Directing Macbeth Essay -- Drama

Directing Macbeth SCENE 1 It begins in a smoky hall; dark lighting and shadows are all you can see. A CD player is going at full volume in the background. We sweep across the dirty floor until a lead guitar, (not expensive but very well used), lays at the feet of a handsome young boy of about 16. He has thick black hair, just covering his striking blue eyes and perfect skin. We spread out a bit and see Macbeth's best friend, Banquo's shadowy face. Ginger curly hair shows up in the near darkness under his blue fisherman's hat. A BCU on Banquo's face shows us that he has bright green eyes. In these eyes, we see the doorframe and a shard of light as the door opens. We spin round as light and noise of the cars outside streams in. Another group walk in past the other three people sitting on the floor with Macbeth. This is the first time we have seen these people, two other boys and one girl all about the same age. This girl is Lady Macbeth. She is wearing a red tight top and a lot of make-up. The red top is to show the blood that she will shed and the make-up is to show the mask that she puts on later in the film. We have a view of the other group's legs and as they walk past, Macbeth's group looks jealous and cruel. The cd is turned off and Macbeth and Banquo scowl at each other, they are jealous of the other bands good favour with the record manager. There was another band here before and their record deal is called King. The lead guitarist is called Duncan. A white piece of fabric is pulled out of the still open door, as if on a dress. Macbeth's face is still in this shot, in the foreground but very much out of focus. Children's laughter is heard and Macbeth turns his head just as the door slams shut. We now speed through the smoke to a clipboard on a desk between two pairs of suited shoulders. Here is written "Thaine of Glamis" with Macbeth's name written on it and a paragraph of writing, Thaine of Cawdor with Freddie written next to it and also a paragraph of writing. At the very top of the page "King" is written with "Duncan" next to it. We now focus on the face of one of the two pairs of shoulders. He is beaming at the band who are playing and as they finish, he goes up to the lead singer and embraces him. He is large and fat with a bald spot on the back of his head. The other pair of shoulders is his secretary ... ...s side, unnoticed. Banquo laughs at him with the other two witches, goes to his side and starts his speech "good sir why do you start and seem to fear, things that do sound so fair," to Macbeth. Banquo thinks that this is a game, some thing made up by these young children and he starts to play along, "that he seems rapt withal- to me you speak not." He continues in this way, egging Macbeth on, while the witches group together again. Macbeth is standing alone by himself. The witches hold hands in a circle around Banquo and skip. They say these last few lines in the same tune from "Ring'a'ring'roses" they turn to run away after this but Macbeth says "stay you imperfect speakers" all the way to "Speak I Charge you". They all sing ring a ring a roses (the original words) while standing in the places they stopped, spread out on the green distant girls laughter comes and goes. At "they all fall DOWN" we have a close up of the main witches eyes then of Macbeth' eyes then of the main witch, when "Down" is shouted the witches suddenly vanish leaving the boys back in the roadside and the noise of the cars and guitar bass again is Deafening. We zoom right out matrix style.