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Creating the Shots

Lesson 15 from: The Lone Wolf Filmmaker

Bill Megalos

Creating the Shots

Lesson 15 from: The Lone Wolf Filmmaker

Bill Megalos

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Lesson Info

15. Creating the Shots

Lesson Info

Creating the Shots

So who wants to start that's the first scene I'll start the first scene will start like that and so we should kind of remember so yeah I mean I think again if we're talking about slow disclosure reveal what we'd want to do is you want to get a shot so that she comes over here and we don't see the city right away and then she walks past us and we see the city and maybe we stay right here on this so that you feature the plants and you feature the city let her leave frame and then we can cut to her already getting ready to go to work okay, first thing we're gonna have to deal with here is the fact that that's dark on dh that's bright right so so but we want a shot that has both um hold on a sec we want a shot as both um so what we what we really want to do is we want to find the right exposure that that's not too bright and that's not too dark we know she's in there okay, now we do want her to walk past us so if you're over here it's gonna be really hard for her to get past so maybe come ...

back a little to give her a place to be able to walk fast, okay? All right, so is that the right exposure? No, no let's go into any one and see what was going to nd to yeah that'll work that that this let's see what happens over there come over here and let's look on here waken still see what's happening here so pan over to your right pant on the right yeah the city looks pretty good there that looks like a pretty good exposure it's a touch bright but at least but but but we can handle the dark side of it go band back to your left ok ok now that panic to uh well you're gonna be using the panning with hurt your used letting her carrie ok right she's revealing the city to you I'm just right ceasar and they're following her now remember we're going to pan to the right so you want to lead on the right so you really want to start this here you want to start with the left edge over here so she can cross the frame okay and here we go coming out here she's walking she's walking here and as she walks in front of you you pan with her and you stay on the city does that work yeah all right did anybody else watch it did you like it you look good it was it wasn't spoken so much it was more like well yeah well designed with the same time okay you know zoom zooming knows don't gild the lily here you want a title I think that's pretty good I mean the tighter the tighter you make it the harder it's gonna jerking gonna look on the worst and jessica's not gonna think that much you she's gonna mention it again okay and what this is not your there's no way you can make a good handheld move like this no way no way because the camera you're not really cause supporting the camera like this put it on your shoulder here try this where you really were you own the camera uh all right like this and then you can even what you can do is you can set your bodies for where you end and then wow this is is that really no it's cap right again didn't it yeah yeah this is your exposure okay that's your exposure okay so that should bets a little it's a that's four alright just between a spoon is for in the third all right so look so like this she comes through you're just steady your study and then once she's in she goes out of focus it's no big deal don't worry about it is gonna be leaving frank all right okay all right here we go you ready get in my place yes places please do you remember what you have on which side okay because you're gonna be doing this more than once and I can close the door for you and then you can just kind of kick it it's not really close and he just edges were gonna yell action! Okay, are you ready? Action. Okay, let's, try that again. You don't have you have too much headroom on her there's too much top of the lens was a booze it up here about okay? And just try try holding your body so that you're you're counting you're comfortable with the end of the frame if you're comfortable with the end of it what? We're not coming that far you're only gonna come here, right? You're gonna let her leave, frank, if you comfortable with the end of it, then you're twisting and it's and it's very you're unwinding the spring if you start comfortable at the beginning, you're winding the spring and it gets harder to hold but if you're at the end but do you see what I'm saying? You're winding back to spring this way and it just releases slowly but so. So find your final frame your final so get totally comfortable with their ok and now go towards the front, okay, it'll work for us and action, I loathe not bad here's what's happening though we've got to come over here, you've got to get over here as fast as possible, okay, you're not going there, okay what's happening is because did you notice how prominently her breasts were featured in this because of the size of it because of how she walks really close to the camera so you just want to walk straight over here and letter clinton clear friend let me just see that just make sure that we're not making the same mistake again hold on right there. Yeah that's better okay and yeah just keep walking right to that you just want to clear frame and you need to stop you need to stop about there I would zoom out just a little bit okay, there you go here all right? State like be all business and like, keep your eyes straight yeah, there are those new old stock really making those again the tithe hold it there just hold steady. Good. All right, okay, we're ready to move on. We might have done it more perfectly, but it was good good enough here. Okay, so next we want the next shot. We're going to shoot this part in order, obviously, which is the other one out of order so now she needs to get ready to go to work. Where do you want to work? I don't know. Okay, because you don't know let's talk about our choices it's all about choices. We have two choices we've established this that it's in the sun, so maybe it's best we can put her anywhere she's left frame we could put her anywhere maybe it's best to put her back in the sun over here all right otherwise she comes and she's working in the shade they say what's that all right so let's put her over here in the sun and let's figure out what she's going to do so we can shoot it kind of quickly before we lose the sun but we're okay this area over here is pretty good and we can cheat this we can shoot her here and then we can shoot her over there in the same place as long as we're not really connecting it so um is there which one of these would you come that one over there way need one she's gonna put a succulent and she needs to put it in here. Okay. All right, good works for may all right. We've not seen anything over here let's just take these out of the way because they looked like speakers. Okay? All right, so but but first what she's doing because we're going to use this isn't unwrapping why start and stop she's going to um remember she's gonna set herself up for work because gregory user gathering herself up to work to say it's over okay so show us what you would do just a little we're not filming just show us what you would do that would look natural you guys, you have to watch your shadows. Of course. Okay, okay, now you can stop for a moment. All right, so what did we see way saw a couple of things that need to be cut into smaller pieces so we can we can edit it and, you know, make it so that we can be controlling the tempo one of the reasons you wanted different you can speed it up, slow it down to based on what you want do what I see here is I loved what she did, but I think what we should do is we should rather than her saying straight in like that that's going to make it harder for us to see her face way should have her put the thing a little bit more this way more counterclockwise, right way. That's that's. All right, we've got that. We've got this reflector up here. What we'll do though, is we'll throw a little bit of light on from here so we can see okay, um way need to shout over, but but let's, just look at what you do so we know we need her to be a little bit more this leg, right? So that we have a place we can put the camera here and weakens it's also very nice really do it like this because she can she can. It looks like she's kind of in straight, but she could be working looking tio here and then we can get all these great. We'd get all the great plants right behind her, rebuilding the plant feed. Okay. Really keeping that going. And then what we need is we need we so she put that down. Then we need thio way need to get a close up on the ring going in, right? We need when she puts this. When she puts this thing on, we need to see that ring. And maybe she even looks at it for a second and says, wow, you know, as she's putting it in. Okay. All right. So what else do we need? I think what we should do is we should have this thing done from two angles, one wider angle and one medium angle. And then get the close up on her hand on her hands and the close up on her eyes. All right. And then we need a shot of her starting to do her work. And then basically, we you know, then we'll figure out how to get out the other end of it. We have she's been moving left to right? So what we're going to do to give us the maximum we have our exit one frame and enter the next frame so we have the maximum of how we can do it because we can choose to cut in after she's already in what we want her to get so why don't you come over here? Maybe you come down to her level here or maybe right here and just have her come in and start and set up here in a shot about this big but don't let me tell you something chances that the camera is in the right place where you're most comfortable is ninety nine percent okay, so you standing up that your height it's not the right is almost never the right, okay, you know, just to think about that it's like it's like this is where it fell off the truck so so right now way want to be we're with her we don't want to ever be looking down on her right? So even though so even if she comes in and I know she's going to come in here and we might get a maybe it's a little exaggerated on her ass but we're basically are going to be looking we want to be with her down here because that's where the meetings see what happens she's gonna come in it's just going to come in right over here did you carry this and where did these come from where they were in your you couldn't carry those in ok so we don't have to worry about that but you remember which hand your things were in on screen? Well, first of all we're we're gonna find her let's find your position so he sees let me just get down just just so we know where it is so he needs to see you in your position all right, so what you're going to do here is you're going you have to set this so that you know where the top of the frame is when it's empty because you don't want to be adjusting when she gets in right you want an empty friends so that she comes in and she comes in like this and she just bang and she comes down here and you're already set their alright yeah camera I'm thinking you might want a little bit a little bit a little bit brighter but not not that much little bit yeah that's that's a pretty good sized now remember she's looking to the right to the left if she's looking to the left that means you want to lead her with the left okay I wouldn't go to tie wouldn't go because we're gonna cut into a closer shot so if you want to make those shots cut I would widen this out just a little bit get that flag in their ready but I want her knees. You want her knees? Just just are you on the sumerian? Officer? I'm off. There you go. Okay, I think this is a good shot, but I'm saying leave the leading room there. Okay? Okay. All right, don't let her be centered. Ok? Ok. Leave the leader. Okay? Okay. All right. You want to try one? So we try one. Ok? Things are in the correct tense. Okay? We're still rolling. You see the little red dot you're not coming in from over there though. Way we're moving left to right? So you've got to get out of there for a moment. Okay, so you're holding your shot and we're rolling and action. So when she gets up on the news like that, you could make a little bit of a okay let's, try that one more time. It was really great this the whole start of it was great. Everything was great. The only thing is you didn't really make a little deal of the thing with your hand when you put the thing on, I think it's better. I know it's really weird. I always put my left glove on first, but I think it's better if you put your right glove on first, all right? And because then as you're putting your left love on, you can hold it and look at it for a moment. So just put it like that. And then, you know, I'm saying you want to put our in the here, right are in here on the inside. Okay? I'll just, uh, put this one on top. Okay? Okay. Okay. It's. Amazing that actors get anything done when they have to work out all this stuff. Are you good? You set? Okay. And action. Don't forget to look at your ring. Somebody forgot to admire her ring before she's one more time. I know it's gonna work, going to do it in a close up. But you have to give us what we need in the wide shot. You call yourself an actress. Okay. You set? Are you set, emanuel? Okay. Action. Just kind of get in there. Okay. That's. Good enough for now. Okay. Great. Let's. Okay, cool. Let's. Do this other part now. Let's, let's. Did you want to give it up or you want to keep going? Okay. You want to give it up? It is that I have given her reflection. We're going to do that now it was hard because of the wide shot we're gonna come in here now, all right? And you're going to be tighter and this time we will do that. We'll use this one, so come on down in here do you want you want something to get on your knees? You're not gonna shoot from down home calm down. You want you want a blanket just trying to get the field. You want a blanket for your knees? Okay. All right, so, look, remember what the other one was? The other one was toe tio here, right? So now you're going to be you're going to be more in here, right? We want to see what she's up to right? You want to be able to see her hands that you want to make it tight enough and if you would like to do this so that should be more in their way, have you? Well, we'll have to set that, but I should be doing watering have water nor good thinkings I like trim some weeds. Yeah, you can do whatever you want. I think this I think you might have to stand over here and do this who it hurts well, this year you can hold this, it hurts much bythe you've got to come in that's not enough of that that's a jump cut still you've got to come in come in to the bottom of her shirt zoom in a little bit okay a little bit more even a little bit more and tilt up a little bit you want to really yeah and you want to pull to the left hand to the left okay and we want to open up the iris just a little bit okay, you could even zoom in a little bit more how's your how's your focus okay. Oh, that looks nice. All right, so you are going to do the um you are gonna put your gloves on again and start working your not going to do this sitting down we've already got that and the wide okay, but this time what you're going to dio is this hand you're going to see it it's only going to be in the sun last time it wasn't in the sun all right, you're gonna keep it out there when you put so that's in the sun okay, smythe you know, I think you're I think you're a little low well, maybe not you know you comfortable okay? Just tilt it up a little bit we don't want to be, you know, just tilting it up a little take care of me I'm not gonna be doing this much longer, okay, here we go. I would zoom in just a tiny bit more right there yeah okay yeah makes yes that's yeah but you know you can't you got to tell it like this does other way was to see the black the black way see that yeah that's that's okay you know that that will work wait ok all right all right you guys all right so let's get it let's get her down okay so what you've done is did you when you got down to your knees this was already down uh okay so just just do the last bit of coming to the knees so we have a little action to cut on okay just that's the stuff's already down right okay okay so you ready so you have to be down in that position so she comes into the club and then I look and that other glove yeah okay ready action and then you go right to work I don't see her head you keep dropping it one more time see how you're too low you're cutting you're not cutting the top of her head with top of the frames there you want to be up there okay okay okay well I'll give you I'll give you the blanket comfort is king okay can you get down on your knees again? I'm sorry just so that he could get the top of the frame alright don't give her a haircut don't give her a haircut that's good. Okay, all right, come on up and we're still rolling action and go right to work don't really got make believe on football unto another one and stay with that you can tell donald good okay nice okay so this is the this is the glove thing the glove and then go go right to work okay so don't go down to her hands it's just on her face tell me you were rolling we have speed action you're happy try that one more time just bring your hand up a little bit higher higher okay, okay that's it ok good now put your gloves on okay, move pan the camera down to her aunt's tilt the camera down to her hands that's it good stay on that it'll give us something else that's it gives us a shot for free hold on you gotta use gotta hold this a little stuff, okay? All right. Just get your hand in there one more time. Good. Oh, that's nice that's really nice. Okay, let's cut that all right, so all we need now is all we need now is this one over the shoulder right of her hand from up here like we're seeing it okay, you can actually you can stand for that one just we got to be careful that you don't you gotta be careful that you don't cast your shadow on okay um you could live it up this is over we're just going to do the hands okay? We're just gonna do that that one more time with the clubs all right okay. I'm telling this a little bit so it blends right in the sun right back okay okay so where you gonna put your hand so yes that's where he you don't really care about her face at this point because that's this is what this is the money shot no no no I'm sorry when he met lower he didn't get the camera loathe that just action at this point you don't need to oh my god when it when it caught the light twinkle so just roll it a little bit so it twinkles into there the ring is still blurry that means we're too close we're too close on the focus here you have to come back it's blurring it's not glory now is it it's okay or is it not a little blurry he says ok well we'll do it then that means it's out of the semi's to get more depth of field what we're going to do is we're going to we're going I'm taking no not the white mounds I just I just took off the nd so that we could close down all right is that good? Ok right so raise up into that and then just cover your other hand has to have a glove on it already that remember but you're not even but we're not focusing on it my hands not even in this I know but when you put the glove oh you're going to take this out you know what I'm saying you're going you're going to reach into that and the gloves already there okay so you get like moving so that we catch is going at one point yeah like they're yeah okay okay we're rolling are you actions you're going to cover that ring with this hand too okay all right and action take your hand out and put it into that start with an empty frame and put it into their and action nice okay good and then put the glove on okay beautiful so we're good we can take this out take two shots here one shot is going to be a shot of the city like this but it doesn't have her innit right time is passing and the other shot is gonna have her working down on her knees with the shot of the city from back here okay we'll have two of you have a choice okay did you want to shoot her you want somebody else to do you want to keep working you're still happy okay all right so go for it put it on your shoulder you're never gonna hold it steady like that put it on your shoulder get it up there just to find you never stand up from like okay can you hold that steady you know what? You're not fault you're not focused on infinity anymore you're focused on the close up so let go let go this let's get this back to their let's put this back on this and take a look at the take a look at the exposure over there was explosion look jessica good yeah okay so okay shoot that can't really I just can't focus is it's a little dark huh? Okay we're gonna okay just hold it steady we're gonna open just a crack that all right let's try one more um what's the what's the boom that cute moving across there it's been there shot okay let's try one a little wider how's that that interesting can we move it that way so I get the sun on plants or or will that our shadows well she's going to get in the next one so let's just gonna walk in no she's going to sit okay are we done? We got that all right, move on back. Come on back now what can you get back in your position, please cook so go all the way back there and you want to get her working with city in the background? Yeah kneeling yeah, I'd go even wider on that yeah go even wider yeah, okay, but don't get your shadow and you see how your shadows in on the right the lower right your shadow is in pan to the left pan to the left pan to the left there you go. Now you're out all right, now you guys can just come in a little bit here that would be nice. Okay all right, so you're working away you're struggling you're working away yeah, you know you know you're making money you can move in just a minute. Okay. Great. Fantastic. All right, let's let's get everybody off their knees and let's just talk about how we're going to get get get done with this now, okay? Uh I wouldn't stop record they wanted off. Okay. Um all right so we can cut to that shot of her working we can cut to that we could cut to this now we have to do something to say time is done. We're done okay she's done working and she takes the gloves off and loses you think so how we going to do that part? We've got her set up now we got to say that time is passed she's done working. Okay. All right. I buy that also kind of like, you know, when he's like slap your hands together wife but I'm like a job job okay, okay, good okay, tools away we're going to start putting the tools away, ok? How do we okay, so now we've got it we got a loot we got to take the gloves off and recognized that the gloves you know that that that that the thing is missing right so jessica your turn to come up with a brilliant idea okay, so she takes the gloves off she started this you start getting ready to go our dish you how does when did she notice that the gloves the ring is missing waiting do you think waken do the thing with the phone? Maybe I just like pick it up with this hands live normally and I like looking at it and then I realised just got their shit ok so you like take off and you pick up your phone and I'm like leaving going because yeah I just looked and I looked at my phone and I like realized my rings just okay okay. All right. Okay sounds good. One okay. Okay. So are you standing? Are you still in this position? I have you have you already started moving. You're leaving and you pick up your phone and you start working and you go oh, sh and you're like, uh like we live in hanging for a little second, okay, okay, so you go back, you look where it was, you know, whatever start crying I think you could even be simple in that like she'll just take it off should be like big simple all right do we need to close up on the do we need to close up on the phone or anything like that on the finger I don't think so okay no close up on the phone okay closed on the ring finger for the reals hand just to see but like attorney yes okay alright self so I'll tell you what why don't you do what you're gonna do from the start you you figure out rather than I say you do this year do it do it naturally do it feels comfortable and then we'll shoot it ok so you're done if you're set you're down on your knees take off your ring from now when you take it off okay good thinking is there too much tape on that ring oh you got okay okay all right so all right you're done working food that was hard to put that succulent and waken do that later you guys will do that when you walk but you stuff their phone booth well you know we could do why don't you weigh got these tables here you could be already coming weaken do all we can already get you in here but well boom and then here is the phone rang wait reaction shot yeah yeah I think so then maybe you but you run back over there yeah just like you know okay okay just like feeling so I'm like gloves wait ok all right let's try it way don't want but we've seen it let's just show us the action one more time okay we don't want to do this all in one shot we want to break it into multiple shots again right so that we so that we have connection and you know so but but we wanted to do this so that she could feel what felt right box same box yeah yeah same box yeah that you're still in the light okay so so you're working you wipe your brow waken take some of these we don't need all these tools way don't need all the tools I really just need my little shoes I don't know for continuity we had all wait we didn't really see him okay so she comes up remember you're tired but you're not exactly you know whatever and then we'll check it really checking in okay okay okay but that part we'll get but okay so then what happens then you then you really then you go back you start moving back and then you say oh something like that yeah okay let's do that so you're actually kind of start going back and you go I mean you're actually start and then you remember uh I think that's what I like I think we need to have a little action a little movement no all right all right so so we do it let's do it so I think the first part that what works is the um her if you're starting not on her you can see how you can know that she's finishing if she started gathering up her tools with her hands right you get a shot of their hands gathering up the tools, putting them in here then you can cut to a shot of her face right and then she can just and then you can cut the shot back there where she gets up she starts going she starts walking I think you should let her clear the frame here, right? You don't want to carry her all the way over there just let it kind of come up let her clear the frame here all right? And then you probably want to pick her up over here coming in so that she walks exactly into the frame that we want with light is changing so we're gonna well we've never seen this stuff so we can have come to this one all right? We've never seen this stuff all right? So start on the hands that looking down face putting up camera over here picks up from gum coming this way on and then you should actually be over here so that when she walks into the shot she walks right into it and you're already set up right and then um and then we'll deal with your your reaction stuff in here okay all right are you happy? Teo, can you give the camera to this woman here please? I think she needs she's been dying to get it with our little sunlight I know we're gonna we're gonna finish it up just put it over your shoulder like this and then it's okay, so remember we're going to start we don't want to cross the action we've never gotten on the other side of her except for that time lapse so I think you should be kind of here all right? And if you want if you want you can start here on her things and then come up on her face man that's that would be a nice different change if you start here and then you come upon her face okay so come on in here who's going to hold the who's gonna hold the thing for you I think this time no way oh, yes oh yeah that's that's what we're talking about a jacket to protect her from cooking uh, body come on, bobby she's already dealt with it. Are you happy with where you are? We're gonna put you on the minimal focus all the way here, okay? Let's see let's see can you make believe your gathering a little and then so you're going to tilt up while she's still gathering they're gonna tilt up on her face, okay and she's starting to gather and tilt up on her face that is fantastic okay you're just a little over exposed on her face so close it down just a little bit let's see how that looks yeah that's really good and then when you're done just get up and go you're still a little overexposed come on down close it down close it down close it down close it down I don't see the other the other down but a little too much open it up just a little bit yeah that's still a little bright to come down again uh and a little more down that's good that's good that's really great that's perfect okay kelly your fantastic by the way thank you no really you're having fun at all ok good because he is too great okay, so you're gonna here's what you're gonna do you're gonna feel when it's time to come up just take don't let me wait till just feel it and just feel and come up and you know you're going to feel when it's up on you you couldn't do your part and you can wipe your brow and then you can just pick up and just head out and just head straight out when it's time okay I have a feeling this is a one take all right you ready action great all we need to do is get it from back here in a wider shot so we can see it all that was great hat the gloves coming out from perfect all right good yeah I think so yeah now here um I guess you need to be over here so that you can then pick her up yeah just picked yeah pick pick it up here and then just pan with her a little bit and let her clear frame and then we'll pick her up coming in way won't make you do this thing again because this looks so here let me just see this it's got a good sized wear blue means if those air called that's called peeking no what's that's doing is telling you to focus that tells you what we're gonna do we're looking at brightness on this monitor here let's say uh yeah you can close down just a little bit close down meaning the iris a little bit more touch more okay good okay I don't know what do you think it was a little might be a little bright little hot still let's do this huh okay where did he go but he's gone okay so you're gonna lead her you're gonna let her lead you right? You're not gonna do it yourself okay but maybe you want to turn your body so that you're more comfortable at the end okay, okay let's go action hold it great super wow she's got two for single takes in a row uh somebody's don't let it go to your head yet no it's it's uh it's jessica so I'll just go okay, so what we want to have here is we wanna have her come and walk right into the perfect frame. All right, so that means that we need the reflective from over there but I think is this where you're going to be all right so you have to come in closer I think I think you really want you want to be I mean, I think this is kind of what you want, okay? So it's like she can't weigh need a camera person extender maybe maybe maybe so uh, that's a little high I mean, I'll tell you where the camera really wants the bay it really wants to be wants to be like, right here so that you see the whole thing behind her it really wants to be kind of like a blanket. Maybe maybe you want to shoot this show you want to shoot this guy? I mean, just just gives you the right size. We'll get you in there again. Okay? Can you take it and just make sure that we should be careful with the horizon? Make sure it's not this wants to be a little closer let's try let's, see what happens when she's in your finest clothe let's get that let's get that reflector in mark is this a three quarter back light here so let's just bring that they're like that okay yeah that's pretty good that'll work okay so can you hit that mark yeah okay all right so you're going to make sure that you're in then you're focus right somewhere around there would probably be about right there's blue on her blue around her eyebrows and things um a little bit yeah okay yeah okay all right you want to try one this thing should probably move I got it okay just take it take it further back in here a little bit okay all right we're rolling wow nice smooth okay, good, good good great okay we're gonna do that one more time that was almost perfect you have too much headroom on her that she was coming in here there was like there was a little too just needed to come down like this come down as she's coming in at one point she was got there was too much headroom above her I think this is really good the only thing there was one other thing that yes so you saw it you went back and then and then as you go back went back you kind of relaxed as you go back then we'll catch you from a cz you come back here you'll just relax and you'll go and you'll pull out the glove I'm such a space yeah it's like you've gone back boom and then oh and then silly and then you come back right this one s so we'll follow it all the way through will cut that other shot in lad you're never going to stop rolling yet, right? You're gonna let her so you're going to do that you go oh, come back come back you do that and he'll end up right there pull it out okay, okay you don't have to put it on. Just be careful that you cover the black right when you pull it out you just you know it grab it whatever see what happened is a man and see what happens. Yeah doesn't matter whatever whatever happens bring bring us the blue right away even if we see the black turn it over so we see the blue okay, so are we good? Ok, come, come on, stay in tight here for a minute, all right? And you want to open? It was she wasn't dark there though. She was good there, all right and action she really was holy in here but it's totally stock of side. My god, it's really deep in here. Sorry. Okay, okay, let's, try one were so good all right, right there, I'm gonna put it right in the booth so good loving it and action okay you monkeys thank you let's go let's get this return shot and then we'll just get this and we're good I think that was good don't you? I wouldn't change it if it's good let's just get this where she's comes back so we gotta move that and we got to move alex for a minute so I think it's important here that you hit the mark that come back just a little bit it was in the year that you kind of come back you're kind of you're you're full speed and you're just kind of full speed then you go you know you just you know do you need a sandbag or something on the ground just to mark we're just so has this has this this is good this is good for her here. Yeah, okay. All right you got you got the virus you've gotta open up you have to open up not some little bit let yeah, something like that let's see what happens when you come back one more time looking at the iris got to be on the minimum focus to understand my work yeah come backto us, okay? Iris saw open it. Open it right right there that's where it's gotta be ok, ok let's just yeah, it just makes you okay good all right let's get that and action one more time, same thing not that looked a little odd be slower with more relaxed relaxed like like take your time with each reaction so yeah and when and when you come here when you're relaxed like yeah and then just like hydrated a little anyone slow comeback you know ok wait hold a smile a little longer okay one more time handed yeah go and go sorry I don't buy what were time let go of it just throw it away let go of it okay I believe you you've met you you I can't no no no here's what it is here's what it is you you realize it as you're moving not when you're stopping it's like oh it's like oh yeah that's what's going to stop you yeah that's what's stopping it one more one more one more one more just just throw it away you've done it so just one more your instead of looking left to right I got you telling like more of a uh oh yeah like like this first yeah no your acts like this feel like well you know get off get off okay last one come on wait like walk to the door in back the door doesn't look it's just this it's just like that. Okay, wait. I think I play with your phone and this you like saying but it's not remember what you were doing it's like you're like playing you realize is then not so much realization on your face just come here smile and go back that's simple, simple yeah that's tofu no meal it is I'll take that was good I'll take it I'll take it. Okay, so let's let's let's remember what the early shot was? Did you shoot the first shot? Emmanuel why don't you do that again? Okay, so you're just going to take this from here and you're gonna just yeah, you're gonna you're gonna let's well, just cheat it just a little bit because we don't want to see her in the beginning. Yeah, and we'll close this down just we're gonna goto a maximum focus right? Close this down a little bit because you want this and then just follow it off to the end let's see what that looks like? Are you ready to exit frame? Yeah. Should I have my ring on? Yeah, yeah, have your ring on and actually we're gonna take you're gonna take a couple steps back we're gonna cheat this, okay? Okay, you're gonna take a couple steps back to like this a little easier on you and let's just watch your shadow there's shot. Okay, okay. Yes, that's yeah, action! Start holding things in your hands back up, I'll hold them in your hands, back up okay, and and just go action, okay, one more you that was a little fast on the pan you want a pan a little slower with right? Okay, last one and then we go downstairs. You don't want to see that door in the beginning. Yeah, there you go don't want to see the door in the beginning thank you and remember slow pen and action nice just hold it steady. Keep walking. Ladies and gentlemen, very nice. The majority of that scene that we just did was upstairs was out on the roof and that's where I really the meat of it was that was the most important part, but we knew that we always have we owed ourselves the beginning of the scene that we knew that set up we couldn't do the setup, but there were going to the set up down here because it was much simpler. We did the other one up there and through editing we'll be able to put this in the beginning. Um and, you know, normally films don't shoot in the order of the order that it's done occasionally they will you'll see an occasional one like, I think birdman actually wass but most of the movies don't work that way just for a time and money what I do want to do is we're in a totally different lighting situation here, so this is one of those situations that because we're mixing fluorescence with tungsten and with daylight I'm actually going to white balance in here okay so I'm just going to point at this piece of paper here and white balance and you'll see that my color now is much closer okay see how much better that looks instead of that orange so I'm going to do this I'm gonna operate this one myself if that works for you guys so uh you're gonna come in from outside and just so you know what I'm going don't try to be a little clever here I'm going to catch I'm gonna stand over here so I don't see myself in the reflection we're going to carry we're going to carry kayla end but I'm gonna carry her in it but I'm gonna leave her and end up is it stacy and end up on stacy here okay I'm going to false start on one shot but then leave her in the middle and end up on stacy they're gonna do their little parts there little thing and then we'll come around we'll get we'll get a real money shot of the ring from the other side okay just just in the sacred in the for the sake of doing this strictly okay is that working all right are we ready and it's okay that john's over there well just start from the other side and I'll call action okay on action looks I I didn't think you heard me one more time, actually okay I'll just come around here so you're going to say um you're gonna be very exaggerated and really bring that ring in yeah almost like a horror movie okay all right here we go so come on in just just do the last bit of it okay just like yeah yeah that that look guys I know she was turned the wrong way man was turned away so you want to turn this way a camera like that yeah okay okay come back a little bit further how's the iris has my exposure look come on okay so we're gonna do that same thing again on pull it back like this talk to her yeah like this straight out okay once you've left it there once you've left it there for a minute where she can you know get really jealous move and just and clear as they were going off to work ok and go go off that way wait by that one yeah ok let's get into the studio well I think you guys did a fantastic job out on location today uh that was a lot of fun working upstairs working up on the roof I hope you got some sense of the uh just howto howto kind of mold the story but it just how important it is to know what you're going for in the beginning and it's really important when you're in production you know production is when you're actually filming pre production is the time before post production is the time after but in production it's how important it is to stay flexible to be able to grow with the punches we didn't really have to roll with any punches today, but just to stay flexible and yet at the same time keep your goals in mind knowing what what are you really going after here? What what's the things are we going for comedy? How can we make it a little bit funny or all the time listening to other people? But, you know, keeping keeping the core the core values together, keeping the okay who's really running this now today we were all doing it together, but you know, when you're working when you're the lone wolf, you are the person, but, you know, so many times you get help from other people that that you always have to be open to listening to other people because they're your you're focusing on this, it was like I got to get the good performance out of this guy got and you're might be missing something very big over there, so so everybody's got a role everybody's got, you know, a way to keep, you know, a way to help um, you know, you um one of the things that's important is teo focus on these extra shots, like establishing shots we didn't have any time to get anything extra today. We were trying to keep on, but we did think, you know, we had to set the scene. Where is she what's happening up there? Um, and there's always some serendipity in shooting. If you're if you're open to it, there's always something something. Is there that's better than what you had in mind? You, no matter how much time you might, you know, this might be your story and, you know, you might have a father who's disabled, and you're getting a chance to finally tell the story of what it's like living with someone with a disability. And but you there's always another point of view that you could bring in that can make it richer. And, um, so how can you stay focused on your goal and yet be open to what else is out there? And that's that's really one of the biggest goals at all and of all, and trying tio keep the quality up all the time, keep the quality up and just keep growing and stepping on stepping on up and doing one better than the last one you did. On dh looking at your footage and showing your footage to other people afterwards showing your cut and saying what's working here what's not working here you've been in on this process right from the beginning so in your mind oh it's very clear that when he does this when he goes through that door he's going to do this well it might not be clear to other people you know, make a cut, show it to someone who knows nothing else nothing about your project at all. Um that person is the one who's going to help you say oh, okay, I didn't I didn't tell the sparta's well, asai could have um and uh there's ah there's there's one other thing that that there's two there too qualities that you have to really build up as a filmmaker when you're working with yourself where they're working with people and one of them is the poet, that poet is the person that's open to everything that's happening totally um working on the midlevel working on the subconscious level open to whatever is happening there and just being totally creative but then at the same time you need to general the general is the person who keeps the army moving forward on a bigger production of those people are different people, you know, some some filmmakers are definitely poets people like terrence malick who really? You know they're going into another space, but they need a general behind them to make sure that they get through the day they get what they need. If you're working by yourself, you have to create both of those things yourselves and it's there's times when you really need to be absolutely open just as an actor would have to be very open toe what's there and not come with any preconceived notions prepare but be very open and there are other times when you get in that editing room you really have to be critical and you have to say that's not working I got to get rid of it it's just not working it's a great thing something I love for the movie but it's a great moment and it was really hard to get but it's not helping the movie go along and you know that's what we in the business we call that killing your babies you know something you really love but it's not good for the whole production it doesn't help the whole film uh, so that's uh that's kind of it for me today I think you can do it. I think it's a long road but it's one of the best roads you can take and it's a lot of fun too to find yourself in making films

Ratings and Reviews

Mulk Raj
 

This was excellent. I’ve been learning filmmaking up until now from watching YouTube videos and from my own practice which has been great. But I found these lessons to complement everything I knew and filled in much of where I was going wrong or wanted to know, and all in one convenient place. The course covering both the technical aspects as well as telling the story. There were lots of great techniques, tips and information from all aspects. Shooting mainly on the Sony Camcorders but I didn't consider this to be an issue, and the course also provided an excellent side by side comparison with the Digital SLRs. You can see from the lesson list that many topics are covered from the different types of lenses (one interesting question Bill asked was “what type of lens was that photograph taken with?” I had never thought you could discern this from the photo). Other great lessons was on sound tests, covering reflective sounds and comparisons with booms and lab mics and the ideal placement. The emphasis was always on telling the story and the reasons why you would choose one over the other. I learned a heck of a lot from the interview section. How to set-up, where to set-up an interview, looking at all the different aspects and backgrounds open to you from a location, how to conduct an interview, how to ask questions, lighting from the far side, the concept of slow disclosure, and the final hour being a fly-on-the wall on getting the shots was really interesting if you’ve never worked on a filmed set before. I personally thought this was an invaluable insight into filmmaking, well worth the investment. Great work.

jamie applegate
 

I have seen a couple other film courses on CreativeLive, but I think I have enjoyed this one the most. It was very informative, Bill's personality is great. I loved how hands on he really got with his student's including seeing them actual film. It had some good laughs. Well done!

Josh Moore
 

Great overview of capturing video from a one-man/small production team perspective. And great insight from an expert who's done it all. The Making One Location Look Like Many episode was fascinating to see how Bill spontaneously approaches creating shots in a location.

Student Work

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