Setting Up Your Shots

by Jeremy Vineyard

  Another variation is a person or object moving into the camera frame. Because that object blocks the light from the camera, the audience can’t tell when a cut is made to the object at a completely different location. The object can then be moved away from the lens to reveal the new scene.

  Where can I see it?

  Fill, Reveal Frame is used throughout Rope to hide the few cuts that exist.

  Fill, Reveal Frame

  WALK, REVEAL FRAME

  What does it look like?

  Walk, Reveal Frame is a clever transition technique. It starts out with an actor walking in front of the camera. As the actor passes in front of the lens, the audience’s view becomes partially obscured. This allows the editor to cut to a new shot without the audience noticing. When the actor walks away, the camera position has changed.

  Where can I see it?

  Jaws uses this technique several times before a shark attack at the beach. The Usual Suspects cuts as a character paces back and forth in front of the camera.

  Walk, Reveal Frame

  COLLAGE

  What does it look like?

  Collage involves composing small, moving images onto the screen. These images usually consist of imagery that enhances a story’s thematic context. The images look as if they were pasted into place, similar to how a collage looks in real life. This is done during the editing process after filming is finished.

  Where can I see it?

  As Frida and her husband tour in Frida, their travels are seen as live action spliced onto postcards.

  In Ed Wood, Ed Wood’s ideas are displayed as Collage elements. In Drugstore Cowboy, various random images float across the screen to simulate Bob’s drug-induced state.

  Collage

  CAMERA SNAP

  What does it look like?

  A Camera Snap gives us a character’s perspective when looking through a camera and taking pictures. At first, we see the world from a distance — through the camera lens. As the character presses a button, a snapping sound is played and the images freeze, as if they had just been captured on film. Shortly after, reality starts moving again and this process continues as long as pictures are taken.

  A variation on this technique is to show a flash effect just before the freeze frame, to simulate the camera’s flash.

  Where can I see it?

  Camera Snap is used in Thelma and Louise, when the two women take a picture of themselves.

  Camera Snap

  PHOTO TO SCENE

  What does it look like?

  When a character has just seen a picture or a photograph of a far-away place, a director can use Photo to Scene for a clever transition, filling the frame with the photograph, and then dissolving to the actual subject of the photograph, shot from approximately the same angle and distance. The abstract representation becomes reality.

  Where can I see it?

  In Sleuth, we first see a painting of an estate, then the frame dissolves to the estate itself.

  At the end of Fletch, the scene dissolves from a photograph of the beach to a live shot from the same angle and distance.

  Photo To Scene

  IMPACT FLASH,

  FLASHED CUT,

  FLASHED JUMP CUT

  What does it look like?

  Impact Flashes look similar to photographic bulbs being flashed. This technique is very popular in commercials and music videos, to add impact to a scene.

  In a Flashed Cut, the camera flashes to white. The film cuts to a different frame during the flash. The flash then dies down, revealing a new image.

  Flashed Jump Cut is the same as a Flashed Cut, but is used specifically to emphasize a jump cut.

  Flashed Cut

  EXERCISES

  • Practice editing techniques Professional editing systems used to cost as much as $100,000 or more. But nowadays, for a couple of grand (or less) you can purchase professional-level editing software for your home Mac or PC. If you don’t have the cash, you might be able to enroll in a local school or college that has a computer lab. If you have access to an editing system, practice all of these different techniques.

  • Edit “in camera.” What this means is that instead of composing the footage in a video editor, you’ll capture the images in sequence on film. This somewhat difficult technique requires that you plan everything ahead of time and that you don’t make any mistakes when shooting.

  • Watch movies and observe the rhythm of the edits. How fast are they? What does the editor cut to? Are there certain patterns? How does the editing affect the scene? Think of ways you might have edited the scene differently and try to visualize what it would have looked like.

  • Write shooting scripts for a small film you want to make. A shooting script lists the shots that will appear on screen when the audience watches the film. Learn to visualize the final product before you spend time, energy, and money to create it.

  MISCELLANEOUS TECHNIQUES

  There are a number of cinematic techniques that don’t fit into a neat package or category, but are still interesting to learn. These “miscellaneous” techniques are included here.

  CINEMATIC REALITY

  What does it look like?

  One of the great things about cinema is that it gives the storyteller a special kind of freedom. Filmmakers can create sequences in films that have no bearing on the reality we know and experience in the world around us.

  Cinematic Reality is the technique of “snapping” the restrictions of merely capturing “real life” or “day-to-day” events. When the filmmaker ignores physics, defies logic, or shakes off cause-and-effect, he can create new and unique cinematic constructs out of images, characters, editing, and story.

  Where can I see it?

  In Everyone Says I Love You, a dancer lifts his partner up into the air. She floats effortlessly, ignoring the laws of gravity. In He Got Game, Denzel Washington plays basketball outside. He throws his ball up in the air, and it “magically” re-appears in the court where his character’s son is practicing indoors. In Shock Corridor, a man imagines a thunderstorm indoors.

  In Oldboy, ants crawl across the character’s face as he goes mad from isolation. The ants aren’t real, they are in his imagination, which we are able to witness. In Running With Scissors, a character in a catatonic state imagines that snow is falling from the ceiling. In The Big Lebowski, the Dude flies over Los Angeles, and falls into a bowling ball in his dreams. At the end of Being There, Chance walks on water. The “how-to-be-macho” tape in In & Out responds to the character’s actions, which is of course impossible.

  In 8 1/2, a character is stuck in traffic. To solve the problem, he simply floats up and away out of the jam.

  Cinematic Reality

  SLOW MOTION,

  FAST MOTION,

  MOTION MIXER

  What does it look like?

  Changing the camera’s filming speed can create surrealistic effects. By filming at more than 24 frames per second, Slow Motion is achieved. Slow Motion extends the length of a shot, adding intensity to a scene. By playing the action out slowly, the audience has more time to savor what is happening. For an alternative aesthetic effect, a different kind of Slow Motion can be achieved by “doubling frames.” That is, every frame in a shot is played twice. This technique looks noticeably different than shooting at more than 24 fps.

  Fast Motion is just the opposite. By filming at less than 24 frames per second, the images onscreen speed up. This is often used for comic effect, or to “fast forward” through a scene. Some directors will change the speed of the camera over time. This results in a scene that alternates between Slow Motion, regular motion, and Fast Motion for an added effect. I call this the Motion Mixer.

  Where can I see it?

  In Harsh Times, Christian Bale’s body jerks back in very Slow Motion as he is shot and killed. In 300, Slow Motion is used repeatedly to draw out shots to make them more like still frames in a comic book.

  Many action movies by directors such
as Sam Peckinpah, John Woo, and Luc Besson add Slow Motion shots to action sequences in order to extend their dramatic impact. John Woo uses Slow Motion in A Better Tomorrow, The Killer, and Face/Off. In El Mariachi, Fast Motion is used when a solo mariachi plays his keyboard.

  In Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet, the Motion Mixer is used. Both Fast Motion and Slow Motion appear in The Color of Money, as the characters play pool. In The Untouchables, Slow Motion intensifies a gunfight between Elliot and the gangsters as a baby’s stroller spins out of control down the stairs. At the end of Bonnie and Clyde, the deaths of the two main characters are filmed partially in Slow Motion.

  IMAGE HARMONY

  What does it look like?

  When a sequence of images express similar ideas or a unifying concept, there is a kind of Image Harmony at work. This technique is useful to create links in the mind of the audience between images that occur at different locations or points in time.

  Image Harmony can be seen within a single frame that has several layers or various images working in synch with each other. This technique might also be used to show a link between two characters. Maybe each wears the same brand of shoes, or a color that matches.

  Where can I see it?

  In Frida, Image Harmony can be seen in the comparison of two images: drops of blood, and ink dripping from a pen. In The Adventures of Baron Munchausen, the baron’s assassin stands watching behind a statue of death.

  In Addicted to Love, the water in a shower stall turns on. The frame then cuts to kids playing in a public fountain. During a confession scene in In Cold Blood, the reflection of a drop of rain from outside creates a “tear” that runs down Perry’s face, indicating his sorrowful state.

  Image Harmony

  IMAGE DISSONANCE

  What does it look like?

  When a sequence of images are presented specifically to contrast with one another, this can be referred to as Image Dissonance.

  Image Dissonance can be used to create a very clear, very sharp distinction between locations, characters, or themes within a film. It may be useful to jolt the audience out of their slumber, or even to alert them to an event in the story.

  Image Dissonance can also be used to show contrast between a character and the world around them.

  Where can I see it?

  In The Red Dwarf, Image Dissonance can be seen when a man’s feet are washed in front of an office of white collar workers.In Mon Oncle, the imagery of a horse-drawn carriage is sharply contrasted with the imagery of a modern construction site.

  In The Naked Kiss we first see a beautiful woman. The character then has her hair ripped off (it’s a wig) to reveal that she’s actually bald. This sudden change in aesthetic condition is an example of Image Dissonance.

  In The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, the sharp angular shapes of the exterior world are contrasted with soft, round shapes inside a woman’s room.

  Image Dissonance

  ICON

  What does it look like?

  An Icon is an object, prop, or piece of costume that becomes so central to the story and to the lives of the characters, that the object itself takes on a life of its own in the mind of the audience. The Icon is, in essence, an object that becomes an “inanimate character” within the film.

  Where can I see it?

  A famous Icon in Swedish cinema is the chessboard in The Seventh Seal. This is the board with which the hero plays chess with death. Candles in Zatoichi films are common Icons, as Zatoichi always has to show off his blind samurai candle-slicing skills. In The Sixth Sense, a red door knob indicates a room that is “forbidden” or “sealed off” from Bruce Willis. Rebecca also features a “forbidden door.” In Stranger Than Fiction, a central Icon of the story is a special watch carried by Harold Crick.

  A giant steel structure links the past and present in Spider. A record player indicates old memories, love, and a familiar song in Out of Africa. In Scarface, a statue of a giant globe with a “The World is Yours” caption is a landmark Icon of American cinema. In Romeo + Juliet, a sign reads “Add Fuel to Your Fire” during a gas station shootout. An Icon is used in 13 Tzameti as a central point of the story. In this film, a bulb that hangs on the ceiling lights up when players are forced to pull the trigger in an underground “game of death.”

  In Wild Strawberries, a stopwatch with no hands indicate that “time has no meaning.” In Miller’s Crossing a unique hat is seen in several scenes: in a forest, on a table, on the stairs. In Carlito’s Way, a recurring sign “Escape to Paradise” indicates the inner emotion and turmoil of the main character.

  A sadistic prison boss is recognized by his iconic walking stick in Cool Hand Luke. In The Towering Inferno, a girl’s plight is represented by a burning doll. In Tightrope, we always recognize a killer by his shoes.

  Icon

  PARTICLES

  What does it look like?

  Particles are a simple technique that can be used to add depth or layering to a scene. Particles are essentially a collection of small objects (balloons, feathers, sparks, etc.). Particles are particularly useful in combination with the Layer technique. Adding Particles to the background or foreground can enhance the action or separate layers visually.

  A Particle System is a CGI-based term that implies that certain objects (flames, clouds, smoke) are actually composed of many smaller Particles (smoke particles, water droplets, etc.). Therefore, even though a cloud looks like a solid object, it can also be considered as a collection of Particles.

  Where can I see it?

  In Romeo + Juliet, a shower of sparks can be seen behind Mercutio when he arrives at the party, and also in the form of fireworks at the beach. In Nights of Cabiria, Cabiria stands under an umbrella. The scene is accentuated by both rain Particles and smoke Particles from her cigarette. In The Virgin Spring, snow Particles fall on a young boy after a violent assault. In King Arthur, smoke and fog are used in abundance during a fight with the Saxons. Smoke is used to obscure the action in Gangs of New York during the final fight. Cash flies out on a runway in The Killing. Leaves fall in The Apartment as Baxter sleeps on a bench. Balloons fly at an inauguration ceremony in Nixon.

  In Silent Mobius, littered paper acts as Particles. A stream of bills fly out of the back of a car in The Castle of Cogliostro. Book pages are scattered in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen during a gunfight. Ice shard Particles are seen in Trigun. Feathers fly out in a factory in Once Upon a Time in America. Flower petals appear in The Slipper and the Rose. A box of matches fly up in Crimewave, as a character slams his fist down. As swordsmen duel on the beach in Zatoichi, drifts of sand kick up at each step.

  The effect of Particles from a shotgun blast to a windshield is seen in The Enforcer.

  Particles

  BIOMASS

  What does it look like?

  Biomass is a unique concept. It may be useful to include within a scene a collection of extras (think of them as humansized particles), animals, birds, or other animate objects that live and breathe.

  Biomass is a useful tool to direct the viewer’s eye, create separation between layers, or even emphasize the loneliness of a character (one man alone in a crowd).

  Where can I see it?

  The Village opens behind a crowd of people who are looking out at a gravesite. In Cast Away, Tom Hanks stands inside an airport terminal, while a crowd of well-wishers wait outside. In Smiles of a Summer Night, a flock of white birds flies up behind the countess. John Woo is famous for using Biomass in his films.It usually involves a character running through a hall and a group of pigeons flying up nearby in slow motion.

  In Hour of the Wolf, there are many pigeons in the baron’s castle. In How Green Was My Valley, coal miners gather to discuss wage reductions. A crowd of angry people chase after a criminal as he’s carried away in The Battle of Algiers.

  A kind of “inanimate” Biomass is seen in Killer’s Kiss, when the main character hides in a mannequin factory. In Lawrence of Arabia, one man remains as
a large crowd filters away. A crowd of people in the background is used to contrast a foreground close-up in White Hunter, Black Heart. In Nevada Smith, a gunfight occurs in and around a herd of penned cattle.

  Biomass

  SPLIT FOCUS

  What does it look like?

  Like our eyes, camera lenses have the ability to focus only on a certain field of objects. We experience this when we try to look at something close. If our eyes do not adjust, the image of the closest object will be blurry. The camera can eliminate this blurriness by pulling focus, causing the foreground objects to gain sharpness and the background objects to become blurred.