Feature narrative built entirely on actor improvisation — no script, direction emerges in real time. Demands seasoned performers and a director who guides and cuts when the moment passes.
You're on set, the script isn't there — or it is, but it's being ignored. The actors enter the location, the camera is rolling, and whatever happens, happens. That's improv film, and it's damn demanding. Not because it's chaotic, but because it requires precise control under the guise of freedom. The director here doesn't act as an assistant to the pre-produced story, but as an active editor of real-time — they stop when the scene drifts somewhere, provide new impulses, restart.
In practice, this means you need actors who aren't afraid of silence, who can transform uncertainty into material. This doesn't work with amateurs. Even experienced performers need a sharp, present director — someone who knows when a scene has produced gold and when it's descending into redundancy. Ken Loach often works improvisationally without it appearing chaotic; the structure comes from the direction, not from the paper. Such methods have also become standard in Dogme 95 productions and in parts of contemporary cinema.
Technically, you need long takes, flexible lighting, and a sound recordist who can handle ambient microphones — because you don't know where the action is going. The camera should be mobile, but not helpless. Handheld works, but can draw too much attention to itself. Often better: a stable base position with optional zooms or reframes. The edited material becomes the script later — so you need an editor who is also a director at heart.
The biggest mistake: confusing improv film with arbitrary. The plot must have a vector, an inner logic. The director must know what the scene is supposed to clarify, even if the path to it is open. This distinguishes it from documentary. You don't observe in amazement, you curate the chaos. The best moments often arise when character logic meets genuine situational uncertainty — actors react to their lack of knowledge just as they would to a script, only more honestly.