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Chase scene

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devhaven

I've shot a chase scene with a roller skater, some roller bladers, and a scooter. I've pieced together a chase scene but it needs work.

Any tips on editing chase scenes?

Thanks.
 
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We've already shot it. We definitely implemented the 180 degree rule. We also kept in mind screen direction. All of the footage is there, and its wonderful, right now I'm just wondering if anyone has tips on pacing and how to cut a chase scene together.

Thanks.
 
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Wow, I want to see it!
Coming around the corner shots are my favorite! I hope it has lots of those :)

Maybe pace it to fit your favorite fast song, something with a break down or a cool hook, even if the scene runs with no music, the audience will still sense the beat..

( Total NOOB by the way! ) you get what you pay for :)
 
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Yeah sure. I'll post something (without sound) later today or tomorrow. I like the editing to a song idea, even if that's not the song being used. Great idea. Thanks.
 
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I find that chase scenes with an excessive amount of extreme close-ups have less impact and look like video games. Check out some classic chase scenes.

Bullit
The French Connection
Duel
 
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wheatgrinder said:
lead, lead, chase, lead , chase, chase, lead, chase, - repeated -
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I'll check that out. That would be great help for pacing I would imagine.

indietalk said:
I find that chase scenes with an excessive amount of extreme close-ups have less impact and look like video games. Check out some classic chase scenes.

Bullit
The French Connection
Duel
Click to expand...

This is a great suggestion Indietalk. Thanks. I will have to give these movies a watch because it just so happens my lead character is stuck in the eighties.

Perhaps I could style it like an eighties chase. Know any good examples of that?
 
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devhaven said:
I'll check that out. That would be great help for pacing I would imagine.



This is a great suggestion Indietalk. Thanks. I will have to give these movies a watch because it just so happens my lead character is stuck in the eighties.

Perhaps I could style it like an eighties chase. Know any good examples of that?
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Miami Vice, Beverly Hills Cop? Sorry.... that's all I have right now :lol:
 
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Dukes of Hazard
smiley_banjo.gif
 
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devhaven said:
Lol. I'm going to head in a more realistic direction, but thanks for the suggest. You're on the right track though. This is an absurd dramatic comedy.
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It seems that I STILL see movies and TV having squealing tires on Dirt roads, Im not sure if this is on purpose! I cant believe that the people adding the sound FX's don't realize this absurdity, so maybe its an inside Industry joke that sound guys keep playing on the unsuspecting public.. AlcoveAudio, can you explain this! :grumpy:

Thanks
 
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wheatgrinder said:
It seems that I STILL see movies and TV having squealing tires on Dirt roads, Im not sure if this is on purpose! I cant believe that the people adding the sound FX's don't realize this absurdity, so maybe its an inside Industry joke that sound guys keep playing on the unsuspecting public. AlcoveAudio, can you explain this!
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Actually, it's become a real PITA for sound designers. Directors "request" certain sounds and as it is their project and their final decision you have to comply. It is also a question of what the audience expects.

Sound design is meant to enhance the visuals, and you have to do many things that run contrary to reality. Real guns do not sound like they do in the movies; people near real shoot-outs often comment on that; "It sounded like a bunch of firecrackers." Windows and auto windshields these days are made of poly-carbonate plastics that sounds like pebbles when the fragments fall on a hard surface, yet we still use the tinkling/crashing glass sounds. There is no sound in space - no air to transmit sound waves - yet all sci-fi films have zooming space ships, etc. Light based weapons - lasers, etc. - would emit no sound whatsoever. Think about it; real cars, no matter how bad the crash, almost never explode and burst into flames; a bullet punctures the body, it would not hurl a person across the room, yet filmmakers use these conventions all the time. BTW, if you are more than 25 to 50 yards away in reality the sound lags behind the visual event; light travels faster then sound. An example of "reality" is the sniper scene in "Saving Private Ryan" (which is a real tour de force in sound design); the German sniper sees Jackson take the shot long before the sound reaches him.

There's a saying in sound design - for a pistol use a rifle, for a rifle use a shotgun, for a shotgun use artillery, for artillery use a tank, for a tank use a bomb, for a bomb use a nuclear explosion, for a nuclear explosion drive down the highway at 90mph with a mic hanging out the window... funny, but true in many ways. Everything needs to be "bigger" than reality; it's partially because the real thing almost never sounds "real" when mixed with dozens of other sound FX and the score. The other reason is that it is our ultimate job is to engage and excite the audience, and let's face it, most of the time reality is pretty boring.

Here's a list of film sound cliches:

http://www.filmsound.org/cliche/
 
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I know you've already shot your scene so some of the suggestions here should be able to help you, especially Alcove Audio's bit (I know I learned a thing or two from that post).

Someone mentioned the 180 degree rule and I know as upstart directors we are warned to adhere to it with Jedhi Padawaanesque attention, which is excellent advise. BUT, it is a rule that can be broken to create tremendous dramatic impact. This holds very true in action sequences (fighting and chase scenes). You just can't go doing it willy-nilly, you have to plan for it using whatever visualization techniques best suit you. But you can jump the sight line (180 rule) on an event of ENERGY - a punch, a powerful look, a well pronounced movement, etc. This can add some serious punch to an action sequence/scene (see the Bourne movies). Remeber, like with anything in our trade - LESS IS MORE.
 
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Yup. I agree. However, in this case we shot out the back of a minivan. We were limited to the type of footage we could get with budget and time constraints. We managed to get some very nice looking stuff. Now the issue is editing it nicely. It's going well, I will post something in the future to see what everything thinks. All of the suggestions thus far will help me. Thanks.
 
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Don't know if this helps now or not, but I shot a parkour chase for my latest feature. One of the things I tried to do was have my actors enter and exit the frame each shot. This way I could construct the chase however I wish in editing.
 
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A quick suggestion - get a small mic (even a lav) and field recorder, tape the mic to the leg of a skateboarder, put the recorder in his pocket and have him do about 15 - 30 minutes of skating to obtain some clean effects to cut in with the visuals. It's amazing how much that can enhance a shot, even of you have the music pumping.
 
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Alcove Audio said:
A quick suggestion - get a small mic (even a lav) and field recorder, tape the mic to the leg of a skateboarder, put the recorder in his pocket and have him do about 15 - 30 minutes of skating to obtain some clean effects to cut in with the visuals. It's amazing how much that can enhance a shot, even of you have the music pumping.
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I guess you already knew that the sound was not good. Haha. That's a good suggestion. That would probably work for the roller skater, but for the roller bladers it would be a different sound. Also it snowed here already. Looks like foley will be done in the spring. I'm planning on handing this over to a sound editor; however, that will prove rather pricy. I going to attempt on getting a grant.
 
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