Jun192009
Keychain Clapboard
The shot had to start really close on the food buffet, and then pull out for the action of scene.
Sure we could start with the camera on wide angle, use the clapboard, and then reset the camera for that extreme close-up beginning… but all that takes precious film-rolling-thru-the-camera time.
Sure we could tail-slate – using the clapboard upsidedown at the end of the scene; however, if not well-practised, tail slates can be forgotten, providing an editing nightmare… or the camera can be in just as an inaccessible position at the end of the scene as it was at the beginning.
I like what our camera department did… using one of those touristy clapboard keychains, and very small writing – the keychain clapboard was just the right size to fill the frame of the extreme closeup. We saved precious film stock, we got a good “clap” (proportionally that is!), we got the shot.
Who’dve thought those touristy things you buy (like keychains) could actually be used on real film set!
Cheers,
Deb
May222009
Apr102009
Set Delays in a Creative Industry
The things you wait for in this hurry-up-n-wait industry…
Now it may seem “normal” on set to wait for planes to fly overhead when you’re shooting under a flight path (not really sure why you’d shoot there, but there you go)… or perhaps wait for clouds to arrive or pass, depending on the look of the sky you want to achieve. Sure write it all down on the production report as set delays. The funniest one I remember is… waiting for a beard to grow.
We were shooting IMAX 3D and you REALLY can’t fake much in the scale of IMAX, so we had to delay our shooting start date until the Performer grew his beard back for the pick up shots. We’d never be able to match his beard from the previous footage otherwise. Alas. An industry where even the delays are creative!
Cheers & smiles,
Deb