What do you filmmakers prefer?

H

harmonica44

I have been experimenting with cutting takes in a scene. In a movie, when you watch two people talk to each other from across a desk, let's say... The camera will be on one guy's face, while he's talking, then the other guy, when he is talking. Sometimes though the camera will be on the guy who is not talking and show him listening.

Do you guys find it's best to film both sides of the conversation entirely? Put the camera one guy while the other guy is speaking? Just filming both guys listening without talking, then decide after which scenes of listening only, are best to splice into the cutting? Or do you guys think it's best to come up with a shot list beforehand and decide exactly when in the dialogue, the camera will be on the person listening?
 
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Ernest Worthing said:
On a separate note: I know you're watching everything CF. I feel you looking right over my shoulder. I think you can involve yourself in IT a bit more without overdoing it as u felt u were. I still remember THE GAME we played.
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What game? What will harmoinica44 ask next? :D
 
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Cracker Funk said:
Oh. Haha. I took your comment at face-value. :) This conversation makes me want to watch "Unbreakable" again (Dammit, it's not on Netflix instant queue, I guess I'll have to pull out one of the two Shyamalan DVDs that I own).
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Me too. I've become a Sam L. fan and that's worth it by itself.

Just for the record, I penned the "Vertical 180 degree rule." Having only one axis, you can shoot from any angle without violating it. ;)
 
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harmonica44 did you get your question answered? There are some good posts here. Seems to have been derailed. If not let us know.
 
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indietalk said:
harmonica44 did you get your question answered? There are some good posts here. Seems to have been derailed. If not let us know.
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I kinda got it answered. Just wondering if it was best to shoot all the extra footage to see what kind of takes of an actor listening you'd get. With film you would not want to do this, but digital it's cheaper, but takes more time. I think I will write shot lists of the takes, beforehand and only create new shot lists if I need them once the scene is finished being shot. Rather than just using parts of extra footage I have shot, just in case. If that makes sense.
 
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Do it the way you want, and see what you like. This could fall into the area of a director's style.
 
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I don't know if you've ever watched the behind the scene's for the Hurt Locker. They talked about how there were always many cameras. The lead even made a joke about "NINJA" cameras. Well shoot from three angles minimum, two shot, then one cam on each actor, like an over the shoulder shot. Then experiment in post with a non-linear editor such as final cut pro. Just sync it up on top of each other and just literally cut out parts you don't want, and then automatically, the layer under, which will be a different angle will be there, but use only sound from one camera, otherwise there isn't consistency.
 
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Yeah okay, so only use the sound from the same mic you mean. Since I have been using only one cam and mic, that won't be a problem. I thought the Hurt Locker was shot on actual film, or at least it didn't look like digital.
 
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hunteq said:
I don't know if you've ever watched the behind the scene's for the Hurt Locker. They talked about how there were always many cameras. The lead even made a joke about "NINJA" cameras. Well shoot from three angles minimum, two shot, then one cam on each actor, like an over the shoulder shot. Then experiment in post with a non-linear editor such as final cut pro. Just sync it up on top of each other and just literally cut out parts you don't want, and then automatically, the layer under, which will be a different angle will be there, but use only sound from one camera, otherwise there isn't consistency.
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K I might have read this wrong, I thought hunteg was saying that the Hurt Locker was edited with Final Cut Pro. Which is what lead to confusion, since I thought it was shot on actual film, which cannot be edited with FCP as far as I know. But it seems like I read it wrong.
 
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harmonica44 said:
K I might have read this wrong, I thought hunteg was saying that the Hurt Locker was edited with Final Cut Pro. Which is what lead to confusion, since I thought it was shot on actual film, which cannot be edited with FCP as far as I know. But it seems like I read it wrong.
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Every modern film (shot on film) is digitized, processed, and then printed back to film.
 
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harmonica44 said:
K I might have read this wrong, I thought hunteg was saying that the Hurt Locker was edited with Final Cut Pro. Which is what lead to confusion, since I thought it was shot on actual film, which cannot be edited with FCP as far as I know. But it seems like I read it wrong.
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CamVader beat me to it.
 
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