Lessons

Lesson Info

Shoot: Groomsmen

Just pretend teo demonstrate what's happening here just you know pretend that you're getting ready and you're fixing tires and you fixing boat bow ties and things like that yes I'll get you just in this section here and I'll feel well well they're getting situated how important do you think it is for cinematographers and videographers to be on the other side of the camera like you're challenging our students with right now painful innit yeah how important you think that is uh what sense in terms of knowing how to communicate movement you mean like directing your clients yeah if you need thio um the direction is very subtle if anything it's it's it's not ever, eh it's not something that I do personally only if I need to move them in a in better lighting okay guys and this is that this happens the moment I walk in I go assist the place and they kind of just chilling there not really getting ready yet if we're looking at the guy's prep and then I say okay guys hey doing you no good she wo...

uldn't go ahead with this make a little bit of a jack yeah and I'm pumped in whatever and I said, look when you guys get raiding your you can't do that you said to go you want to like just do it in this section here single light really good and you guys have been alive and then that's fine, but if you're doing that in the middle of them while they're actually are getting ready, what you're doing is you're interrupting their moment because you know, a lot of them are very close and you know, they're sharing a moment, you know, like they could be best buddies from from way back and things like that so um yeah, but this looking at the space he like what we're trying to do here is just replicate a scene where it's um you know, super tight and we can still get those comedians cool actually what we can do is you show me that plate that yeah, I'll take that way there's a little improvisation here I'll just remove the great things about these plates you can just change them very easily that any problem wait, guys, don't hold that thanks, man yeah, also so I'm just gonna put this on and then we'll just basically so guys, what do you need to do is just, um stay where you are and sorry, confusing what you want me to do for me and tell me okay, so you put the right plate ready to go I've got my mon apart got my fifty mil now um do we have hope sorry, do we have in my bag? Can we get the blower? An alfa what are you thinking now in the just starting up this process when you're putting on the fifty? What what is your thought? That it's a it's a go to lend? You know, I'm I know that unable to get moved the space and I'm working with it's a it's, a very versatile lends to use on what I'm doing here. Is it's important to make sure your your lens you feel to the clean? Um, because you don't want any spots on your shot because it's impossible to rule them in post and what filter is that? We're just like you don't want you don't want your friends to be dirty because that that's going to showing you shot so that's just a protective filter. Yeah, I've got a uv protective thing here because if you damage and scratch the lens, then it costs a lot of money quite expensive. Tio obviously fixed that, so I have that there and it's it's a. This one here is should be all this on the high up, but you want to get a really good you'd be a lot of people actually don't get these things because they feel that it takes away the the the sharpness and the quality of the lens, but if you get a really good quality uv filter which is designed it's clear it's not to alter the image is just to protect then you're fine so I just do this just to make sure that way to go and only I wouldn't have the strap on the camera but I can work with it for now it's not a problem and the reason being is I just don't want to have any things hanging about so I'll just leave it for now it's not a problem cool so I'll just extend okay so you guys just go ahead and do you think they're gonna do they think that's gonna help each other out and kind of awkward turn my camera on and just check my so what I'm doing here is that I want to kind of shoot shallow because I want to isolate certain actions cam just quaking with screens well I usually work with the monitor on the is there any way that I could view this not really not when it's tethered thiscreate phone will do my best okay I'm not directing here I'm not I'm just letting them do what they do very much like the shot that I showed you I did not tell them once to stop so there they are you know and so I guess that he shot in a girl like that keep I'm still rolling while not really rolling with the first record you know and I'm probably like most subtle so just go you typically find your focus yeah, just look at the screen and then oh my god, I can't just reveal okay? And I'll just stop and then you guys are doing something you like helping each other out maybe fixing each other's ty and alfio did you say you had a like a ten second minimum when shooting is that is that right? Do you have or do you have? Ah, minimum as far as the a lot of time of each shot. Yeah it's important teo very mind the last fan of the show it's really critical because it comes down to at what point have you communicated what you need to communicate? And then that is the answer for the life span of the shot. Now you've most of you have noticed when you watch a really, really good ad um, how long those shot second split second, like they really quick a lot of them unless it's like one of those like info info type ads and someone's talking to camera. But one of those like creative ads that, you know, done through creative agency at agency um, you know, some of them like one second shot for less but it's enough to kind of communicate what they're trying to because it's not just that one shot that's, why we're shooting many stories sequences if I was to shoot you guys just kind of bunch up like just help each other and just you know, this is kind of what it's like, you know, you could kind of do it this way, you know, like, you know, a bit of rule of thirds you can make me do that just to establish a shot but like you have to have a reason like if this like the room accentuates like their personality because maybe for example they chose to get ready in this in this cave right? Because they're into like, you know, doing like, you know, getting together like boys and playing pool and some some venues or some places, eh? Where they get ready that you have like, look special like game room, game, game games, room game gaming rooms where it's like a cave like very like kind of male kind of way type type, you know, scenes and it kind of it might be something that those guys that reflects who they are as buddies, you know, so you know, thinking about and then they're obviously you're you're you're allen's choice would change, but in this case, he I'm assuming I've got a really tight space, so that point of the exercise just can't continue like you two like, you know, fix each other so you know I could go from like he's fixing his tie I could go you know I could go like, you know and then you quickly like bang give my focus so that's two shots already right? And then I could go around and making sure that you don't break the one hundred eighty degree rule and that means that if I'm shooting here and he's like left to ride that you want to stay on the same line of that imaginary line so then he's on he's right he's right toe lift because if I got here and break the line they both left to right so it's like that it's you're breaking the rule yeah, so it's like they're talking to each other so yes, you can go over the shoulder here really tired, but you know, was it depends, you know, there might might have some moments, so just continue what you're doing there. Oh my gosh, you guys are so lame, but I wouldn't say that I swear I won't say that in the chute there was once a man that alfie is really rude and like, make sure you don't hae hae him for you waiting um and you know, I I just assess the situation and, you know, like a case of just continue just continue doing something like getting ready, maybe, but you sure and things like that I'm just trying you know constantly, you know, using my focus to draw the attention and then I might come around you're doing that you're doing the sea what I'm shooting there billy just come with me for this way I wouldn't do the assistant high point out I would not tell him to move because I'm just trying to look at the screen and make sure I know what I'm shooting but like, you know, using depth, you know, using depth in terms of like, your shallow depth of field right? And, you know, isolating the shots see the action I'm just it's just here, right? If I do it here it's kind of like smack bang in the middle it's kind of like predictable and teasing the shot right if you come around here well, sorry if you come around here and you just kind of like, uh my uh any of I so etcetera. So as I'm taking a shot right, I could be like getting a shot of the shoulder which has, um it's isolating his his reaction and then within the same ah moment where he I'm shooting the face I could also go for a quick reveal so with each shot that you do it's probably a good idea to do maybe two or three types takes for that shot because what that does it gives you options when you're editing all right so that's really port and look this this happened really quickly because like normally I would have the view on my l c d screen so I'm just constantly like all right this is my train of thought okay so he's doing that all right cool so wanna kind of like isolate what's happening there come around over the shoulder and then I may keep doing that then I'm I could even go like really low and go upwards you know make it and just make it really shallow um so I might if I can do that here but um they think you've gone it yet and we ship up their face but maybe like we could okay you know it's just like it's been a mystery is like what's going on there busy hands happening and it could be like a one two second shot you know, just to kind of add to the mini story and we had a quick question from chemo and jake just about clarifying the one hundred eighty if you could go over that again really important point sure you guys face each other so basically think of the one hundred eighty degree rule as you have an imaginary line down the middle ok I came down the middle ofthe off horizontal in line of them facing each other so if I'm shooting basically you want to stay if I if I start to shoot shown almost here he is left to right yeah he's left to right get it right right there now basically with one hundred eighty degree rule you need to stay on the same plane off that imaginary line which is the line from his his face teo queen's face I think it's like there's an imaginary line so therefore I'm staying on that side of the plane and then quinn is now right to left and my right left you mean the focus is on the right? Well, his position on the frame on the frame is right was left where as sean was left to right but if I come around here I'm crossing the line now where's quinn now he's the same he's left to right it's imagine cutting from this awkward this is visualize that focus and they can actually cut is in and shawn's also left to right you can actually break the rules, you can break the rules but you need to cut away so you can actually break for some reason I do this in the ceremony if for some reason I can't get I can't get on the same side, then I'll come around but I'll make sure that I'll get a plenty of candidates okay, you can have that in between your edit you can do that, so so if I went from like let's say from here and then just because I need to capture the moment and I didn't have spacing for some reason and I didn't want to like move the table because if I did that in my interrupting moment I just get stuff this I'm just going to like, get it here I'm breaking the rule, but I'll get a few shots of them looking, you know? So you kind of looking he just I'm just making an example he might be like looking all those guys you know what they're doing like a com plete he's going ahead with this what is he doing? He must be crazy he's getting married he was like a wild like, you know football and now he's getting married to this girl? No, no, no, I'm just joking get a few of those candidates, maybe a few close ups you could cut to that and you can do that you could break the rule, but if you cut from right to left and then right to left again, then it's like they're defies the laws of physics. Wake's yeah, pretty eyes it's like it's pretty much it doesn't make sense on places like this with the mono pod are you just using the viewfinder? They're using yours a kudos because you're a two point two in two point five, which is pretty shallow stuff you're definitely both so later on when we do the life brother prep I will have to show you the built that I carry and what I do it I have pouches so I have my lenses and I also have the security because I don't have it on a ll the time but if I mean doubt from intel then I'll just check it but most of all I do use it but if I'm doing these types of shots where the required like nice you know movement shots you know what kind of you know, doing a nice fake slider you like that thing that way want that you're dancing with the money part because if you move with them on a part when you're doing your munna pod moves your your shots then there is pretty much no chance or minimal chance of having unnecessary shake because I know like if I was so let's say maybe you guys just pretend you fixed each others like cufflinks and stuff like that so I want to go like, so if I would like to do it this way I mean it's not too bad but it's not ideal because you're giving yourself um you're you want to be your body wants to basically communicate and translate sorry you want your body to be parallel to the movement, the body of the of you, the movement of your body you want that too be on like parallel to the movement ofthe human apart therefore you're moving with it so if I do this a bit too shallow I just do that again I'll just listen yeah it's like when you're doing pan shots you know you kind of start awkward and you kind of move with the with the tripod of money so I feel I know you're having to use this monitor to adjust your focus but you were shooting at two point two earlier and mario live I would just like to know how are you focusing? Do you usually just use the l, c, d or r that's it probably like that the two point two is depending on what I want to show if I just want to show you like let's say the cufflink and that's cool but if I want to show their hands and everything that's happening probably two point two willbe too shallow that's why I kind of adjust the three point two and make sure that you know I'm kind of in control what I want to show I'm happy to show like those fingers like where the cuffing is it right there that's a quick car like like that should be that shot there is an example it's like two three seconds because you getting cut from that to like you go around and you get a shot of his face you know I mean sometimes they face facial expressions might be just not saying much but it's an example of you know, capturing that shot as part of the mini story you can yeah, I noticed that when you had the camera on a tripod or a mono pod you were actually zooming in to check your focus but you don't do that when you're I do I just it's harder to do this karen isn't this mark three is not mine but I usually have it set so you press set and it zooms in elektronik lee moves in so you don't just use the lcd you are zooming in to check on yeah, you do that most of the guys out there guys and girls that are using dear salons they know that there's a um yeah there's a electronica zoom in and you must do that because yeah, this is something that I don't recommend like actually just going normal view and trying to find that way I would like to see that that square there that square is in relation to where the electron exume will zoom in and you can I actually just that so let's say the frame is here I'll go like that and I'm gonna go bang bang off this zoom twice ten times and then I'll get my focus so usually that's what I do because it's very hard it's it's you pretty much you're bound to get some sort of era and not get what you want so you want to be using your electronic zoom in oh yeah and how much time do you usually spend with the grooms and you spend more time in bridal prepper with the groom's men or what? How do you balance that out? It really depends, so if they've got a two men or two filmmaker package, then we'll have one of the grooms and one of the brides and it works really well, but if they opted for a one operator, then I'll probably just be efficient with my time yeah, and generally I don't need to spend that much time with the boys okay? Now sometimes in terms of logistics, even though I've recommended if there's a way that they can get ready somewhere else but if it's someone like that home, then I would say, okay that's fine, but there may be like some compromising like in terms of the logistics, so you just need to communicate that, but I pretty much nine times outta ten I have enough even if it was like twenty minutes to get like that sequence that I showed you that I got that before with the guy with the room with the bow tie a little done in five minutes five minutes and the thing is that was super late and you know it's a live event so these things gonna happen everyone you know they're gonna arrive late and the private arrived I think she was like forty minutes light in terms of, like the time she needs to be there to start getting ready okay, so everything was pushed like thirty minutes but you just roll with it and you just need to be super like, selective with all your shots right and be very efficient with time. And speaking of rolling with it, maria asked you what if someone if they do in action and you'd miss it like would you ask them to repeat it again? I mean, this wouldn't be during the ceremony I would think but you know, during prep for I know you have minimal directions you want once in a blue moon once in a wall do you use that time once in a blue once in a blue moon? I confess I do, but only because I'm kind of like it's a bit of a pride thing is like I found this really awesome shot and just get carried away and it's I only like times when it's not critical in terms of moments I gotta ceremony there's no way in hell there's no way I would stop anyone you know you need to take the time to work out what's happening with the planning I know where they're entering what? What entry points there are you know what space do you have on and you can actually assist that on the day as well if you don't actually because normally don't have time to do all the scout location for weddings so once we get to the next part of this off the off the course we're going to look at how we look at each segment of the day in particular ceremony and sit up right? Well, should we give these guys a round of applause? Yeah way well done awesome fake acting yeah, you make me sick you are all fired jane you guys you guys I thought you guys did a great job. You're very believable and you didn't run which was great my favorite was huston's I don't know what what what you like what was that expression like? Yeah, if I see that like in a group from a groom's of malay what's going on here I think he's like on drugs is he like from portland? Cool. So and yes, I'll hand this tio lovely lacy thank you. I'm sure people have asked this question before, but do you feel more comfortable shooting the groomsman as a male? Are you ever uncomfortable shooting the details or the set up in the air for the brides? Do you feel awkward or maybe you shouldn't be there with a girl and I know I don't know if it comes down to etiquette it comes down to the language the way you you communicate with them I mean obviously you know, I have maur liberty not liberty bit like I can I don't have to like necessarily leader room when the guys getting ready because they're just doing their thing aren't guys I'm just I'll just way to kind of decent so someone want to shoot them like pull their pants up and you know it's not yes but what you do so but with the bride and I'll show you like when they're about to get when she's putting on her dress make it very clear that you know when you're decent just give me on and I'm a literal like outside the door and tell all the brighter mater look, you know, obviously when she's done do up the dress completely just just maybe like wait till she like this until it actually be decent and then when she's decent just give me a yell and then yeah, and then I could be ready to go and but it's so important because they will forget, you know, unless you kind of stress about and say look, please, I'll be out the door as soon as she's got the dress like on in a sense where she's decent let me know and then even low like it's only been a minute or two minutes I can knock are you doing in there? You're a good and then they might say yeah, you can come in or no no, not too much longer now, sir. Yeah, so we have one final question before we take our lunch break that's a lunch break and that is, you know, there's been a there's, a lot of emotions on wedding days and oh, cube wants to know how do you deal with an uncooperative bride? They went on a sheet where the bride became so emotional during the prep that she refused to go keep to the plan. So when emotions are running high in this kind of situation, how do you manage that? Yeah, I've had I've had moments where the bride I literally did this ready she's like with the photo shoot and she was overwhelmed because it was raining got upset, poor thing and I like shooting these moments at the location ship I'm done, I'm done, I don't do the same at that point, I was really bad. Oh gosh it's so good it's so good that no focus no, I don't want to do this and you're off here no, no, I I can't and it's happened recently and you have, you know, like pushes whywould you mean if a lady if a woman says she doesn't want to any, she doesn't wanna like go ahead with like shooting anymore you just go with it alright take my word just respect that because you're actually you're not doing yourself any favor any favors so jen in what I do is I let it be on dh usually they're our dearest time later on to get some of the shots but I think you're better off not getting those shots and just focusing something else to tell the story and trying to force that because you don't want an unhappy pride, you know? I mean, it just takes away again from the experience you know, you don't want like a broad to be like have tension towards you, you know, it's like when you go into work and she's just hate when someone has something on their mind and their shoulders, they're not telling you and no one likes to have tension between people you know, it's it's, human nature, you know, way want total being sink and be friendly that's what we're striving for something on the job, you know, just little being sometimes like a little baby and I shall come upto probably with the groom in say, hey, cameras away, you think they put them away and it's it's a personal thing for you, right? Like good is ending up doing anything I can help you with, you know, get your drink or whatever like you just reach out your domain like it's really it's a little little things that you can do just to kind of show that you care it doesn't take much, you know and kind of a follow up with that is I imagine that what how do you handle it the same way when brides are uncomfortable with the close ups or groomsmen aren't come through with the close ups or personal space how do you navigate that especially in small spaces as you have mentioned before? So you're saying the vibe off of if you're too close up in there or not gently if it's bride and groom moment at the location you know I'm general using a long lens okay? Like some of those shots that I showed you from the rial you saw that that's really super close shots of her being intimate with the groom we'll end up with rick and you know, it's just a matter of choosing the right lens, you know you gotta choose the right lands and I did say earlier that they will be comfortable with what you're doing but you don't overdo it, you know, you don't want to be like, you know, doing this all the time, you know, I do it sometimes, like just but I'm very subtle about it, but usually, like, I'm choosing the right lens. Especially. I want to get, like, a really tight, intimate moment. I've got the seventy, two hundred out it's, one of my favorite long lenses, and, yeah, and I make sure that, you know, you don't interrupt the moment as well. So you just need to assess what's happening. If it's something that you know, that you can can you a little bit closer, and you want that particular stall of the look of the lens and go forward. But generally, you don't want to be interrupting any moment, you know.