“The camera is just a tool, and anyone who thinks making a movie is about knowing how to use a camera is destined to fail. In Master Shots, Christopher Kenworthy offers an excellent manual for using this tool to create images that arouse emotional impact and draw the viewer into the story. No matter what camera you're using, don't even think about turning it on until you've read this book!”
— Catherine Clinch, publisher, MomsDigitalWorld.com
“Though one needs to choose any addition to a film book library carefully, what with the current plethora of volumes on cinema, Master Shots is an essential addition to any worthwhile collection.”
— Scott Essman, publisher, Directed By magazine
“Christopher Kenworthy's book gives you a no-holds-barred, no-shot-forgotten look at how films are made from the camera point of view. For anyone with a desire to understand how film is constructed — this book is for you.”
— Matthew Terry, screenwriter/director, columnist for HollywoodLitSales.com
“Master Shots might seem like a straightforward text on tackling cinematography, but once you start reading, you soon realize it isn't meant just for directors and cinematographers — it's also a terrific reference source for producers and screenwriters looking for ways to inject energy into their projects and visually enhance their storytelling. Author Christopher Kenworthy lays out his knowledge in a clear-cut, no-nonsense fashion, from how to build more tension into a horror/thriller film, to how to capture the steamy chemistry in a love/sex sequence, to how to get the most out of a chase scene!”
— Kathie Fong Yoneda, seminar leader, producer, author of The Script-Selling Game: A Hollywood Insider's Look at Getting Your Script Sold and Produced
“This book is a crisp telling of shot set-ups for action scenes, fights, and chases, but the amazing thing is the graphics. Not only is the book clearly written, with the shot theories explained but clearly illustrated; it shows you exactly how and why to use various camera angles and lenses to accomplish first-class camerawork at any budget level and look like the big-screen, big-budget films we're used to seeing. Really, a must have.”
— Richard La Motte, independent filmmaker, author of Costume Design 101
“If you're looking for an easy-to-understand guide to putting your vision on film in a powerful way, I don't know of any better book to start with. The way Kenworthy breaks down shots makes it so clear and simple I was inspired to pick up a camera and start filming! And if you're a writer, you must read this. Understanding the way shots are actually set up will not only give you a greater visual sense but also increase your ability to write scripts that can actually be filmed! This is a worthy addition to any filmmaker's library.”
— Derek Rydall, screenwriter, author of I Could've Written a Better Movie Than That! and There's No Business Like Soul Business, founder, ScriptwriterCentral.com
“Christopher Kenworthy's Master Shots provides an excellent breakdown of the underlying narrative structure of scenes. No matter how exciting car chases or fistfights may be, they are dramatically static until the audience knows the final result. Kenworthy shows us how to make these scenes work.”
— Neill D. Hicks, author of Screenwriting 101: The Essential Craft of Feature Film Writing, Writing the Action-Adventure Film: The Moment of Truth and Writing the Thriller Film: The Terror Within
“Sometimes one punch can tell the whole story…. Such begins one section in Kenworthy's vividly written, descriptive book. A winner.”
— Marisa D'Vari, author of Creating Characters: Let Them Whisper Their Secrets
“Kenworthy has captured the unwritten and visual language of the moving picture in this essential reference tool. Techies, directors and writers should read this book to practically and collectively harness this powerful language.”
— Deborah S. Patz, Executive in Charge of Production, Magician's House
“Master Shots gives every filmmaker out there the blow-by-blow set-up required to pull off even the most difficult of set-ups found, from indies to the big Hollywood blockbusters. It's like getting all of the magician's tricks in one book.”
— Devin Watson, producer, The Cursed
“Good books on film directing are rare, specifically books which focus on staging and framing challenging sequences like action scenes and chase scenes. In this engagingly written book, with helpful illustrations from actual films, Chris Kenworthy goes a long way toward bridging this knowledge gap. Essential for beginners or those looking for a refresher before (or during) their next film.”
— Christopher Riley, author of The Hollywood Standard
“Master Shots is not only a great how-to manual for budding directors, it's a terrific book for anyone who must communicate with directors or understand their language. Whether you're a director, writer, actor, designer, or producer, Master Shots helps you think about storytelling from the camera's perspective, making you a better filmmaker and collaborator no matter what your discipline.”
— Chad Gervich, TV writer/producer (Reality Binge, Foody Call) and author of Small Screen, Big Picture: A Writer's Guide to the TV Business
“THIS BOOK SHOULD BE BANNED! These are the really cool tricks and techniques of shooting professional directors keep secret just for themselves to use. Why should they be given away for a few dollars?”
— John Badham, director (Saturday Night Fever, WarGames) and author of I'll Be in My Trailer
CHRISTOPHER KENWORTHY
MASTER SHOTS
100 ADVANCED CAMERA TECHNIQUES TO GET AN EXPENSIVE LOOK ON YOUR LOW BUDGET MOVIE
MICHAEL WIESE PRODUCTIONS
Published by Michael Wiese Productions
12400 Ventura Blvd. #1111
Studio City, CA 91604
(818) 379-8799, (818) 986-3408 (FAX)
[email protected]
www.mwp.com
Cover design by Johnny Ink. www.johnnyink.com
Interior design by William Morosi
Printed by McNaughton & Gunn
Manufactured in the United States of America
Copyright 2012 by Christopher Kenworthy
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any
means without permission in writing from the author, except for the inclusion of brief
quotations in a review.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Kenworthy, Christopher.
Master shots : 100 advanced camera techniques to get an expensive look on your low-budget movie / Christopher Kenworthy. -- 2nd ed.
p. cm.
ISBN 978-1-61593-087-6
1. Cinematography. 2. Motion pictures--Production and direction. I. Title.
TR850.K46 2012
777--dc23
2012002999
Printed on Recycled Stock
To Tabitha and Harriet
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
HOW TO USE THIS BOOk
ABOUT THE IMAGES
CHAPTER 1: FIGHT SCENES
1.1 Long Lens Stunt
1.2 Speed Punch
1.3 Matching Motion
1.4 Knock Down
1.5 Cutting For Impact
1.6 Down on the Floor
1.7 Off-Screen Violence
1.8 The Moment of Defeat
CHAPTER 2: CHASE SCENES
2.1 Travel With Subject
2.2 Long Lens Pan
2.3 Passing Through Tight Spaces
2.4 Through Open Spaces
2.5 Surprises Along the Way
2.6 The Unseen Attacker
2.7 The Closing Attacker
2.8 Unfair Speed Gain
2.9 Almost There
2.10 Footwork
CHAPTER 3:
ENTRANCES & EXITS
3.1 Character Switch
3.2 Background Reveal
3.3 The Turn In
3.4 Object Revelation
3.5 Window Push
3.6 Scene Swap
3.7 The Pendulum Pan
3.8 Direction Shift
CHAPTER 4: SUSPENSE, SEARCHING & CREEPING
4.1 Subtle Dolly
4.2 The Unseen
4.3 Anticipating Motion
4.4 Push On Nothing
4.5 Widening the Space
4.6 Two Things At Once
4.7 Traces and Clues
4.8 Steps to Suspense
4.9 Visual Dangers
CHAPTER 5: DRAMATIC SHIFT
5.1 Focus In
5.2 Moment of Drama
5.3 Pan and Slide
5.4 Working the Background
5.5 Pivot on Characters
5.6 Reverse All Directions
5.7 Backward Dolly
5.8 Underlining Stillness
5.9 Simultaneous Motion
CHAPTER 6: REVELATIONS & DISCOVERIES
6.1 Mirror Door
6.2 Separating
6.3 Detail in the Crowd
6.4 Out of the Shadows
6.5 Pull-Out Reveal
6.6 Parallel Track
6.7 Moving On
6.8 Eyeline Change
6.9 Eye Slide
CHAPTER 7: SHOCK HORROR
7.1 Building Tension
7.2 Misdirection for Shock
7.3 Fearing a Character
7.4 Fearing a Place
7.5 Wide Spaces
7.6 Visual Shock
7.7 A Change of Mind
7.8 Shielding Attacker
7.9 Window of Fear
CHAPTER 8: DIRECTING ATTENTION
8.1 Object Guide
8.2 Handing Off Motion
8.3 Change of Direction
8.4 Reflections
8.5 Rest Point
8.6 Color Guides
8.7 Reverse Angles
CHAPTER 9: CAR SCENES
9.1 Front Seat Shooting
9.2 Back Seat Shooting
9.3 Car Dialogue
9.4 The Parked Car
9.5 Leaving the Car
9.6 Car Walk
9.7 Shooting Through Windows
CHAPTER 10: DIALOGUE SCENES
10.1 Conversation Dolly
10.2 Offset Background
10.3 Shared Screen
10.4 Side by Side
10.5 Height Changes
10.6 Staged Glances
10.7 Mirror Talk
10.8 Move with the Beats
CHAPTER 11: ARGUMENTS & CONFLICT
11.1 Circling
11.2 Attacking Camera
11.3 Defensive Camera
11.4 Lunging at Camera
11.5 Motion in Anger
11.6 Body Conflict
11.7 Back Over Shoulder
11.8 Criss-Crossing
CHAPTER 12: LOVE & SEX SCENES
12.1 Eye Contact
12.2 First Contact
12.3 Kiss Angles
12.4 Getting Down
12.5 Out of Body
12.6 Facing Up
12.7 Moments of Connection
12.8 A World of Details
CONCLUSION
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
INTRODUCTION
This book will give you the inspiration to execute complex and original shots, whatever your budget. I can say that with some confidence, because I receive letters and emails every day, telling me that Master Shots works.
When the first edition of this book was released, it rapidly became a best-seller, but far more exciting for me was to hear from filmmakers who were using the techniques. Seasoned Hollywood directors wrote to tell me that they were taking Master Shots on set with them every day. New directors told me how they'd discovered their style after one reading and gone on to win awards.
I'd always hoped the book would be more than a collection of interesting shots, and would help directors to find new ways of creating their own camera moves. That seems to have been the case. Master Shots has been translated into several languages and is used at film schools around the world.
Although I get the most feedback from directors, I also hear from actors, cinematographers, producers and writers who have used the book to create better work.
Such was the success of Master Shots that I went on to write Master Shots, Volume 2: Dialogue. While creating the second book I realized there were several ways that the original Master Shots could be improved. All the images have now been enhanced for greater printed clarity, with some replaced by new renderings, to ensure that each technique is absolutely clear. The text has also been lightly revised, based on feedback from readers, to clear up any potential ambiguities.
The examples shown are generally from feature films with big budgets and all the crew and equipment you can imagine. And yet every single shot in this book can be achieved on the cheap, with a handheld camera. That's why I don't waste any time suggesting what sort of dolly or crane you should use, because you may end up improvising. Many of the greats have done so before.
In TV, and even many films these days, people often move the camera just because they can. Or because people think a moving or wobbling camera is somehow more exciting. But skillful, motivated master shots and well-executed moves can make all the difference between shooting another journeyman scene, and capturing something truly great. Never move the camera for the sake of it, but never sit it on a tripod because you're too lazy to think of something more interesting. If you're stuck for ideas, look through this book, because somebody has almost certainly solved your problem once before. And you can probably improve on their solution.
In almost every chapter I talk about lens choice, and suggest what type of lens you should use for a particular shot. If you're not the sort of director who's interested in lens choice, I encourage you to get a basic grasp. Even if you consider yourself an “actors' director,” remember that you can't do the actors’ performances justice unless you know the best way to shoot them. It only takes an afternoon with a 35mm Digital SLR, or just using the zoom on a HI-DEF camera, to see what effect different lenses have. (Although a zoom is a single lens, you can think of it as many different lenses, ranging from short to long.)
Don't leave the lens choice to your Director of Photography. Although your DP can do the job for you, there's no way you can accurately plan your shots (or come up with them on set) unless you have an understanding of lenses. There are many books that explain the difference between lenses, and what they achieve, but there is no substitute for getting out there with a camera and having a go. If, in any given chapter, I suggest that a long lens works better, try it, and then try it with a short lens and see whether you think I was right or not. What you learn from that is more important than anything I could put in words.
This is not a book about lenses, but I know that a random lens choice leads to a random shot and a potentially meaningless scene. This book is about camera moves, and the master shots that make your scene work. For every scene you need to choreograph a dance between your actors and the camera, with the perfect lens choice. And that's before you even think about directing performance. There's a lot to keep in your head, which is why a book like this can help. The more techniques you know, the sooner you will be able to forget them and come up with your own.
The plans you make are only rough, but that gives you more chance to be creative on the day of the shoot. This book can help you to start planning your own shots, so that when you are on set with just a few moments to come up with a great idea, you'll know what to do.
I've been working in film and TV for over a decade now, but to my surprise, I've found this book an enormous help in planning shots, whenever I am on set. These observations and ideas give me a starting point. I can see how it's been done before, how it could be done again, and I can add new ideas as I go.
The techniques in this book can
not make you a good director, but by learning them you will gain great insight into what makes shots work. By the time you've learned everything in this book, you'll be able to make up another hundred of your own.
Christopher Kenworthy
Perth, June 2011
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
You can dip into any chapter of Master Shots and look for a shot that best suits your scene at any time. I would recommend, however, that you read the whole book, so that you become familiar with the variety of techniques demonstrated.
Although watching the films used in this book may help, you should try to imagine the technique by looking at the frame grabs and the overhead diagrams first. This will help to develop your ability to visualize scenes. It's far more important for you to practice this skill than it is for you to see the films that have been used. With that said, all the films included in this book contain many shots that are worth studying.
To really understand a chapter you need to read the text, study the images, and imagine how you could use the shot yourself. So you should already have read Master Shots when your film is in preproduction.
Once you've planned your shots, have the book nearby on set, so that you can find alternative ideas, or add something extra to a scene. One of the best things you can do is combine several techniques in one scene, to create something completely new.
Don't be afraid to buy copies for your department heads and your actors. If they can see how you're working, and the high standards you're aiming for, they will be more willing to work with these techniques.
ABOUT THE IMAGES
Each chapter contains several types of images. The opening images are frame grabs from popular movies, to show how successfully the technique has been used before. For this second edition of Master Shots, these frame grabs have been enhanced in Photoshop CS5, to greatly improve their clarity when printed.
The overhead shots show how the camera and actors move to achieve this effect. The white arrows show camera movement. The black arrows show actor movement. For the second edition of the book, many of these shots have been clarified with minor changes, and in some cases 3D arrows have been added to give a more precise indication of motion.
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