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Advise to the director

I would like to ask if there is a way to write that you don't want the camera to show something. I know it is director's job and I know they will get it but I ask in case there is any such advise. Like sometimes you write CU when it is very important for the story, is there the opposite like "don't show" when it is very important for the story.
example:
Two friends are looking at a wall and there is a drawing and below the drawing an ancient phrase. I want the audience in cinema to see the drawing but not the phrase, because the drawing is important for the rest of the story and the phrase is the surprise at the end of the movie. Can I advise the director to show only the drawing and not the phrase?
 
I'd probably write something like... Words beneath the poster are omitted from audience view.

Don't put a CU or camera direction in the script, leave that up to the director.
He can decide the method of omission, maybe there is debris obscuring the words like when you have random plants view blocking the genitals of naked people in the garden of eden. Or maybe it's a close up? That's up to director.
 
Thank you for the answers! Indietalk that's true. But there is a practical problem when you write :

EXT. WALL - DAY
On the walk there is a drawing of a kid.
Mark
Nice drawing. And what are these letters below?
Alec
Oh, no one knows. They say that they are letters of an old language...

Of course I'm not mentioning the letters in the WALL scene, but also I'm not mentioning that the audience must not see the letters which are exactly below!. The story is in the far future and the letters are English language, so it is important for the director to move his camera a bit up so the letters won't appear! I tend to believe that it is one of the rare cases that you have to help the director and write it clearly that the audience must not see the letters.
 
Thank you for the answers! Indietalk that's true. But there is a practical problem when you write :

EXT. WALL - DAY
On the walk there is a drawing of a kid.
Mark
Nice drawing. And what are these letters below?
Alec
Oh, no one knows. They say that they are letters of an old language...

Of course I'm not mentioning the letters in the WALL scene, but also I'm not mentioning that the audience must not see the letters which are exactly below!. The story is in the far future and the letters are English language, so it is important for the director to move his camera a bit up so the letters won't appear! I tend to believe that it is one of the rare cases that you have to help the director and write it clearly that the audience must not see the letters.

Okay, so you’ve set up the scene with a drawing on the wall. Follow it with a reveal.

READ THIS.
 
AcousticAl I've read that article long time ago. It is irrelevant because it doesn't answer to my question. If I'm wrong please mention the part where it does.

sfoster thank you. I'll use: Words beneath the drawing are omitted from audience view.
 
"Below the drawing is the top edge of what appears to be writing."

Wow that's great too! But the problem is that the description I do for the drawing forces for a close up and therefore if the director doesn't know that he must not show the words he might show them with close up, and the words are just English language
 
"Words beneath the poster are omitted from audience view." is perfect, it forces the director not to show the words but only the drawing, but still it is direction advise.
"Below the drawing is the top edge of what appears to be writing." forces as well the director not to show the words and it is also not a direction advise.

I learnt many things today from all of you! I wonder if there is anyone who can beat mlesemann...
 
Don't stress it too much. If the reader does not see the letters but the characters do in this scene, and if they are revealed in the end and it is vital to the story and ending, that's how it will be directed. Literally when you write them out in the end, that is the reveal and obvious.

I think you are overthinking it a bit and perhaps worried that some amateurish director will show them too early simply because the set was created lol...
 
A good director will know, and anyone reading will because you don't state until the end so you are set.
 
AcousticAl I've read that article long time ago. It is irrelevant because it doesn't answer to my question. If I'm wrong please mention the part where it does.

Gladly:

Is there a time to use camera directions?

Use camera directions rarely and only for a dramatic or comedic moment. I’ll provide an example from my silly sci-fi comedy Ratman from Saturn, which was sold but not produced.

The opening scene is a public service announcement from an army general wearing his Class A dress uniform. We only see him from the chest up. He states emphatically that there is no such thing as aliens from outer space.

…And then, I use a camera direction:

PULL BACK TO REVEAL

The general with a fat reptillian tail.
 
"Words beneath the poster are omitted from audience view." is perfect, it forces the director not to show the words but only the drawing, but still it is direction advise.

I'm curious why you think it's direction advice?
The whole point of my post was to not give direction advice in a script - that's why I didn't list a method of omission, just the fact its omitted.

And yeah no competition mara I've got nothing but support in my heart for you :)
 
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AcousticAl in this example the revelation of the below part is made in the same scene after we see only the half part of an image. But my question is about one scene where we only see the upper part of an image and there is no revelation of the below part taking place. Only at the end I just show the whole image.

I see though, that there is that line: "We only see him from the chest up". Of course I could write something like this and the director would understand, but my question was about a proper, more professional way to mention it. I don't know who wrote that article, but if you live in an unknown country in Europe and you want to succeed in Hollywood, sending a screenplay with phrases like: "we see", "we hear", "we listen" is more than forbidden.

sfoster and mlesemann I hugely respect and thank you both, even though our senses of humor are in conflict :lol:

sfoster I'm curious why you think it's not direction advice. There is no audience in my story!! So it is something that I'm telling to the director.
 
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