The second frame shows that when the actors get closer, we are able to see all their faces as they continue the dialogue. As well as sensing the urgency of their predicament from their speed-walk, we get to see all three faces at once, capturing everybody’s emotions. This is a good technique when shooting a group of people facing a dramatic dilemma, and is an alternative to cutting from face to face.
The third frame shows that when the actors get closer to camera, it must tilt up to keep them in frame. This gives them a more commanding appearance than they had through the rest of the shot, so time this to coincide with dialogue that matches the visual. This is a good point for a decision to be made, and you can let the camera stop following them, and have the actors walk forward until their faces are out of the shot.
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 1. Directed by David Yates. Warner Bros. Pictures, 2010. All rights reserved.
9.8
UNSEEN FACE
Camera height is often used to show who has the upper hand in a scene, but it can also be used to conceal information, to make a revelation more dramatic.
In this scene from The Book of Eli, the fight is over, and the aggressor, Evan Jones, is now slumped on the floor. Although we’ve seen Denzel Washington’s character many times before this scene, it is in the previous moments that we have seen a new side to him. As such, his face is removed from the scene to create a sense of mystery. The camera is put down at the level of the slumped man. It’s important that we see Washington’s silhouette here, but not his face. If he was farther back, and absent from the short, that would not create the same mystery as having his face missing from the shot.
In the next frame, the camera is placed slightly above Jones, as he looks up. If the camera was higher than this, it would feel like we were looking down on him, but we need to engage with his sense of wonder. As such, a slight angle down is all that’s required.
The framing of Washington is slightly lower than his head, looking up slightly, as he looks down. This is the first time we’ve seen his face for a couple of shots, and because his face has been hidden until now, we are fascinated to see what he’s thinking. A lower camera or wider lens would make his face too small in the screen. A closer shot would be too abrupt a change from the shot of Jones.
When a character reveals a new side of himself, consider using camera height to conceal his face for a few beats, and you create a sense of mystery that hooks the audience.
The Book of Eli. Directed by the Hughes brothers. Warner Bros. Pictures (US) Summit Entertainment (Int), 2010. All rights reserved.
9.9
LOW SLIDE
It’s rare for directors to combine a low camera with a dolly move. A push in from a low angle can seem contrived. However, when the camera dollies across the main lines of action, and pans to follow a character through the scene, it gives that character the impression of majesty and power.
This scene from X-Men: The Last Stand begins with Ian McKellen framed centrally, from a low camera. As he walks forward, the camera pans around to follow him, but it does this slowly. The slow push prevents the camera getting so close that he obliterates the frame.
As he moves further into the room, the pan puts him to the left of frame, as the dolly across the room continues. McKellen then turns, almost in an arc, and moves back toward the camera slightly. This move can be achieved on the spot, but works well if there is an arc to the movement.
The closing frame of this shot is remarkably similar to the opening frame, which is why this looks so good. He’s made a dramatic entrance, then walks calmly forward to make a speech, and all eyes remain glued on him, just as they were when he entered.
The low camera also makes the most of this particular location, due to the high ceilings and large stained-glass windows. It might not work as effectively if the ceiling was featureless, but it could easily work outside.
X-Men: The Last Stand. Directed by Brett Ratner. Twentieth Century Fox, 2006. All rights reserved.
9.10
SEATED POWER
Camera height can be used to show an unexpected reversal of power. In this scene from Love Actually, Hugh Grant plays the British prime minister, but instead of conveying his authority, he appears uncertain.
He’s sitting behind a desk, framed centrally, but because the camera is looking down at him, and because he’s looking up at Martine McCutcheon, he appears nervous.
When we cut to the reverse of McCutcheon, the camera is at Grant’s head height, but off to one side. As she approaches, the camera tilts up to keep her in the frame, and this makes us feel how low the camera is. The contrast between the two shots is marked.
Although this is a light scene, used to convey sexual attraction, it’s important for us to feel that Grant’s character is the underdog, for us to sympathize with him. This is not a scene in which McCutcheon has power over him, but one in which she makes him feel slightly out of control despite her bright nature. The simple camera work reflects this effortlessly.
A similar setup is seen in Never Let Me Go, although it is more subtle, because the sensation of power imbalance is meant to be more subtle. The camera that’s facing the teacher, Sally Hawkins, is almost on her level. The camera facing Izzy Meikle-Small looks up at her, but only slightly.
The smallest changes to height and angle can have a large impact on the result. The audience will almost never notice these changes consciously, but the mood and meaning of a scene can be governed by camera height, and it should always be considered before you roll.
Love Actually. Directed by Richard Curtis. Universal Pictures, 2003. All rights reserved.
Never Let Me Go. Directed by Mark Romanek. Fox Searchlight Pictures, 2010. All rights reserved.
CHAPTER 10
COMPLEX CAMERA MOVES
10.1
COMPLEX SPIN
When creating complex moves, your aim is not to look impressive, but to convey as much visual information as you can, clearly, and without cutting.
This move from The Fighter includes creative use of focus as well as a camera move, to direct attention throughout the scene. The viewer will take in the story, but should not notice the effort you’ve put into your move.
In the opening frame we see Mark Wahlberg (with his back to us), talking to Ross Bickell. When they mention two other characters, the camera pulls focus to the actors in the background. This is a surprising reveal, and is followed by the camera immediately beginning to arc around Wahlberg.
By the time the camera has come to the point where Bickell is centered, focus has been pulled back to him, with Wahlberg visible on the right of frame. As the camera completes its arc around them, Bickell drifts out to frame left, and we are left with a close-up of Wahlberg. This final frame has a tight eyeline, so that we’re almost looking into his eyes, and seeing his expression clearly.
By combining focus with an arc, we’ve seen two characters talking, two others being revealed, and then ended with a close-up of the main character. A move such as this shows us the big picture, and the issues and people that are being considered, but then focuses in on how it affects the hero. Reserve shots as powerful as this for times when your main character is being faced with one of the largest decisions he has to make.
The Fighter. Directed by David O. Russell. Paramount Pictures (US), The Weinstein Company (Int), 2010. All rights reserved.
10.2
ACTORS IN MOTION
Some complex moves involve quite basic dollies across a room, but it is the movement of the actors that introduces complexity and interest. This can work when there is snappy dialogue, and is particularly powerful when a conversation ends with one character being left alone with her thoughts, as with this shot from Derailed.
The overhead diagram shows the overall movement that takes place. The camera pushes forward and to the left, Clive Owen moves through the room and to the left, while Melissa George walks away and leaves. Although this is a good outline, a lot of movement goes on throu
gh the scene.
When Owen appears in the shot, he is framed by the door, and has his back partially turned to us. He then moves across the room, and takes up his final position, facing into the room, as the camera continues its slow crawl across the room.
George begins the scene in the mid-ground, moves forward and across the room (with the focus pulling to follow her), and then she moves away to the distant door and out. Focus is used to direct attention, rather than panning; as we dolly across, the angle is barely changed, so it’s vital to change focus according to who’s dominating the frame.
The dolly move is so slow that we don’t notice it, but the scene begins with one framing and ends with a completely different shot. This is a move that enables you to show change taking place, without cutting to lots of setups. It also enables the actors to interact within the frame.
Derailed. Directed by Mikael Håfström. The Weinstein Company (US), Buena Vista International (Non-US), 2005. All rights reserved.
10.3
CUTTING FROM THE MASTER
In many complex shots, the director chooses not to cut away from the master, but tries to contain all the action within that shot. You can, however, cut to another character, and still convey all the motion and action of the master shot itself.
These frames from Heavenly Creatures show a basic shot of Melanie Lynskey, combined with a moving master shot. Once it’s been established that Lynskey is sitting down, listening to music play, we cut to Chris Clarkson, who is watching her. From behind him, Simon O’Connor appears, moving forward. The camera moves back, faster than he moves forward, to make room for him.
This backward motion cleverly reframes the entire shot, so that Clarkson is now a mid-ground observer, with another character observing from the far background.
We cut back to Lynskey to see her reaction to being mocked, and then she gets up and moves into the master shot (attempting to grab the fish). When you watch the whole sequence, it feels like there’s continual motion, even though the shots of Lynskey are static.
When designing shots, don’t be afraid to cut away to a motionless shot, so long as your character is showing sufficient expression to keep the scene’s momentum going.
Heavenly Creatures. Directed by Peter Jackson. Miramax Films, 1994. All rights reserved.
10.4
DIAGONAL REVEAL
When you track the camera diagonally across a room, and let your actors move through the space in a curve, you give the audience a full sense of the space. This is also a way to give strong visual impact to a scene that could potentially be dull. It’s worth noting that the final frame here is the strongest composition. This was probably the first part to be staged, with everybody’s marks placed exactly, and the rest of the shot could be designed from there.
The scene opens with the German officers moving through the doorway, and the camera begins its diagonal move to the left. The officers move faster than the dolly, even though they are far away, which moves them from the left to the right of frame.
Also, partway through the shot, a worker moves from the center of the frame to the left (which helps give impetus to the dolly move); his movement makes it feel natural for the camera to keep moving. He becomes framed in the center when the officers complete their arc and join him.
The move itself is a dolly, diagonally away from the door, but the motion of the actors playing the officers, and the arrangement of props, make this visually stunning. When the shot opens we are looking past flames, and when it closes, the wooden boxes fill the lower part of the frame. The shot never lacks visual interest.
On paper, this might be described so simply that an average director would just show the actors walking to their marks. By drifting the camera across the room, and letting the actors navigate the various obstacles, we get to see the entire, elaborate set, and their slow, menacing progress through the scene.
Schindler’s List. Directed by Steven Spielberg. Universal Pictures, 1993. All rights reserved.
10.5
LONG TRACK
Long tracking shots, where we follow the characters through a complex sequence of moves, have been around for decades. Directors tend to show off with them, and this can be irritating. Sometimes they are used with great humor and irony, such as the opening shot of The Player (which actually included a disguised cut, and also has dialogue referencing long tracking shots).
These long takes, covering lots of ground, are sometimes designed to boost the director’s ego, but that doesn’t mean they should always be avoided for the sake of humility. A good tracking shot, well designed, creates a flow of motion and interaction that is exciting to watch. The best tracking shots are those that follow a character who has a good reason to be on the move. They can become quite dull when it’s just two people ambling along having a conversation.
This example from Love Actually works so well that it’s difficult to imagine it being shot any other way. The purpose of the shot is to introduce that we’re at 10 Downing Street, and that Hugh Grant is thus the British prime minister, and then follow him into this place of power for the first time. Going behind closed doors is always fun, and it thrills the audience to follow him in there, so doing this in one long take is ideal.
You can achieve tracking shots with a combination of cranes and dolly, but it’s more common to use a camera stabilizer to chase after the character. That’s exactly what happens here, and although it works well, it does illustrate why you should limit these shots. Camera stabilizers tend to require short to medium lenses, and the operator has to make compromises to ensure that everything stays in shot. As such, the framing is always a little on the ordinary side. It works, because there’s a new environment, an exciting moment, and a move into an interesting building. But you wouldn’t want to shoot a whole movie in this way, or everything would begin to feel average.
Love Actually. Directed by Richard Curtis. Universal Pictures, 2003. All rights reserved.
10.6
DOLLY FRAME
Some of the best shots are achieved when something unexpected enters the frame. In Schindler’s List, what appears to be a walk across the street becomes more interesting when we see a car come into frame.
The camera moves back more slowly than Ben Kingsley walks forward, so that he gets closer to the camera. This conveys his haste, and the camera dolly slows as he approaches the vehicle.
At this point his face would go out of shot, so Spielberg has him lean down to look into the car. This works, because it makes sense for his character to do that, but this is a masterful way of compensating for a potential problem. You can also see that he’s strongly lit at this point, to make him show up clearly. Without this, we might have trouble picking out his face through all the motion across the screen.
This in itself would be a masterful shot, but the camera continues its slow journey backward to reveal Liam Neeson, sitting in the driver’s seat. At this point, Kingsley moves to get into the car, and focus is pulled onto Neeson.
The dolly move used here is extremely simple, but the creative placement of the car, its sudden appearance in the frame, and the way the characters are framed through and within it make this shot so successful.
When setting up your shots, let the camera start in a place where only part of the scene is revealed, and let your move reveal the destination and other characters as the scene unfolds.
Schindler’s List. Directed by Steven Spielberg. Universal Pictures, 1993. All rights reserved.
10.7
PUSH TO CLOSE-UP
When you move characters past the camera, you can create a moment of surprise when another character moves into the center of frame. This works especially well if the camera is moving forward and then stops on the character.
This shot from Léon: The Professional begins by establishing that the corridor is empty, with distant characters about to enter through the doors. The camera moves forward in a straight track down the corridor, and the actors begin to move into the frame an
d then past. They are not rushing, but pacing their way down, and the camera progresses steadily.
The feeling this shot produces is one of methodical preparation, but then surprises us by having the villain of the piece, Gary Oldman, walk into frame and move straight into a close-up. His appearance interrupts the steady progress of the camera. It’s as though the shot has always been heading to this point, and we experience contradictory feelings; his appearance is a surprise, but also seems inevitable now that it’s occurred. This in itself creates fear.
A short lens is used, to make the corridor seem longer, and so that Oldman looms up on us rapidly. Every other character moves to either side of the camera, but he moves directly in front, establishing his menace beyond doubt.
In Chapter 7.5 Push Against Flow, you see the camera push forward as actors rush past. In this shot, from the same film, there is a similar setup, but due to pacing and staging differences, it has a completely different effect. It’s worth studying them together, to see how the different effects are achieved, even though the essential setups are quite similar.
MasterShots Vol 3 Page 10
