and that sidetrack ultimately fails. However, creative flexibility can still exist within those constraints.
For example, in my recent dance film Earth Angel, we planned to shoot outside against a blue sky at a train stop. But, on the day of production, it started raining. The sky was full of dark clouds; no blue sky in sight. We almost rescheduled, but decided that the clouds and city lights reflecting off the rain added a melancholic layer to the film.
Movement isn’t just what happens on camera; as artists behind the camera, we have to be ready to move in response.
The structure we so painstakingly constructed kept production afloat and allowed us to be flexible. We pivoted. We moved with the weather. Rigidity would have made for a different film. Pivoting gave us a better one that we couldn’t have predicted.
Preparing for freedom
Directors can build freedom into their production plans. Turning freedom from an abstract philosophy to a real possibility often hinges on what tools you have on hand. After all, movement isn’t just what happens on camera; as artists behind the camera, we have to be ready to move in response.
You see this reflected in different creative mediums, too. The best dancers have incredible technical skills, but they also know how to move freely and without judgment. The same goes for filmmaking; we have to let ourselves be inspired and not critique ourselves or others too harshly when something doesn’t work, because that experimentation is part of the process.
In my experience, handheld cameras lead to the greatest level of on-camera freedom. You and the cinematographer can literally get up and move around to 'feel it out' more easily than in other setups. You can respond instead of dictating. It’s elastic and electric.
So, how does this philosophy actually show up on set?
Credits
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- Production Company Greenpoint Pictures
- Director Sage Bennett
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Credits
View on- Production Company Greenpoint Pictures
- Director Sage Bennett
- DP Rob Berry
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Credits
powered by- Production Company Greenpoint Pictures
- Director Sage Bennett
- DP Rob Berry
Above: Bennett's dance film, Earth Angel, benefitted from a flexible structure.
Making it work
Movement allows every collaborator to feel authorship over what we create together. Making space for in-the-moment discovery for everyone — not just the performers — allows us to step into co-creation, a deeper level of collaboration. In that same spirit of collaboration, the first AD, DP, agency and client on set also need to be open-minded and trusting. If one key player is distrusting, it can feel like an unnecessary uphill battle, making it difficult to find the magic we are looking for.
There was obviously choreography for my recent dance film Childhood Homesick, but when we arrived on set, our dancer, Angela Trimbur, not only found more dynamic ways to move her body, but as filmmakers, we found ways to move the camera through the space to complement her movements, creating new visual motifs and new layers in the story. The church we shot in had a long aisle leading to the centre, a perfect runway for the camera and Angela to converge.
Releasing control isn’t about abandoning craft or preparation.
And this lesson in movement keeps coming up for directors. I’ve had a lot of experience working with children, and anyone who directs — or tries to direct — a child will know this better than anyone. Children come into the world comfortable in themselves, with a refreshing lack of self-consciousness. This can work to a director’s advantage when capturing an unscripted moment, but will they always hit their marks and execute blocking with precision and consistency? We all know the answer.
You have to let the kid think it’s their idea to do something on camera. If you’re lucky, that moment delights and surprises everyone — especially the client.
This goes beyond working with children. The best performances often come from the same place: giving actors room to explore, respond and discover something unexpected. Just like movement itself, those moments can’t always be planned, but if you stay open to them, they often become the most memorable part of the film.
But even for filmmakers who don’t directly work with dance or choreography, these principles still apply. Blocking evolves as you go, it moves. The beauty of filmmaking is that there is no single right way — every director finds their own rhythm with the people around them. Releasing control isn’t about abandoning craft or preparation. Ironically, it has deepened my craft. Preparation provides the structure to recognise when the unexpected is better than the original plan.
And when you finally find that perfect moment, you shouldn’t freeze, you should move with it.
