PRE-PRODUCTION • Testing Shot Sizes | Development
During one of my test shoots, I worked with the director to test out different shot sizes that we thought worked best. Using our shot list and storyboard, we tested a specific scene from our script using different shot sizes to see what would look best depending on the scene and the dialogue between the characters.
Scene 1
For scene one, getting the camera placement was the first challenge we had as we had a few different options but each one posed its own issue. The first position we put the camera in allowed for a medium shot, following the character Dean pacing in the front entryway. This shot worked well because it meant Dean's facial expressions were visible and made his dialogue clear. This however limited how much of the background and location could be seen which includes the set design and making the layout of the house clear as there is another character Annie in a connecting room.
Another position we tried the camera in was about a 1.5m to the right and about 45 degrees from the first position. Being in this position allowed me to move the camera further back into the room and get a clear long shot which gave us the detail in the location, made clear where the character was and what they were doing. This angle did mean that as the character was walking away from the character, the back of the back of the character was visible meaning that any dialogue they said was quiet because they weren't facing the camera and we couldn't see their mouths moving which made it seem out of place and like there was another character somewhere else in the house talking as it wasn't clear who was saying what.
After reviewing the footage, we decided that we would start with a wide long shot to establish the location, the set design and what the character is doing and the switch between a medium close up in the character for any specific facial expressions or pieces of dialogue. Due to us filming with a multi-cam set up, this works nicely because we have the option to use two cameras filming Dean, giving us the two different shot sizes which will work better, giving our audience a better understanding of what is happening in the scene as well as continuity wise.
Scene 9
Scene 1
For scene one, getting the camera placement was the first challenge we had as we had a few different options but each one posed its own issue. The first position we put the camera in allowed for a medium shot, following the character Dean pacing in the front entryway. This shot worked well because it meant Dean's facial expressions were visible and made his dialogue clear. This however limited how much of the background and location could be seen which includes the set design and making the layout of the house clear as there is another character Annie in a connecting room.
Another position we tried the camera in was about a 1.5m to the right and about 45 degrees from the first position. Being in this position allowed me to move the camera further back into the room and get a clear long shot which gave us the detail in the location, made clear where the character was and what they were doing. This angle did mean that as the character was walking away from the character, the back of the back of the character was visible meaning that any dialogue they said was quiet because they weren't facing the camera and we couldn't see their mouths moving which made it seem out of place and like there was another character somewhere else in the house talking as it wasn't clear who was saying what.
After reviewing the footage, we decided that we would start with a wide long shot to establish the location, the set design and what the character is doing and the switch between a medium close up in the character for any specific facial expressions or pieces of dialogue. Due to us filming with a multi-cam set up, this works nicely because we have the option to use two cameras filming Dean, giving us the two different shot sizes which will work better, giving our audience a better understanding of what is happening in the scene as well as continuity wise.
Scene 9
In scene 9 we have two female characters Annie and Claire who are sitting in the living room listening to Claire's dramatic stories about her crazy maid of honour. The conversation between the two is quite animated with lots of hand gestures so the 2-shot of them needed to be relatively wide in order to capture all of the hand movements they make. This shot also needed to show the location and set design like in scene 1.
I tested two different shot sizes, a medium close up and a medium long shot. I felt that due to the empty background, it was difficult to judge if the wider shot would be worth it as at this stage in the pre-production, there hadn't been an agreed on a set design for this room. Between these two shots, I suggest the medium long shot as this allows the tissue box (a key prop in this scene) to be seen. Along with this medium long, there are also going to be two close-ups on the two characters, the cameras will be positioned on either side of the wide and cross shoot. Using the medium long shot for the master of this scenes give the sots more variety and makes it more visually interesting.
I tested two different shot sizes, a medium close up and a medium long shot. I felt that due to the empty background, it was difficult to judge if the wider shot would be worth it as at this stage in the pre-production, there hadn't been an agreed on a set design for this room. Between these two shots, I suggest the medium long shot as this allows the tissue box (a key prop in this scene) to be seen. Along with this medium long, there are also going to be two close-ups on the two characters, the cameras will be positioned on either side of the wide and cross shoot. Using the medium long shot for the master of this scenes give the sots more variety and makes it more visually interesting.
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