When I am filming this weekend part of my script I have one soldier kneeling down to a comrade who is sitting down on the ground behind a tree with his knees up and arms on them. When the other guy is standing and then bending down to comfort him and at that scene when and what certain angles should I use to change because I am only using on camera. As he is putting his hand on his should should I switch sides facing towards them when the soldier is bending down to get closer to him?
Filming differant angles in the scenes?
- Thread starter VirgoFilms
- Start date
Shoot it from as many different angles as you can.
Most of the movies you see are shot with only one camera so this
is very typical. Have the actors go through the entire scene using
a wide shot. Then move the camera and have them repeat the scene.
Then movie the camera again and have them repeat the scene. Try
many different angles - experiment a bit. Maybe an extreme CU on a hand,
an overhead shot, the fallen soldiers POV. Try a bunch of different shots. Keep
doing this until you have all the coverage you need.
In editing you will have several choices so you can pick and choose
what works best for the finished scene.
Most of the movies you see are shot with only one camera so this
is very typical. Have the actors go through the entire scene using
a wide shot. Then move the camera and have them repeat the scene.
Then movie the camera again and have them repeat the scene. Try
many different angles - experiment a bit. Maybe an extreme CU on a hand,
an overhead shot, the fallen soldiers POV. Try a bunch of different shots. Keep
doing this until you have all the coverage you need.
In editing you will have several choices so you can pick and choose
what works best for the finished scene.
And to give you further volcabulary based from what Rik said, the wide shot is called the "master" shot, and the close ups, over the shoulders, etc. are called coverage. What coverage you want to get is up to you, but always get the master if you can. Don't cross the axis when going in for close ups (meaning always keep the camera on the same side of the characters), and try to have a script supervisor on hand or at least someone to watch for continuity. It does you no good to have coverage if it doesn't come pretty close to matching your master.
By the way, as for your angles, I haven't read the script but I assume the guy who is being comforted is distraught and this is a fairly emotional scene. Try to bring the audience into the emotion, and in a scene like this, its best to get CU's as additional coverage. You could should 6 points of coverage on this scene easy.
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Directorik is talking about a standard drama film maker's technique, which is often referred to as coverage.
Or in other words you "cover" the scene many times, shooting from various distances and framings, to give you cutting options.
The key issues are reproducing the action time and time again IDENTICALLY... so if your actor kneels half way through a line of dialogue on your first shot, he needs to do exactly the same on the second and third and forth... etc
Now, this technique of shooting an entire scene over and over has become much more popular since the advent of video... because unlike film, tape is cheap. Therefore it makes sense to get as much coverage as possible.
However, a slightly more advanced technique is to storyboard the entire sequence... exactly how the scene is going to be edited together, but on paper... then only shoot what you need to achieve that edit. You're still getting coverage, but you're designing your film, rather than leaving those choices to post production.
If you're very new to film making then getting good coverage is a solid technique, which allows you to learn how a piece is cut together in post... and how that can be radically altered, if you have the footage... however, at some point you're going to want to design your sequences and get your shooting ratio down.
The master of the low ratio shoot are the Coen Brothers and if you really want to understand how to pre-edit your film at the point of storyboarding, then they are the guys to research.
Or in other words you "cover" the scene many times, shooting from various distances and framings, to give you cutting options.
The key issues are reproducing the action time and time again IDENTICALLY... so if your actor kneels half way through a line of dialogue on your first shot, he needs to do exactly the same on the second and third and forth... etc
Now, this technique of shooting an entire scene over and over has become much more popular since the advent of video... because unlike film, tape is cheap. Therefore it makes sense to get as much coverage as possible.
However, a slightly more advanced technique is to storyboard the entire sequence... exactly how the scene is going to be edited together, but on paper... then only shoot what you need to achieve that edit. You're still getting coverage, but you're designing your film, rather than leaving those choices to post production.
If you're very new to film making then getting good coverage is a solid technique, which allows you to learn how a piece is cut together in post... and how that can be radically altered, if you have the footage... however, at some point you're going to want to design your sequences and get your shooting ratio down.
The master of the low ratio shoot are the Coen Brothers and if you really want to understand how to pre-edit your film at the point of storyboarding, then they are the guys to research.
I think even then it's important to get additional coverage in the form of cutaways and close ups, to ease editing.
Sure, but it's about shooting ratios
Shooting on film you might allow a 6:1 shooting ratio, but on video it's not unusual for people to have a 25:1 shooting ratio... or even higher
At the moment I try to keep everything I shoot to a tight 4:1 ratio... even though we're acquiring in a tapeless environment.
I know directors who have no idea at all about how the end piece will be cut and therefore shoot the scene from every conceivable angle, and delegate decisions about how a film will flow until post-production. In fact, this has become a common practice amongst Hollywood directors... which makes sense because it's an incredibly safe way to make films. You're always going to be able to cut something if you've got your master shot, a mid on every character, a close up on every character and cutaways.
However, if your budget is incredibly tight you can shave your shooting time by 50%, simply by shooting as though you were using film stock, instead of video...
Directors experienced in working on film, to tight budgets, use much fewer set ups, have a clearer plan in mind for their shoot and always have an eye on the shooting ratios.
If you go back and look at how the Coen Brother storyboarded their early films... the storyboards almost exactly match the final edit... I think they were working at close to a 2:1 shooting ratio (which is phenomenal)
Sorry to pull the conversation off topic... it's just shooting ratios are my current obsession.
Often an experienced filmmaker has different needs than one just
starting out. For me, shooting ratio wasn't important when I was
just getting started. I'm glad I didn't think about that in my
early years - I was free to experiment and try many different
things.
Of course if you are under the time and money pressures of the
typical low budget film, trying new things may be out of the
question. But if you can - take the time to try many different
angles. My suggestion is to not think about ratios and story
boards right away. Experiment, try different things and as you
grow and learn the craft of telling a story with the camera you
can narrow things down to a more efficient, cost effective method.
starting out. For me, shooting ratio wasn't important when I was
just getting started. I'm glad I didn't think about that in my
early years - I was free to experiment and try many different
things.
Of course if you are under the time and money pressures of the
typical low budget film, trying new things may be out of the
question. But if you can - take the time to try many different
angles. My suggestion is to not think about ratios and story
boards right away. Experiment, try different things and as you
grow and learn the craft of telling a story with the camera you
can narrow things down to a more efficient, cost effective method.
I'm not going to repeat anything said above me.
Don't break the 180 degree rule while filming. Just my .03ยข
Don't break the 180 degree rule while filming. Just my .03ยข