Jump to content

Short Film Int. Car. Night


Kenny Williams

Recommended Posts

I am aiming to shoot a short film at the end of this year. Most of the film takes place in a car at night with three characters. I already plan to find a relatively empty street to shoot this on. I also plan to be in a lead car with camera monitors and things like that so the actors can just focus on following the car I'm in. I was wondering if anyone had any tips on trying to achieve this. I've researched rear projectors and doing it with a green screen and not that it would look bad I would just prefer the actual look of shooting. I also don't know if mounting a camera to the hood or the side would be affordable because I'd have to get streets blocked off for safety. I was thinking hand held in the backseat for certain shots COULD work. I'd need to do tests but I'm afraid it might be too shaky. Anyone with experience or tips would be greatly appreciated!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Definitely test!

Depending on the scale of your production I would say you can safely do vehicle mount shots with out shutting down streets.  I say this cautiously! but if you are driving on side streets without traffic its fairly common to do this. The most dangerous thing is honestly having actors act AND drive, so make sure they are all very comfortable with this.

Handheld in the car can also be fine and is often done. Maybe you have a wide master with an exterior mounted camera or even just shots of the car itself from a distance and then you can cut into handheld shots in the car. It depends on the aesthetic you want.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One advantage is that there's less traffic at night. It's certainly possible, I've done it on a few films, both on film and video. As mentioned, the main danger is having the actors act and drive at the same time. On these productions, we had the camera mounted on the bonnet (hood) for some set ups and occasionally on the side.

On point to bear in mind, you may not see much outside on an empty street when filming in a car, just the street lights in the distance and their reflections on the windscreen.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've shot in cars several times now (day and night, with trailers and without) and I think one really important thing is to have a car that is big enough to host you and everyone that needs to be there and that gives you some space to get different shots. If the car is too small it will be a pain in the a**. If you worry about shakiness you might want to get a rather heavy camera...(something that really sits on your shoulder or in the cinesaddle) that worked well for me. Oh, and that said a cinesaddle shouldn't be missing on your list! Also consider having some additional led lights that run on batteries so you can mount them somewhere, otherwise you might not see too much especially when shooting with an exterior car rig and get reflections of street lights on the front window. Next thing is safety... i remember flying around in a car with an Alexa XT on my shoulder one time because the actor was driving and acting and hit the break hard all of a sudden. I hope that gives you some more inspiration for your checklist. Driving up and down the road you want to shoot several times in advance is also key (even better if it's already in the car you will be shooting with so you can check out possible angles and places for rigging lights). Good luck! 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I'm just a bystander, but it might be worth having as many practicals as you can get away with. A console mounted LCD, mobile phones constantly being used by passengers, finding excuses to use vanity lights, one of the passengers is a smoker, etc, etc. You could mount a tablet with a white screen on a window that's not visible in the shot, I suppose. Just to give a little bit of low key ambience, to fill in the shadows just a touch.

This kind of challenge sounds like a lot of fun to me! Do please let us know what solutions you end up with.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

A point to remember with moving lights is the continuity. Of course, this depends on the action and how you're cutting the scenes together. However, there are a lot more lighting options today than there used to be in the past, although the range may be restricted by the budget. Certainly, you should test before you begin filming.

I agree about the size of the car interior being important. The first car I shot a film in turned out to be pretty near ideal for this because of its large interior.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
×
×
  • Create New...