SHOOTING FOR EDITING WHAT IS SHOOTING FOR EDITING?

A term used in narrative film making wherein the filmmaker/s think about how the rushes will cut together into a coherent piece whilst shooting. ! When you come to edit you should have a variety of shots and angles to choose from in order to cut a coherent or dynamic piece. More choice of shots leads to more creative choices in the edit. ! Shooting for editing comprises of: ! COVERAGE! MATCH ON ACTION! CONTINUITY! ! COVERAGE ! ! Shooting much more footage than you need for the edit. Having a variety of angles/shot sizes for post-production.

This can comprise of: - Shooting more than one take for each shot - Shooting different angles for each shot ! - Shooting a ‘master’ shot (i.e. a wide with all the action) to cover any discrepancies within the scene SHOOTING RATIO ! ! this relates to the amount of rushes you have compared to the duration of the final edit. ! i.e. 30 minutes of rushes for a 10 minute film would equate to a 3:1 shooting ratio 300 minutes of rushes for a 10 minute film equates to a 30:1 shooting ratio ! Shooting on FILM usually relates to a lower shooting ratio as film is not usually finite resource. Shooting DIGITALLY usually relates in a higher shooting ratio as digital media is inexpensive/inexhaustible. ! Apparently Kubrick’s ‘The Shining’ had a 102:1 ratio - that’s 14688 minutes or 244 hours of rushes! ‘Russian Ark’ (Dir: Aleksandr Sokurov 2002) is one unbroken tracking shot lasting 1 hr 39 mins - a 1:1 shooting ratio. ! There’s no correct or standard shooting ratio but the more rushes you have… THE MASTER SHOT

Typically a wide angle, static shot which covers an entire scene’s action. This shot can be referred back to to help plan the edit’s narrative or used as a ‘fallback’ shot in case you don’t have the coverage to make a coherent edit somewhere in the scene. ! Film makers may set up a location, rehearse with actors etc then use the master shot to ‘block’ the action (and give the actors time to warm up to the material). The film maker may then move on to shooting close ups, mediums, tracking shots etc. ! You don’t have to use a master shot but it can be a useful tool to get your head around what’s happening in the scene (and where) before you move on to other shots. ! ! ! !

SHOT/ANGLE COVERAGE

Varying shot types and angles can lead to more choice in the edit. For example, if we are shooting a medium of somebody putting a gun on a table pick up an ECU (extreme close up) of the gun being placed. This gives you more options in the edit. ! Starting to shoot 5-10 seconds before the action in each shot starts and recording for 5-10 seconds after it ends can ‘cover’ you in the edit. CUTAWAYS are shots of the environment or objects that may (or may not) relate directly to what’s happening on screen. i.e. a close up of somebody’s hands while talking or an object in the environment. ! These can be useful if you need to get around a tricky edit that doesn’t quite match up or cut some dialogue out of a line. THE 180° RULE

Often misunderstood, the 180° rule relates to the crossing of an imaginary line running between 2 subjects. If this line is crossed when shooting the angles of the 2 subjects fall out of place and look odd, breaking spatial continuity…. EYELINE MATCH

This means that when a character is looking at something (or 2 people are having a conversation) the off screen position they are looking towards matches up. ! For example, a scene of 2 people having a conversation across a table. Ideally in the close up of each person their ‘eyeline’ is directed at the right angle and height to what they are looking at. EYELINE + 180

Character looking offscreen left. Character looking offscreen right. Eyes directed at height of other character Eyes directed at height of other character Camera positioned to right of actor Camera positioned to left of actor SPATIAL AWARENESS/CONTINUITY

Many films utilise Continuity Editing. This means that each edit cuts seamlessly across actions resulting in a smooth ‘flow’ where the on screen space is not interrupted. For example, a character puts down a cup in a medium shot. The next shot is a close up and the cup continues it’s path from where it was in the last shot. ! JUMP CUTS purposefully break this screen space creating shifts in time and movement (see ‘Breathless’ Jean-Luc Godard.) ! Being aware of where characters/objects are from shot to shot on set is vital to creating continuity editing BLOCKING

Blocking is the process of walking actors through the script and noting where they are moving in the scene. ! By walking actors through the script/set you can visualise where the camera should be placed in relation to the actors for each shot. You can also think about how to implement 180 degree rule, match on action and camera focus throughout the blocking process. ! Setting MARKS (pieces of tape on the floor) is useful for actors to know where to start or stop movement in a scene. SHOOTING FOR EDITING - PROCESS ! ! 1/ Block the action. 2/ Shoot the first take as a master shot. 3/ Shoot exactly the same action but cover close ups, mediums, tracking shots, over the shoulders etc. each time. 4/ Shoot cutaways. 5/ If you can, record some ‘room tone’ (the noise of an empty space) to help with any audio issues later. ! It helps to have a storyboard, script, blocking notes and shot list to hand while shooting. !

TASK

As a film crew shoot a very simple scene (script provided) with editing in mind. Think about continuity, coverage and match on action.

Organise the crew into the following roles: ! DIRECTOR (responsible for directing actors & liaising with DOP) DOP (camera - frames and shoots) GAFFER (lights the scene) SOUND RECORDIST (mics/booms recording scene audio) ACTORS x 2 ! Other roles you could employ: ! 1ST AD (assists the Director) ASSISTANT DOP (Assists DOP) SLATE (Clapperboard - sometimes Clapper/Loader/AD will do this)

You will be editing the rushes later. TYPICAL CREW DIALOGUE BEFORE EACH TAKE

AD: “Quiet on set” ! AD: “Sound Ready?” ! SOUND: “Ready” ! AD: “Camera Ready?” ! DOP: “Ready” ! AD: “Roll Sound.” ! SOUND: “Sound Rolling/Speed” ! AD: “Roll Camera.” AD: “Mark It!” ! (SLATE marks) ! CAMERA: “Camera rolling/Speed” ! Director: “Action!” SHOOTING FOR EDITING