Fast Cutting Shots

[Danny Draper]

Right, shots such as in John Woo or Tarantino movies which use fast cutting camera angles, how is this done?

 

Is it by filming the sequence several times, because I figured it couldn't just be a number of camera set up, because there are scenes in which they would get in the way or there could not be enough room to fit more than one camera.

 

Any replies for help would be useful

 

Cheers

 

Dan

 

x

[Michael Nash]

All movies shoot scenes multiple times, from different camera angles, for the reasons you mentioned. It's actually very rare that an entire scene will be shot in one take with multiple cameras, except for some very simple scenes.

[Danny Draper]

Doesn't this have a strong possibility of wrecking continuity?

[Brian Drysdale]

Doesn't this have a strong possibility of wrecking continuity?

 

Yes, that's why scenes are planned, rehearsed and blocked out before shooting. The continuity person keeps notes on the action, also you're helped by how much the eye actually misses as long as the momentum of the action carries the scene.

[Jim Simon]

It's actually very rare that an entire scene will be shot in one take with multiple cameras, except for some very simple scenes.

 

Or some very complex ones. It's very common for a director to shoot a particularly difficult stunt or demolition scene, for example, in one take using multiple cameras. The explosion of the White House in Independence Day is one such take. They made only one scale model, so they had to get lots of coverage for the single take of it's destruction. The building demolition at the beginning of Lethal Weapon 4 was also covered with multiple cameras and shot in one take, as that was a real building scheduled for demolition, not a special effect.

Edited August 17, 2007 by Jim Simon

[Michael Nash]

Or some very complex ones. It's very common for a director to shoot a particularly difficult stunt or demolition scene, for example, in one take using multiple cameras.

 

Yes of course, but stunts or effects usually aren't complete scenes -- they're stunts or effect within scenes. That's why I didn't mention them. But you're right; there are many cases where you'll roll mulitple cameras. But "normal" coverage is usually only one or two at a time.

 

I'm very aware of the building in LW4. The first building was in Orlando, and the one at the end was the Soreno Hotel in downtown St. Petersburg, where I was living at the time. I hated to see the place go! Managed to slavage some cool furniture from the place (before it went, of course).

[Danny Draper]

Thanks a lot :)

 

That's how I've done all my shorts, but I didn't know if there was a different way when cutting.

 

But yeah, cheers (Y)

[Danny Draper]

One more thing,

 

so for example in the highway chase scene in The Matrix Reloaded when the shot cuts between people and to the back of the car etc.

 

is that a number of a different repeats of the take or is it a number of cameras?

 

Thanks x

[Michael Nash]

I barely remember the scene the movie turned me off so much, but chances are good it was multiple takes. As you can imagine, it takes a long time to shoot these sequences.

[Danny Draper]

Yeah i really can. :blink:

 

Thanks