Car scenes - live locations vs CG

[pushparaj santhosh]

Hi all

We are planning to shoot a movie which involves a lot of car scenes. My plan was to shoot it in a studio with chroma instead of live location so we can have better control of actors and lighting but I don't think the end result will be as realistic as shooting on a live location. What are the cons and pros of shooting a car scene on a floor instead of doing it in a live location with car rig? And what method do you guys prefer? Thanks in advance ?

[Satsuki Murashige]

Shooting for real CONS:

1. Lots of logistics - need permits to shut down roads, can take a long time to rig each setup, requires long stretches of road for dialogue scenes, long resets to get the picture car back to one for each take. 

2. Less control of lighting and backgrounds, difficult to maintain continuity. Can be difficult for director to get the performance they want, due to physical distance.

3. Very difficult to get usable sound.

4. Potentially unsafe if actors are doing their own driving.

5. If on a process trailer, car can appear too high off the ground compared to other traffic.

6. Can be bumpy depending on the road surface.

7. More expensive.

Shooting for real PROS: 

1. Looks realistic, can shoot wider angles, dolly shots. 

2. May help actors performances due to real environment, especially if they don’t have to drive themselves.

3. More fun to shoot.