I. The Producer’s Role

• The actual shooting, also called principal photography, can begin when everything is ready to go:

  • The script has been finalized

  • The actors are rehearsed, made up, and costumed

  • Releases have been signed

  • The sets have been built

  • The crew has been hired

  • The equipment is up to speed

  • All locations are secured

The Producer’s Team:

• A team can be many people or just a few, depending on each project’s size and budget

• Your team often includes:

  • Other producers

  • The production manager

  • Designers

  • Editors

• As the producer, you’ll usually have the final word in the:

  • Decision-making

  • Factoring in suggestions from the production team

  • Client’s notes and requirements

Production Protocol and Politics:

• In almost all television and new media projects, the producer takes an active part in the actual production

• If a director has been hired, the producer makes sure that all the elements are in place so the director can move ahead

• The producer:

  • Keeps everyone focused on their job

  • Knows who is doing what job

  • Stays on top of what needs to get done

  • Clearly communicates everyone’s area of responsibility

• As a producer, you can work closely with your team by:

  • Explaining your ideas and the vision of the project

  • Agreeing on the vision and the creative directions it’s taking

  • Communicating frequently and openly with your team

  • Listening to ideas and suggestions from your team

  • Nourishing your team with praise, food, and enthusiasm

  • Providing a model of collaboration and mutual respect

II. On Set and On Location

Virtual Locations:

• Building the virtual locations starts with a blue screen or a green screen background (also called a chroma key backdrop), or more recently, a silver screen with millions of tiny glass beads that reflect a light ring placed around the camera’s lens. These screens can be hundreds of feet long, or simply 8´×8´ mobile traveling screens that can easily be folded up and transported

• The locations can be built entirely on the computer, and don’t require the shooting of any footage

• Designed and created through computer-generated imagery (CGI) they’re capable of contributing a range of creative images, such as:

  • A futuristic building

  • A vast country landscape dotted with sheep

  • An ancient battleground with thousands of charging warriors

• Virtual locations and CGI wizardry can be seen in a variety of looks and uses in most:

  • Television programs

  • Feature films

  • High-end commercials

  • News broadcasts

  • Sports events

  • Video games

III. The Camera

• Although the use of 16- and 35-mm film is still a presence in television programming, digital video technology is growing at such a rapid rate that the merger of film and video in television has essentially arrived

• The camera operator (also called the shooter) forms a close bond with the camera to compose an image that tells a story and shoots footage that not only looks good but is of high technical quality and can be easily cut together with other footage shot

• Most cameras offer creative options such as:

  • Choices of formats on which to store the footage and audio

  • Lenses

  • In-camera settings

  • Varying shutter and shooting speeds

  • Built-in optical illusions

Shooting with Digital Video:

• In Technicolor, in films from the 1950s, negatives were processed into three separate red, green, and blue negatives. Ordinary film processing used only one negative with no color separation in the negatives, but the Technicolor prints made from the three-strip process had vivid, memorable color and resonance

• Now, in much the same way, a mid-to high-range video camera separates the light that hits the lens into three components of color: red, green, and blue (RGB). These three-chip cameras have three separate charge-coupled devices (CCDs) that produce a sharper, higher quality color picture, essentially three times better picture quality than single-chip, lower-end cameras

• Most popular digital cameras capture images using these CCD sensors. However, an increasing number of high-end television and film projects are being shot with cameras that rely on CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) sensors, a more sophisticated version of CCD sensors

Digital Storage:

• Often, the videotape is fed via a system like a FireWire or USB 2.0 directly onto the computer’s hard drive

• How you get the video into your editing system is as important as how you shoot it

• Each image with its audio is processed as an electrical signal that can be recorded onto a storage medium like:

  • Digital videotape

  • P2 memory cards

  • A hard drive device (HHD)

  • A flash memory

Shooting High-Definition Video:

• In America, the majority of prime-time programming is regularly broadcast in HD, as are many local and national sports specials and events

• Compared to the traditional U.S. analog system that broadcasts NTSC programming in 525 horizontal lines, an HD image has either 720 or 1080 lines, depending on the specific HD format. This difference results in a higher resolution and a clearer picture.

• Increasingly, many cameras are equipped to shoot in HD as well as standard definition, 24p, and other formats like 2K, 4K, and 6K scans

• HD has been heralded as a revolution because it can “see” better than the human eye with its:

  • Depth of field

  • Brilliance of color

  • Image clarity

HDTV Systems:

• Currently, at least 18 versions of HDTV are used in various parts of the world. Two, however, have emerged as the most popular: 720p and 1080i. There are arguments for each system, though HD sets display both equally well in a widescreen 16:9 format

• The 16:9 format TV set is sold almost exclusively now, and the majority of television-bound programming is shot in 16:9, not 4:3

• 720p.:

  • 1280 pixels per line and 720 progressively-scanned lines

  • Works well for broadcast, though it’s usually not recommended for a project that may be transferred later to film, or projected on a large screen

• 1080i.:

  • 1920 pixels per line and 1080 actively-interlaced lines of resolution

  • Best used when the final product calls for a “reality” aspect, which looks as if the viewer is seeing it live, in vivid sharp detail

Shooting in 24p Video:

• When you shoot in 24p (24 frames per second, progressive scan), the process involves a video that runs at 24 fps, the same rate as film, with an intermittent flash of black in every frame cycle

• Because it can be shot in both standard and high definition, it’s a popular format for shooting, especially for producers who might want the option of transferring their project to 35-mm film for projection purposes

• The majority of producers, editors and technical experts agree that most projects should be finished in HD with a 24p 16:9 master

Choosing Your Camera:

Budget-Conscious Cameras:

• These cameras tend to be reasonably priced (anywhere from $1,000 to $9,000) and work perfectly fine for most productions

• Camera operators want a camera with functions such as:

  • Manual focus

  • Manual aperture and shutter speed control

  • An LCD monitor that folds out

  • Control over the white balance function

  • The capacity to accommodate an external mic

• Digital cameras can now digitally record both the image and the audio in a variety of formats and the most popular formats include:

  • Hard-disk drive

  • Flash memory card

  • Mini-DV tape

  • DVD disk

High-End Cameras for Digital Cinematography:

• This is a category of more expensive and complex cameras, generally focused on independent films and specific television programs with an accommodating budget and other needs beyond the parameters of usual television and new media programming

• These cameras tend to have a single-chip CMOS sensor, a successor to the CCD image sensors in most digital cameras. This allows the camera to duplicate the shallow depth of field and overall look of 35mm, and with some cameras, shoot in 65mm

• The majority of these cameras can accommodate professional film camera mounts and lenses

• Most capture images and audio onto:

  • Tape

  • Hard disks

  • Flash memory

• At the moment, the cameras most prominent in this growing area of digital cinematography are:

  • Arri’s Arriflex D-20

  • Dalsa Origin

  • GS Vitec noX

  • Panavision’s Genesis and Varicam

  • Silicon Imaging’s SI-2K

  • Sony’s F23 CineAlta

  • Red’s Red One and Scarlet

  • Thomson Viper FilmStream

  • Vision Research Phantom 65 and Phantom HD

Studio Cameras:

• When shooting a talk show or news broadcast larger DigiBeta cameras are the traditional camera of choice

• Most are mounted on moving balanced pedestals that keep the camera stationary; these pedestals can glide smoothly around a limited set, with a feature that can tilt the camera up or down

• Most studio-based productions require three to six pedestal cameras, as well as one or two cameras mounted on a swooping jib, or crane, that can fly over the audience and onto the set

• Some productions might augment the DigiBeta cameras with a hand-held camera that moves freely; all the cameras are directed by the director from within the control room

• Microphones are suspended at regular distances over the audience for their reactions, like laughter and applause

• In a typical multicamera studio shoot, the footage from each camera, as well as the audio from the talent and audience microphones, are all fed into a central control room that is close to the set (or fed to a mobile truck with its own control room). In the central control room, the director, producers, technical director, audio mixer, and graphics person all watch each incoming camera feed on its designated monitor

• As the crew in the control room records the footage, it is generally edited live. This process is called live-to-tape, and it’s how most studio shows are produced. Any additional editing changes can be made later or, it’s all recorded to tape and edited at another time

Time Code:

• When you’re shooting video professionally, the camera “burns” a time code (TC) signal onto the videotape (or whatever format you’re recording onto) and assigns each frame a specific number

• Working with time code is an integral tool for the editor as part of the editing process. It makes the editing frame accurate and exact

• TC is a valuable tool for producers when screening and logging footage prior to the edit session

• The time code is broken into four sections. If, for example, the time code number is 07:02:45:17, then:

  • 07 is the hour

  • 02 is the minutes

  • 45 is the seconds

  • 17 is the exact frame number (there are 30 frames per second); these last two numbers aren’t necessary when taking most notes, only in editing when frame accuracy is necessary

Taking Notes with Time Code:

• To screen your footage, it must first be dubbed to DVD with the TC displayed visually on the top or bottom of the screen; this is called visible time code, or vizcode. The TC is exactly the same as on your original footage and is known as the matching time code. As you screen the dubs, you’ll make notes using TC as your reference points

• As you screen each tape, you’ll want to take good notes of what you see and hear; this is called logging

• As you watch each tape from start to finish, log the TC that describes specific parts of the footage

• From these notes, you can create a paper cut (storyboard) for editing. It shows the:

  • TC numbers

  • Scene descriptions

  • Length of scene

  • Which tape each scene is on

Setting Camera Time Code:

• On a shoot, there are two ways to set and record TC in the camera:

  • A studio multicamera shoot:

    • All the cameras are linked to the “house” TC generator. This sends out a time-of-day time code (TC that records the actual time of day) to all cameras and tape machines, simultaneously, and is located in the control room on the engineering console. This way, the tapes from each camera can be “synced up” (synchronized) in the editing room

    • This system is helpful in organizing notes based on the chronology of events that occurred during the shoot

    • It simplifies the editing, making it easier for the editor to match up each camera’s footage simultaneously

    • Not all cameras can take in outside time code, especially low-budget DV cams, so one way to achieve some form of sync, once you’ve turned all your cameras on, is to keep them all running together. Turn them on and off together on the count of three

  • A single-camera shoot:

    • An internal TC generator can be set inside the camera itself

    • Producers usually start Tape 1 at Hour #1 (01:00:00:00), Tape 2 at Hour #2 (02:00:00:00), and so on. Because there are only 24 hours in a video day, TC numbers beyond 23:59:59:29 don’t exist. However, Tape 24 can be set at 00:00: 00:00 and Tape 25 at 01:00:00:00, and so on

    • This system helps in logging and screening footage for the edit session later

Capturing the Image:

• Prior to the shooting, the producer, director, and/or the DP discuss the creative and technical options for shooting each scene. Their decisions work with the narrative flow, affect the style and pace of the program, and ultimately will guide how a viewer sees a storyline or character

• When planning a shot, the primary factors that play into capturing the image in the shoot include:

  • Framing and composition:

    • The primary concept of framing a shot involves shooting an image, as well as everything that surrounds or affects the image

    • Composition is the relationship of objects to each other in the frame, or to the shape of the subject being shot

    • Colors, lighting, scenery, props, and camera blocking all contribute to a scene’s composition

    • This total effect is known as mise-en-scene or the setting up of a scene

    • Another important aspect of framing concerns whether your project will be shot and/or viewed in either a 4:3 format or 16:9

  • Camera angles:

    • Each time the camera moves, and every angle at which the camera is placed relative to what it’s shooting, creates a different effect, both visually and thematically

    • The height of the camera’s position determines the viewpoint of the character and gives the viewer a sense of theme and direction

    • The position of the camera needs to correspond to the character’s eyeliner, usually in the top third of the frame. The viewer should be able to follow what the actor sees to the actor’s eyes. This guarantees that the eye-lines from one character to another match up in editing

  • Camera moves:

    • Your camera can be a flexible tool for capturing the subtleties of an image or the flow of action

    • A camera can maintain the same eye-line, and tilt down (giving the impression of the subject looking toward the ground) or tilt up (suggesting that the subject is looking toward the sky)

    • The Dutch (or canted) angle is often used in reality shows and interviews, the camera is rotated so that the image itself appears at an angle and creates a sense of intimacy or tension

    • The camera swivels on the tripod or on its axis to form an arc from right to left or left to right. A pan is smooth and even-paced. A swish pan moves faster and can be effective in action sequences or as transitions in editing

    • The tracking shot, also known as a traveling shot, pulls the viewer into the action by using a camera mounted on a dolly that moves either on tracks or on special shock-resistant wheels alongside a moving subject

    • The camera lens - in a zoom-in - moves smoothly into a close-up of a person or object. A zoom-out starts close and moves back

  • Camera lenses:

    • In some cases, a wide-angle lens can add a more spacious feeling to a shot, whereas a fish-eye lens creates a subtle distortion that can be interesting when shooting buildings or interiors that are otherwise mediocre. A close-up lens can give a clear focus on a small object

    • Other lenses can add diffusion or hues of color

  • Camera shot list:

    • Prior to the shoot itself, a shot list is created and distributed

    • This is an inventory of each shot needed to be shot for a specific sequence or scene and uses specific terms for each camera angle

• The perspective of a shot can convey dramatic tension or character motivation when the viewer knows from whose perspective the story is being told:

  • Objective perspective:

    • Captures the viewpoint of an unseen narrator or storyteller who is an onlooker, and views the characters from a third-person viewpoint

    • The shot is often a wider, more distant shot or a two-shot

  • Subjective perspective:

    • Tells a story from a character’s first-person point of view

    • The shot is closer or tighter, such as a close-up or an over-the-shoulder shot

IV. Lighting

• Lighting is an essential tool for painting and enhancing video image

• The subtle use of light creates:

  • Atmosphere

  • Mood

  • Dimension

  • Texture

• It can help to:

  • Convey a plot line

  • Enhance key elements such as set color or skin tone

  • Signal the difference between comedy and drama, reality and fantasy

Hard versus Soft:

• Hard light:

  • Aimed directly at its subject, with a brighter single-source illumination

  • The sun is one example

  • Another hard light is:

    • Incandescent

    • Ellipsoidal

    • Quartz

• Soft light:

  • Diffused, created with less intense lamps that reflect or bounce light off a reflector, a ceiling, or another part of the set

  • Soft lighting effects are enhanced with:

    • Scrims

    • Strips

    • Scoops

    • Banks

Three-Point:

• Production lighting involves three major lights and their positions in relation to each other (three-point lighting):

  • Key light:

    • A powerful, bright light that best defines a primary, key, person, or object, creating a deep shadow

    • It is positioned at roughly a 45-degree angle to the subject being shot

  • Fill light(s):

    • Softer light is placed at an angle to “fill” any unwanted shadows created by the key light, at about half the key’s intensity

    • It is usually placed opposite the key light at about a 30-degree angle

  • Backlight(s):

    • Throwing light on the subject from behind, it’s positioned behind at around a 90-degree angle; it can also be adjusted higher or lower to create other lighting moods

    • This helps to create an illusion of depth behind the main subject and brings it forward from the background

High-Key versus Low-Key Lighting:

• Most TV talk shows, sitcoms, variety shows, musicals, and family entertainment use high-key lighting: a high ratio of key light to fill light

• Low-key lighting creates a more dramatic, moody, and textured effect for dramas, documentaries, music videos, and others

Hot and Cold Lighting:

• Daylight (outdoor):

  • The most powerful and brightest light

  • The daylight is hot and produces a blue tone in the video

• Artificial (indoor):

  • Considered cold

  • In the video, it creates a reddish-yellow cast

Interior and Exterior Lighting:

• Both interior and exterior lighting can be adjusted by using reflectors (also called bounce cards). These are glossy, white lightweight cards in various sizes that reflect light onto an object or actor

• Large silks (squares of translucent material) can be strategically hung and positioned to filter the sunlight and maintain lighting consistency

• In some cases, a light-filtering paper gel called neutral density (ND) is placed onto windows to keep outside light from being too harsh; in other situations, thick dark velvet curtain material blocks out sunlight entirely

• When shooting in the video, certain colors or patterns can result in unwanted visuals; they require either careful lighting or avoiding entirely:

  • Stripes:

    • A striped shirt, for example, can create a wavy effect on the video, known as a moiré pattern

  • Red:

    • Certain bright shades of red can “bleed” and morph into other objects nearby

  • White:

    • Too much white can overpower a scene and “blow it out”

  • Blues and greens:

    • Some shades can blend together and become invisible

    • Don’t dress your on-camera talent in blue, green, or silver if you’re using blue, green, or silver screens in the background for any special effects you may be considering

• Exterior lighting:

  • Outdoor shooting can pose real challenges. Along with the sun’s continual movement, its degrees of brightness can fluctuate dramatically through the shooting day

  • When the sun is your key light, it might need to be partially blocked out or augmented by fill lights or backlights

  • An exterior set can be shot at night but lit to look like daylight or vice versa

• Interior lighting:

  • Shooting interior (indoor) scenes pose fewer challenges as video cameras and shooting formats become more advanced and light-sensitive

V. Audio

• The nuance of sound has a profound, if often unconscious, effect on an audience

• The careful recording of audio during production, as well as clever mixing in postproduction, can make a visceral impact on the project

• What a viewer hears has a definitive influence on what they see

• Sound design is a genuine collaboration between the audio recorded on a location and the extra layers of sound that are added and enhanced in postproduction

Sound Design:

• Dialogue:

  • Conversation between the main characters in a scene

• Background or ambiance:

  • Muted conversations of extras in the background

  • Barking dogs

  • Sirens

  • Playing children

• Sound effects:

  • Narrative information, like a ringing phone or an angry shout

• Added audio:

  • More thematic information, like a musical theme or a “sting”

The Four Major Elements in Audio:

• The microphone (or mic):

  • Directional mic:

    • Aimed directly at its subject

    • Captures only the subject’s audio with as few other background sounds as possible

    • This mic is often a cardioid microphone (so named because of its heart shape) and records dialogue clearly

  • Shotgun mic:

    • Mounted either directly on the camera, at the end of a boom, or mounted in a pistol-grip rig

    • It has a selective pick-up pattern that primarily records the sound in front of the mic

    • It can be as far as five feet away from the source of the sound and still get clean audio

    • A valuable add-on is a fuzzy windscreen around the mic that reduces most wind or breeze interferences

  • Lavalier (lav):

    • Clips onto a collar or tie, and picks up dialogue close to the speaker’s mouth, isolating it from other audio

    • A lav also solves the problem of seeing a boom or its shadow in the frame

    • It can either be hard-wired and connected by cable to the camera or sound recording device, or it can be wireless and powered by a bodypack transmitter worn under clothing

  • Omnidirectional mic:

    • Sensitive to sound from any direction and source

    • It records dialogue and also captures all background sounds

    • This mic works best for recording man-on-the-street interviews and for dialogue where any ambient sound is required

  • Handheld mic:

    • In interview situations, it’s the most dependable mic because it requires sound pressure only from the person who’s speaking into it

    • A hand-held mic can be either directional or Omni and can be hard-wired or wireless

  • Prop mic:

    • When it isn’t feasible to use a boom or lav, the audio crew conceals a microphone in a prop or on set furniture to hide it from the camera

    • A mic can disappear inside a plant or a book that’s close to the dialogue, be taped under a table, or draped inside a curtain

• The acoustics of the location:

  • The quality of the recorded sound is controlled to a great extent by the microphones used to capture them

  • Another important factor in recording sound is the acoustical setup of the location

  • Sound waves are like fluid impressions. They can be muffled by surfaces that are soft and spongy such as rugs, furniture, clothing, curtains, and even human bodies. Sound bouncing and deflecting off surfaces that are hard and reflective, like glass, tile, or vinyl floors, mirrors, and low ceilings, creates echoes or distortion

  • As the producer, you may choose the controlled environment of a sound stage or studio, avoiding unwanted noises. Or, you may want a buzzing, busy background ambiance

• Audio recording formats:

  • In the case of a multicamera shoot, the audio from each camera usually is fed directly to a videotape recorder (VTR)

  • The audio engineer monitors the levels and sound from each microphone onto separate channels for mixing later in postproduction

  • Because you want professional, broadcast-quality sound, most videotape formats come with four separate audio tracks or channels. It is possible to assign microphones to each channel

  • In shooting most video formats, the audio goes through a single system, where the sound is recorded directly onto the:

    • Videotape

    • Memory card

    • Hard drive

    • Another storage mechanism

• The perspective of the audio:

  • In the same way that an image is shot from a visual perspective, dialogue and ambient sound are recorded with an audio perspective in mind

  • It’s not always possible to record sound that has the same perspective as the footage

Recording Production Sound:

• If an unwanted sound creeps in, or the dialogue changes after the footage have been shot, most production sound can be rerecorded later in the postproduction stage

• Audio that is recorded during production on a sound stage or at a location is known as production sound and refers to:

  • All scripted dialogue

  • Ambient sound

  • Background noise

Portable Recording:

• Sometimes in addition to recording audio onto videotape with sync sound, you may also need to record audio independently and mix it with other audio elements in post-production

Digital Recording:

• Today’s most popular digital audio recording formats are MP3 24-bit recorders that record onto Secure Digital (SD) cards and can import and export via USB ports into the computer

• The device has both a built-in mic and can accommodate an external mic as well. It’s able to monitor the audio levels and has a time code reference

• In shooting digitally, the audio engineer cautiously monitors any digital distortion caused by audio that may be recorded too hot on the meter, because it’s generally unfixable and useless

• Loud sounds or high-pitched dialogue can peak the meter in the camera or in the digital recording device, so whenever possible they test the audio before the shoot and won’t allow the meter set to go over zero. They usually set the audio at –12 dB and even –20 dB, and are careful never to let the audio levels hit the top of the meter. They also listen to the camera’s audio over the headsets before the actual shoot starts and wear them throughout the shoot

The Challenges of Recording Sound:

• Obstructions:

  • Jewelry or clothing can rub or click against a clip-on lav

• Boom pole:

  • Boom poles vary in length (from a few feet to 18′) and in structure

  • They need to reach long but be lightweight so the boom operator doesn’t tire out

  • Often the actual handling noise of the pole itself can create audio interference

• Lights:

  • Neon or fluorescent lights that are barely audible to the ear can cause a noticeable buzz on the audio track

• Appliances:

  • Certain set pieces or existing appliances on location create their own sounds

• Motors:

  • Your location might be near a busy street or under an air traffic pattern

• Weather:

  • Thunder, the rustling of the wind, and even a faint breeze can be a detriment in recording clean dialogue

• Neighbors:

  • A school playground, a lumber yard, an auto repair shop, or a house with a lawnmower can create interfering noises

• Construction:

  • Incessant reverberations from jackhammers or saws can travel into a location or a studio, even from a distance

• Nature:

  • Barking dogs, crickets, cicadas, blue jays, and robins - each can be a nuisance, or exactly what you need to create an added dimension of reality

• Batteries:

  • If the battery power on a mic’s body pack goes out, you’ve lost your sound

  • Plan ahead with an adequate supply of charged batteries

Some Sound Advice:

• Your ultimate objective is to record and mix your audio elements so seamlessly that when you listen to it with your eyes closed, you hear no audio cuts or changes in levels. Any audio transitions from one scene to another should be equally smooth

• Record sound effects and ambiance separately:

  • If two characters are walking and talking as they pass an outdoor café, the sound is around them, everywhere: the clinking of glasses, passing conversations, church bells, and fluttering pigeons. Whenever possible, record each of these sounds separately. In the audio mix, each is blended with the dialogue to create an overall audio impression

• Record room tone:

  • Room tone refers to the subtle, nearly inaudible sounds that are unique to each and every set or location

  • At either the beginning or end of each camera setup or at the completion of a scene, while the entire cast and crew, and equipment are still on set, the audio crew asks for complete silence and records 60 seconds of the sound in the room

  • In the audio mix, this room tone can fill in gaps in the dialogue or effects

• Keep continuity:

  • Just as a script supervisor maintains visual continuity in a shoot, there is a definite continuity in recording audio, too

  • The audio levels between actors in a scene, for example, need to be constant and unvarying in volume

  • Any background or ambient sound is measured for consistency of levels so they don’t interfere with the dialogue

  • When a camera angle changes, its accompanying audio might also be different

• Rehearse and re-rehearse:

  • There is a real difference between setting up audio for one shot in which both actors are walking and talking on the street, and a shot on a set where they’re sitting quietly on a couch. Carefully consider how you can record the audio that fits with the visual camera angles and perspectives for each scene

• Keep an audio log. One person on the audio production crew has the job of keeping track of what is recorded on a set or location, including dialogue, ambient sounds, and special effects. This audio log, or sound report, lists details that are pertinent to the audio mix in postproduction such as the tape number with time code numbers (in and out points), the scene number, and the take number with a short description of what’s been recorded

• Keep your cool:

  • A lot of details are involved in recording good clean sound

  • The best place to learn is on the job, so get familiar with the tools of the audio trade, and keep your focus

  • Troubleshooting comes with the territory, and so does keeping your cool, all the time

VI. The Actual Shoot

Arrival of Cast and Crew:

• Based on their call times, crew members arrive on the set or location. Usually, the production department arranges for the transportation department to gather equipment, vehicles, set pieces, and other production materials to be delivered and unloaded early in the shooting day. The actors and talent arrive for wardrobe, hair and makeup, and any time-consuming special effects. Everyone’s call time is given to them the night before in the call sheet, or by a phone call, email, or text message from the production department, by either the production manager or the AD

Wardrobe, Hair, and Makeup:

• Actors and talent usually need hair, makeup, and/or wardrobe before they’re ready to appear in their scene

• The wardrobe, hair, and makeup people stay close to the set for any last-minute extra touch-ups

Dressing the Set or Location:

• The art director and his crew dress, or prepare, the set or location for the shoot

• This can include:

  • Finishing touches on the set pieces

  • Adding furnishings, props, or greenery

  • Moving pieces around to accommodate the action or movements of the characters

Craft Services:

• The craft services crew have set up and are serving food at least a half hour before the overall call time, and assembled set up a table for coffee, tea, water, meals, and/ or snacks for the cast and crew that is close to the shoot

• They also serve at least one healthy meal a day or every six hours, depending on contractual agreements and the budget

Blocking for the Camera:

• They plan the placement of the cameras, lights, and audio equipment in a process called blocking the scene

• The producer, director, DP, and/or gaffer:

  • Survey the set or location

  • Review their storyboards

  • Map out the day’s shoot

Blocking the Actors:

• Once the camera movements are decided, the scene is rehearsed for the cameras and lights

• Often a stand-in takes the place of an actor in the blocking

• Any places for the actors are marked on the floor with masking tape

Lighting the Set:

• Properly and thoughtfully lighting a set or location takes time

• If a stand-in doubles for an actor, the crew can experiment with the lights while the actual actor is in makeup or rehearsal

• Depending on the size of the crew, the DP and the gaffer:

  • Set the lights

  • Replace bulbs

  • Try different scrims and gels

  • Find various angles that work best

Audio Setup:

• The audio may need muffling with heavy sound blankets or acoustical equipment

• Any mic cables are kept away from electrical cables or wires to prevent interference

• If a separate sound mixer is used, it’s kept in an area where the audio engineer can monitor the different levels of audio coming from each microphone and keep them all in balance

• Any boom shots can be rehearsed with the camera operator so the boom or mic shadows won’t enter the camera’s frame

• All microphones and recording devices are:

  • Set up

  • Tested

  • Rehearsed

Rehearsing the Actors:

• Whenever possible, the director or producer rehearses the actors on the set where they will be shooting

• The on-set rehearsal gives the talent a chance to loosen up in the shooting environment and get familiar with the script

• Sometimes the rehearsal takes place in another area away from the set, which allows the actors to concentrate

Rehearsing and Blocking the Extras:

• Any people in the background (called extras or atmosphere) must be rehearsed and blocked, just like the main actors

• A member of the crew, usually the AD, works closely with the extras in rehearsing movements

• The extras are directed not to look into or at the camera, and generally only pretend to talk or laugh; usually, they’re told to move their lips in complete silence

• Their audio is recorded later and added to the final mix

The Technical Run-Through:

• This final rehearsal checks for technical details of the action being shot

• If you’re shooting in a location, cover anything that could be damaged with plastic tarps or moving blankets

• Someone is assigned to take careful notes and photographs of each object in its original place so everything can be put back exactly where it was, after the shoot

Security:

• On any location, there are items of major value that can tempt hit-and-run thieves. Even on busy sets with people everywhere, things get stolen all the time. Hire a security company, or assign crew members like PAs and interns, to keep a constant watch on whatever you don’t want to be stolen or damaged. Insurance doesn’t cover everything

• When someone is assigned to be on “fire watch,” they’re responsible for intently watching the back of the truck(s), and allowing only authorized personnel to come and go

Shooting Publicity Stills:

• Often, a still photographer is hired to take publicity photographs that can be important to a publicity campaign as well as for archiving the production

• The photos can be taken during the technical rehearsal, or, if the photographer uses a camera with a silent shutter, during the shoot itself

• A professional still photographer knows how to get great shots without being obtrusive

Lights. Camera. Action!:

• Slates:

  • Some video and film productions use a slate, or a clapboard, which is held in front of the camera each time it rolls

  • Other video productions might use a smart slate, which matches the camera’s time code with the audio

  • Like a small chalkboard, relevant details are chalked on it:

    • The project’s title

    • The names of the producer and director

    • What camera(s) is in use

    • The scene number, take number, and date

• Takes:

  • With few exceptions, a scene is shot several times before it feels right to the producer or director; each attempt is called a take

  • Additional takes can cover problems up, so often a seasoned producer may call for a final take for safety, as a contingency

  • Each shot in each scene has been planned out with its own camera and lighting angle and often its own lens

  • Each shot is assigned a description and a specific number on the shot list and production schedule

  • Every time the scene is shot - from “action” to “cut” - it is given a new take number

• Shot coverage:

  • Every shot requires a new setup, usually with new lighting and different camera angles

  • Establishing shot:

    • Also called a master shot, it establishes the scene and what’s going on in it

    • It is a wider shot of the whole scene that shows its action, the actors’ movements, and their relationships with each other

  • Close-up:

    • A tight shot, usually of an actor’s face or an object

    • It is revealing and intimate and shows more crucial detail

  • Single:

    • A shot of one actor, in close-up, medium shot, or wide shot

    • When editing from one single shot to another, pay attention to the continuity of the eye-line

  • Two-shot:

    • A scene with two actors in the frame

    • Three- and four-shots have three and four actors in the frame, respectively, and are useful for variation and cutaways

  • Over-the-shoulder:

    • The camera is placed just behind the shoulder of one person and focuses on the person they are facing

    • That person’s face is in the frame along with a portion of the listener’s shoulder

    • This shot brings the audience closer to the characters and varies the cutting

  • Insert:

    • A shot, usually a close-up, reveals an important and relevant detail in a scene

• Video monitor:

  • It is vital to have a video monitor on the set

  • Connected by cable to the camera(s), the monitor shows what the camera sees as it’s being shot

  • This can be especially important when shooting HD. The camera operator might not see something on the camera’s small viewfinder but can catch it on the larger monitor

  • It’s an instant playback of what was just shot

• Audio:

  • Often the sound engineer may hear a problem with their headphones, nonetheless, they will let the scene finish, and not interrupt the take

  • After the director calls “cut,” they’ll tell the director about the problem

  • Some of the take may still be useable, and production protocol states that it’s only the director’s call to stop shooting

• Continuity:

  • The script supervisor is a constant presence on the set, they check to make sure that each shot can match up with the shot that comes before and after it, in the script and in editing

  • Because most projects are shot out of sequence, the script supervisor’s notes are a major time-saver for the editor and audio mixer

  • Continuity notes generally include:

    • The shot number and description

    • The camera and lens used

    • The length of the shot itself

    • Comments on the action in the shot

    • Comments or notes from the director, producer, DP/camera crew, and/or sound mixer

• Cover shots:

  • Even the most experienced producers and directors will finish their shoot and go into the editing room, only to realize they’re missing an important shot. During production, the script supervisor can avoid this problem by suggesting cover shots, or additional footage

• Audio pickups:

  • Often there is additional audio that needs to be rerecorded. It is easier, in the long run, to record it right away. If you wait, the actor may have left the project, or the ambient sounds like heavy traffic or children at play may no longer exist

  • Before a scene wraps and sets up somewhere else, the audio engineer asks everyone to say nothing and hold totally still. Then, they record at least 30 seconds of “room tone,” which captures the unique sounds that live in each room or location. That room tone comes in handy during postproduction, filling occasional holes in mixing dialogue and other soundtracks from that scene

The Equipment Breakdown and Location Wrap:

• The crew breaks down, or disassembles, all the lights, cameras, audio equipment, and whatever else is not needed for the next day’s shoot is packed away

• On location shoots, the crew removes all tarps, protective coverings, garbage, equipment, and whatever else remains, and puts items back in their original positions, thoroughly clearing out the location

• With all this accomplished, the shooting day is over

Summary

• The shots must match visually, and the audio must have continuity

• Together, they combine to create a narrative flow or storyline, regardless of the show’s genre or the delivery system

Review Questions:

1. Name five leadership qualities a producer brings into the production process. Describe how each one impacts the project

2. Discuss the advantages of using a virtual location over a sound stage or location. Create a brief story idea in which virtual locations and backdrops are a key feature

3. Describe the concept of matching eye-lines or draw an example

4. Draw a simple sketch of a scene, demonstrating three-point lighting

5. Describe the microphone options available for recording production sound. Pose a situation in which each mic is put to its most efficient use

6. What are the typical problems you might run into in recording usable audio in an exterior location? In a sound stage? How could you solve these problems?

7. What are the strategies you would find valuable to make the audio recording process easier?

8. Describe the role of the script supervisor and the importance of this job during production