X

slip by you, the rest will resurface in no time at all. In his view then, to shoot on location involves a full package of techniques that includes abandoning the script once you are shooting, not allowing makeup for the actors, permitting very little artificial lighting, etc. Such filmmaking, needless to say, keeps you on your toes: you must adjust the screenplay to reflect the changes experienced by the actors/characters as they confront the resistance of the real world, and you must be able to move quickly. You shoot fast and you go. You are always on the move. Contrary to general belief, to shoot in a studio or on location is not a mere matter of choice. The decision can reflect one's philosophy. More than questions of convenience or budget, one shoots in the former to avoid contamination by the real world, in the latter when one embraces it.
IV
Whether on a set or location, there are different ways of shooting a film. Each approach carries specific baggage advantages and inconveniences that one must be aware of. These methods, however, should not be viewed as exclusive of one another and it is perfectly all right to take a little of one and a little of another. The best approach is to stay flexible and do what works for you. Let us imagine a crowded auditorium. A man enters, looks around, locates a friend; he then goes and sits next to her. A conversation follows. To start with, the director has to decide on the kind of room and get the right people to fill it. Actors have been selected to play the parts and lighting is built up so as to duplicate the kind normally found in large meeting halls. In the coverage method, which we will look at first, a master is shot as well as a series of closer shots covering the key moments of the scene. This can be accomplished by simultaneous shooting by several cameras equipped with different lenses. 9 In this case, either the close-up cameras stay far back with longer lenses or they "are 'blinded' behind convenient pieces of scenery" placed somewhere in the shot.10 Almost from the start, the limitations of this approach became clear to all. It was felt that the close-up lacked clarity, expressing nothing new, showing only what had already been observed in the master. In the words of a critic, "nothing is carried forward."11 The scene was felt to stagnate dramatically.
The other coverage approach asking the actors to keep repeating their performance to satisfy the multiple angles was no panacea either

 



Film Production Theory2000
Film Production Theory2000
ISBN: N/A
EAN: N/A
Year: 2004
Pages: 126

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