Definition:
Before the cameras roll, someone has to decide where everyone stands, when they move, and how they relate to the space around them. That process is blocking. It is the director's choreography of actors within a scene, mapped out in relation to each other and to the camera before a single take begins.
What It Means in Movies:
Blocking is where a scene gets its physical logic. The director works with the actors and the DP to figure out the geography: who stands where, who moves when, what path they take through the space. Those decisions then tell the cinematographer where to position the camera, where lights need to go, and how the scene will feel to an audience watching it.
Why It Matters:
Blocking is visual storytelling before the camera turns on. A well-blocked scene communicates power dynamics, emotional distance, and character relationships through physical placement alone. Get it wrong, and the scene fights itself, no matter how good the performances are.
Example:
In a tense confrontation scene, the director blocks one character moving steadily toward the camera while the other retreats toward the back wall. No dialogue has been spoken. The power dynamic is already visible. The camera can simply watch it happen.