MasterShots Vol 1

by Christopher Kenworthy

  Jarhead. Directed by Sam Mendes. Universal Studios Home Video, 2005. All Rights Reserved.

  5.7

  BACKWARD DOLLY

  To show a character feeling trapped in a moment, while also keeping the shot dynamic and interesting, takes some skill. In this scene from Thirteen, the character tries to move away from her mother, but her mother tags along in pursuit. It's a dramatic shift, because she's trying to escape, but it's powerful because she can't escape as rapidly as she wants.

  The camera remains quite still through the initial conversation, but when the actor takes off, walking away in despair, the camera backs away from her. The camera keeps the same distance from her throughout. It's almost as though the actor wants the camera to get out of the way. The audience feels as though they are in the way as well, and this helps to create tension. It's impossible to watch this scene without feeling the character's anguish.

  At the same time, the second actor remains in pursuit, at exactly the same distance. Again, this helps to create the feeling of being trapped. We don't get a clear view of the second actor, but this doesn't matter, as the glimpses we get of her are enough to create the feeling of being pursued.

  Set up your camera to cover the scene, with room to back off when the right moment comes. When the actor first moves from her mark, keep the camera in the same position until she is almost upon the camera. Then begin backing off, as though she is pushing the camera out of the way.

  Although many backward dolly shots move from corridor to corridor, if you want to emphasize a character feeling trapped and trying to escape, stick to a single line of movement down the corridor.

  There are many ways to end this shot, such as having the actor move off into a side room or push past the camera. When the actor pushes past, or moves aside, you indicate that the character has taken a significant action.

  Thirteen. Directed by Catherine Hardwicke. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, 2003. All Rights Reserved.

  5.8

  UNDERLINING STILLNESS

  At the most dramatic moments your character may feel trapped in the moment. If you want your character to feel like a victim, hemmed in by circumstance and the actions of others, you can make great use of stillness. Keep your character still, while the world moves frantically around them.

  For the best effect, you need your character to be fixing his gaze on something that's behind the camera. You can show the subject of his gaze in another shot, but when you come to execute this move, it's best if carried out without a cut.

  The camera pushes in on the character while people move past him across the frame. We can see him clearly, because everything else is out of focus, but he struggles to see through the crowd. All the time the camera moves in on him, emphasizing the feeling of being trapped.

  Set up your camera almost directly in front of the actor. It helps if there's a wall or other object directly behind him, filling the frame, to take away any sense of space. A long lens will help to throw foreground and background out of focus.

  As the shot begins, dolly toward the actor as he looks past the camera, trying to see through the crowd. You only need a few extras to pass the camera. Too many and you'll hide the actor from view. If possible, avoid two extras passing each other within the frame, as this can distract from the main subject.

  Your actor's eyeline should be very tight. That is, he should almost be looking into camera, so that we feel the intensity of his gaze.

  Onegin. Directed by Martha Fiennes. Siren Entertainment, 1999. All Rights Reserved.

  5.9

  SIMULTANEOUS MOTION

  Some of the most dramatic moments happen when a character tries to take action, but simply can't. We see their moment of defeat and suffer with them. Showing an internalized decision is difficult, so this technique uses moving props to emphasize the character's separation from her goal.

  You begin by showing the character in close-up, facing the camera. She then turns away from the camera as an object passes across the frame. You then cut to a shot from the exact opposite position. This time she's framed much more loosely, so we can see the prop passing behind her. It's almost as though the passing object has spun her around and away from her goal.

  The prop that passes your actor can be a trolley full of boxes (as shown here), a car, or anything else. It must be large enough to be seen in the frame on both sides of the cut, as well as being light and nimble enough to move rapidly in and out of frame on cue.

  Set up your camera at head height, with a long lens, and frame for a close-up. The actor looks past the camera to her goal. At the moment she decides she can't achieve her goal, the object should move across the frame, and she turns away from the camera.

  Reset the shot, with the camera 180 degrees around from where you began. Use a slightly shorter lens, and get a little closer to the actor, so we get to see the object moving away behind her. Timing is critical. Make sure your actor begins to turn when the object is in exactly the same position as it was in the previous shot, or editing will be a huge challenge.

  Amélie. Directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet. Becker Entertainment, 2001. All Rights Reserved.

  6.1

  MIRROR DOOR

  The best directors always look for ways to reveal the scene without too many cuts. This keeps the audience engaged with the scene, and makes any visual revelation much more powerful. Showing everything in one shot also ensures that the audience doesn't become confused about who's doing what to whom.

  In the example shown here, a mirror is used to show both directions, without a cut or camera move. We start by seeing a couple through a doorway. One of them reaches to close the mirror-door, and as it slams shut we see the third character, reflected in the mirror, watching them. This is much clearer than if we had cut from the couple to the lone figure, and has the effect of connecting him to his observation.

  This technique also enables you to use completely different lighting styles for the two directions, without confusing the audience. If you simply cut from the couple to the observing character, you would need to match the lighting closely, so as to avoid confusion. By connecting the characters in one shot, completely different lighting styles actually enhance the effect you're trying to achieve.

  Set up your camera behind the third actor, pointing through the doorway. Use a long lens, but make sure the edges of the doorframe are in view. Give the actors a reasonable motivation to close the door. For the audience, the appearance of the observer should be a shock revelation.

  You may need to move your actor out of direct alignment with the door, to get the shot. This is fine, but make sure he looks directly through the door (rather than staring straight ahead), or the audience will detect the false eyeline, and the shot will feel wrong.

  Minority Report. Directed by Steven Spielberg. Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment, 2002. All Rights Reserved.

  6.2

  SEPARATING

  You can reveal new information within a scene, by first concealing it behind another character. Imagine that you want to show the return of a particular character. As shown in this example, you can hide that character behind the other actors, and then have them move out of the way.

  This technique works for other kinds of revelation, wherever the visual presence of a person or object tells the story. Despite the apparent simplicity, it takes some planning to execute this convincingly.

  It helps if the person or object being revealed is partially in view at the beginning of the shot, or at least indicated by background activity. If you obscure the background completely, the revelation can be comical. Instead, the background person or object should be blurred and partially shielded.

  Set up an over-the-shoulder shot, leaving enough space between the actors that the background can be glimpsed. The character standing alongside the camera should also experience the revelation at the same time that we do, so make sure it's plausible that the background is hidden from him.

  At the moment of revelation
have the character that's blocking the view move backward, or to the side. At the same time, the camera moves forward. This has the effect of moving the point-of-view character out of frame left, as well as bringing the subject of the revelation much closer to camera.

  This technique is called Separating, because to get the best effect, there should be a sense that the frame is being opened up; one actor moves to the right (and shrinks in the frame as she moves backward), while the other moves out of frame to the left as the camera moves. This creates the sensation of curtains being pulled apart to reveal a secret.

  Artificial Intelligence: AI. Directed by Steven Spielberg. Warner Home Video, 2001. All Rights Reserved.

  6.3

  DETAIL IN THE CROwD

  When you want the audience to spot an important character in a crowd, you need to use a careful combination of light and focus to draw their attention. Without this level of care, the shot will reveal nothing, and the character (no matter how famous the actor) will get lost in the crowd.

  By using a long lens, you narrow the amount of image that's in focus; this means that when you focus on your character, just about everybody else in the shot drops out of focus. The eye is always drawn to bright, sharp areas. By making sure your character is more brightly lit than the rest of the scene, you emphasize the effect.

  Set up your camera a long way back from the actor, and use a long enough lens to create the effect. If you're using available light, shoot in a shadowy space, and find a place where sunlight breaks through; position your actor in its glow. If you're lighting the whole set with lamps, give your actor more light than anybody else.

  You can enhance the effect by having most of the crowd walk away from the camera, and have your character turn to face camera. If there are lots of faces in the shot, get the background actors to tilt their heads down slightly, or look off to the side a little. Your main character can guide her eyeline close to the camera.

  Lost in Translation. Directed by Sofia Coppola. Universal Studios Home Video, 2003. All Rights Reserved.

  6.4

  OUT OF THE SHADOWS

  Sometimes you want to re-introduce a character to your film. That is, you want them to make a dramatic entrance to a scene, because you're approaching a significant moment in the film.

  An actor's first appearance in a film is of great importance; actors and directors work hard to make sure that a character gets a great entrance. By applying this same level of dramatic entry later on in the film, you reveal to the audience that something major is going on.

  In the example shown here, we see the character's outline, as well as some light in his hair. He then walks out of the shadows and we see his face. This isn't a true revelation, because the moment the audience sees his outline they know this is the main character. This is important, because if he's completely hidden in the shadows it would create too much curiosity about who is hiding there. By showing the audience that this is the main character, they are curious to see his face: what's he going through, how does this affect him, what's he going to do next?

  This technique can be used partway through a scene, rather than just at the beginning, to show a shift in the drama. It works particularly well when something major is being revealed to the character in question.

  Set up your camera low to the ground, looking up at your actor. There are many ways to light this, but make sure that when the shot begins, the audience knows who they're looking at. Have the actor move out of the shadows, and tilt the camera up. Keeping the camera in place creates the sensation of the character walking into the new scene; if you dolly backward, the actor doesn't feel like he's moving into the scene so much as passing through.

  Artificial Intelligence: AI. Directed by Steven Spielberg. Warner Home Video, 2001. All Rights Reserved.

  6.5

  PULL-OUT REVEAL

  When you want to show the audience what your character has just seen, there are many ways to achieve the effect. A simple cut will usually do the trick. Sometimes, though, you want to see the character's prolonged reaction, and let the revelation come over a few seconds. This slow dawning of realization can be more dramatic than instant shock.

  In the example here, the camera moves along with the actor; then as she sees the ensuing riot, the camera almost comes to a halt. It moves backward just a foot or two during the move, panning to follow the actress as she moves past the camera. The shot ends with an over-the-shoulder framing, showing the crowd struggling to get on the bus.

  By blending everything into one shot the director keeps the geography of the scene completely clear, and we also get to see that the confusion around the bus is far more interesting to the character than the riot itself. It's a perfect example of directing attention and revealing new information.

  This type of swinging pan works best when there's something in the background moving in the opposite direction. Here, the director had a crowd of rioters pass close by the actor. This emphasizes that she's moving into unknown territory, and makes us pay attention to what is being revealed.

  Set up your camera at head height, or slightly higher, and begin the shot at walking pace, moving backward with the actor. Then slow the camera, moving backward only a little, as you follow the actor around. The camera can now move behind the actor, looking past her at the scene beyond.

  This type of move works well when performed with a dolly-crane combination, but a handheld move can add to the documentary feel of being in the moment as the drama takes place.

  The Double Life of Veronique. Directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski. Artificial Eye, 1991. All Rights Reserved.

  6.6

  PARALLEL TRACK

  At the moment of revelation, it's important to see the character's response. The Parallel Track creates the sensation that the character is caught up in a whirlwind of events, while keeping the actor's face in full view throughout the shot.

  The example here shows how the actor moves to her right, while the camera rushes over to its right. At the same time, the camera pans to keep the actor in the same position in the frame. The effect is that the actor remains almost motionless, while the background rushes past.

  In this example the director shot the same scene with two lenses, one much longer than the other. It's possible to jump cut between these two shots, so long as the camera move and framing is relatively consistent between the two. By keeping the actress frame-right throughout, it's easy to make the cut.

  Set up your camera with a long lens, as shown in the diagram. When the shot begins, the actor needs a motivation to move, such as trying to get a better view of the action. As she moves, move the camera in the opposite direction, and pan to keep her in the same part of the frame. Repeat with a longer lens if you want to jump cut between the two shots.

  The Double Life of Veronique. Directed by Krzysztof Kieslowski. Artificial Eye, 1991. All Rights Reserved.

  6.7

  MOVING ON

  When your characters are trying to escape, or get somewhere urgently, it's always a good idea to stop them in their tracks. Something unexpected should bring them to a halt. At that moment we need to see the look of shock and fear on their faces.

  With this move, the camera rushes up to the actors, at exactly the same speed that they rush up to their marks. Even when you use a relatively long lens, this creates a sensation of great speed being brought to an abrupt halt. If you use too short a lens the effect can be too exaggerated, so a medium or long lens works well.

  In the examples shown here, the camera moves slightly to the left of the actors. This works well, but you can also start the shot directly in front of the actors, shifting slightly to the side as the move progresses.

  Set up your camera below head-height. This low angle means that at the end of the shot it almost feels as though the actors are going to run over the top of the camera, which adds to the drama. This low angle also has the effect of obscuring the background, which helps to focus attention on the actors' faces.

  Once the
move is complete, you need to cut to a Point of View or over-the-shoulder shot, to see the subject of their fear.

  Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines. Directed by Jonathan Mostow. Columbia Tristar Home Entertainment, 2003. All Rights Reserved.

  6.8

  EYELINE CHANGE

  When one character is joined by a second character, it's often a surprise, and one that the audience should share. In this example, we think we're watching the character deep in thought, but then the camera move reveals a second character approaching.

  To get this right, the character's reaction (to hearing footsteps) should be quite gradual. If he just looks up, and then the camera moves in to show us what he's looking at, the move feels like an aftereffect. Ideally, the camera should begin to move at the moment he hears her approach, and be in its final position when he's completely turned his head.

  This works well when one character is seated and the other is standing. Whatever position you choose for the first character, set up your camera at his head height.

  Begin the move when the actor senses an approach. At first, this should look like a classic push-in on the character, keeping him framed in roughly the same position. Toward the second half of the move, the pan begins and we turn to see the second character.

  You will need to pull focus between the first and second characters, and the timing of this is critical. Too early, and the main character goes out of focus while in shot. Too late, and the second character looks like they're in a dream sequence. Begin to shift focus at the moment the second character enters the frame, and complete the focus change as rapidly as possible.