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blocking an ECU and the LINE!

W

wheatgrinder

Hi all,
Silly thing to obsessive over.. but I have this in my head...

The scene is two people, a man tied to a chair being "interviewed" shall we say, by a woman...

Now the line of action is well established between the two. in one shot the interviewer leans close to the interviewee, nose to nose, profile if you will.. I want the interviewer then to seductively move as if to kiss the interviewee on the ear\neck. Then Ill have an Extreme Close Up with the lips facing the camera and the back of the ear where we see the woman wispier something into his hear .. get it?

In short, cutting from a 2 shot in profile to a dirty OTS\ECU on the woman's lips..

Now my problem. If I strictly observe the Line of action, I would have the OTS\ECU be of the "near side" ear, which is fine.. .. but this means that the "seductive" move in the 2 shot is lost.. her Face will be turned away from the camera..

If instead in the 2 shot I have her turn her face towards the camera, moving to the FAR SIDE neck\ear then I have to CROSS the line to get the tight OTS\ECU as the FAR SIDE ear is on the OTHER SIDE..

oh the humanity..

Im guessing the right answer is ... "donwerryboutit" chime in for fun..
 
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I'm confused as to how the near side equates with turning her head away from the camera. It should be the other way around. If we have a profile - let's say we see her left side and his right side - I would want her moving to the closest ear - his right ear - for the ECU seductive shot.

So, I don't think the answer is "donwerryboutit", so much as it is "WTFyoutalkinbout".
 
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The 'line' is just a standard guideline. Break it if it's what you need to get your shots.

Maybe shoot it both ways to be safe, but I think this kind of crossing the line would be fine :)
 
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here, maybe these pics will help.. .

The problem with the near side is that if she turns her head, as if to kiss his neck, then all we see in the 2 shot is the back of her head.. I want that 2 shot to show her face as she moves to almost kiss his neck...

attachment.php





In this 2 shot the camera can clearly see her turn her face as she goes to kiss his neck.. but now Iv crossed the line for the OTS\ECU.. !!


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Gonzo_Entertainment said:
I was gonna saw, you have her cheat it where she kisses him on the near side, but they both stay in profile.
Click to expand...

I dont see how that works.. if she turns her face towards his neck on the near side.. we still just get the back of her head..

You mean she dosent turn her head (or just a bit).. stays in profile ah.. now i see it..

(am I crazy to answer my own questions?.. why yes I am!)
 
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wheatgrinder said:
I dont see how that works.. if she turns her face towards his neck on the near side.. we still just get the back of her head..

You mean she dosent turn her head (or just a bit).. stays in profile ah.. now i see it..

(am I crazy to answer my own questions?.. why yes I am!)
Click to expand...

Yeah, maybe even kiss his ear where she only has to turn in 20 degrees or so. Still have her in 3/4 profile.
 
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My honest opinion - this is way too much previsualization for something that will take 30 seconds to figure out on the set.

There is, however, something I didn't think to mention earlier, that makes this all a moo point. An ECU is a neutral shot - it has no line of action(or at least it's not related to any previously established line of action). As long as it's really really tight, you can put an ECU wherever you want.
 
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fwiw, wheat, the line is crossed all the time in the biggest movies in cases like this.

Think about it -- how often do you see people kiss in movies. When people kiss, they tilt their heads in opposite directions, otherwise noses would be in the way. When intercutting a kiss, you have no choice but to cross the line in order to see both characters' eyes.

Next time you see an intercut kiss scene, look for it. You'll see it everywhere from now on. :)
 
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good points you two.. Im letting it ride! Ill try and post those shots tomorrow night!

@cf, yeah I know.. like I said I was obsessing.. but it was a fun mental exercise.. and maybe someone in posterity will get some use from our little chats...
 
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wheatgrinder said:
The problem with the near side is that if she turns her head, as if to kiss his neck, then all we see in the 2 shot is the back of her head.. I want that 2 shot to show her face as she moves to almost kiss his neck...

attachment.php
Click to expand...

I can't really tell from your description why there would be a problem with the above setup. Why can't your guy in the chair turn his head (recoiling in reaction to a possible bite) so that you can get a better angle on the woman's face? There are a few ways to block this.


You can cross the line with:

A moving camera.

During the shot, the subjects move and the line crosses you.

Cutting on the line (full front or back), then crossing it. "You can cross the line if you STOP on it."

Use a neutral shot with no screen direction (tied hands), then cut to the other side.
 
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