Edward Zwick

Blood Diamond, The Last Samurai, Glory

"Nina Foch was and still is, through her legacy, a voice for actors and filmmakers. This project captures her passion for teaching and the art of acting in a valuable way. It is a great resource for anyone who aspires to be a masterful filmmaker."

John Singleton, Writer/Director - Boyz n the Hood, Shaft, Abduction

Nina’s USC class, “Directing Actors for Film,” was a required course for students in the writing department. The reason why? The scene breakdown. Nina’s technique helped generations of writers understand not only the words they were writing, but the reasons why they were writing them.

One of the most important skills for a screenwriter to acquire is that of subtext. The scene breakdown brings the idea of subtext to life on the page. As a writer, you learn to examine every word you commit to the page, and understand its deeper meaning. A phrase that you thought was thrown away acquires an intention and an action, and suddenly it’s critical to the scene. The scene breakdown allows a writer to understand and articulate subtext in a way that’s not possible anywhere else.