Plan for the Shoot
Tuesday, October 23, 2007 Filed in: Weekly Tip
Just dropping a bunch
of cameras at a location will not give you great
coverage. Successful directors know they must plan
out their shots to map out coverage. Here are a few
important things to make sure of:
Like this tip? It comes from the book
Final Cut Studio On the Spot from Focal Press.
- Map Out Coverage: What sort of angles do you need? A two-person interview looks great with three cameras but a concert event might need eight cameras to capture the experience.
- Use a Floor Plan: You’ll need to create a floor plan for your shoot that identifies talent and camera positions. Be sure to plan this out ahead of time and distribute to all of your crew.
- Plan for Lighting: Camera coverage will have a HUGE impact on your lighting strategies. Try to avoid lights getting too far behind cameras and operators; otherwise, you’ll get unwanted shadows on the set.
- Make Sure You Have Enough Power: Eight cameras plus a three-ton grip truck’s worth of lights can put a big drain on a circuit. Make sure you have identified where your power is coming from and that you have enough extension cords/stingers to get you the needed juice.
Like this tip? It comes from the book
Final Cut Studio On the Spot from Focal Press.