Pre-Production

It was decided there should be three different types of video produced, each addressing a specific requirement of the National Curriculum.

'Definition Films' would explore terminology that scholars of Shakespeare should be aware of such as Iambic Pentameter, looking at examples in his work and exploring what it brings to the language of the plays and actors' performance of them.

'Decoding Films' involve the director and actors working together in a workshop environment to really explore the structure, words and language of a scene. They would explore how different methods of rehearsal can change the meaning and cadence of it and how a new understanding can inform their performance.

'Key Scene' films would explore pivotal scenes within each play and working with the actors involved, look at how different approaches to their relationship and use of the text can create very different understandings, a key purpose of the films for their use at GCSE and A Level.

It was necessary to devise a different approach for each film and to accommodate what could be one or many actors and directors in shot simultaneously. To aid the post-production process we worked closely with the RSC's Education Department to determine the structure we were looking for while, of course, leaving enough flexibility in our approach to let both director and actors express themselves freely.

Filming

The main challenge in filming was coverage. We had to determine how many cameras and operators were required for each scene and the discussion before and after it. We took the decision early on that we would always use a dedicated sound recordist. This was the only way to cover multiple participants and ensure quality of both audio and video in sometimes frenetic filming scenarios.

For instance, filming Act 5 Scene 1 of Macbeth, with Niamh Cusack who played Lady Macbeth in the 2018 production, it was a single performance. Her conversation with Assistant Director Peter Bradley was centred on the same stage and very controlled. However, filming the Key Scene video for Romeo and Juliet Act 3 Scene 5, involved four actors (and the director of course), in an incredibly physical and dynamic scene which required four cameras and three operators to keep track of the action.

Each setup was discussed in advance with the participants and an agreed loci of action lit, either with house lights, or with our large soft boxes and silks. The other key challenge with this kind of filming is not to interfere in either the participant's thought processes or their performances. It's only on the rare occasion when one of our directors would pick up something that might not cut in the edit, or the sound operator would hear a bang or movement that would mean we could never use the shot, that we would stop the action.

The extraordinary thing about these videos is that the participants had already toured the show, but took of their time to revisit the creative and dramatic process and, within about two minutes, were completely absorbed in it for its own sake. The result is a very naturalistic conversation that gives students a real insight into how these plays are brought to life.

We always used the same crew whenever possible, as we felt filming these complex setups had been a sharp learning curve and, as each play would revolve around broadly the same approach, camera operators and sound recordist would know exactly what was required of them.

Post-Production

The editing process for films like these is necessarily complicated. We'd typically return from Stratford after a day's filming with around 4-5 hours of footage. A lot of the material intended for the Key Scene and Decoding films would be, by its very nature, long and impromptu, and required a great deal of thought to get into a structure that would support the playing of the scenes themselves, and the overall direction and evolution of each film in educational terms.

An initial edit of each film was supplied to the Educational Department for review, any changes required were made. This would typically involve very difficult decisions about cutting truly brilliant material to get the finished films down to a length that could be used in classrooms and watched by students. The second cuts were then shared with a wider audience within the RSC for review. A final cut was then supplied to the actors for any final comments. Once signed off a final layer of graphics was sometimes applied to signpost viewers to key concepts and make what was going on on stage a little clearer.

Prior to being uploaded to YouTube and published on the Learning Zone website, each video would be professionally transcribed. An SRT subtitile file would be created and supplied for close captioning.

To date we've been fortunate enough to work on Hamlet, The Tempest, Twelfth Night, King Lear, Romeo and Juliet and Julius Caesar.

We've worked with some of the RSC's incredibly talented actors and directors including the company's Artistic Director and Deputy Artistic Director.

The videos have had hundreds of thousands of views across YouTube and on the dedicated Learning Zone website.