Designing a Shot

[Danny Chastain]

I'm interested in knowing how people begin to design a longer shot with multiple elements in it. Do you start off by finding certain frames that you want to hit during the shot? And then map how you're going to move between those marks? 

Really looking for any insights or general thoughts. 

[Maxwel Fisher]

If you haven't seen it already, here is a fun interview with Larry McConkey on how he composed the Copa Cabana scene in Goodfellas. This might help give you some insight. 

 

[Danny Chastain]

Thanks, Maxwel. I have seen this before and this is one of the reasons why I'm posing the question. I guess at the end of the day each shot presents its own set of challenges or problems to work through and figure out a solution.

[Maxwel Fisher]

I think you’re right in that it is a case by case scenario. Sometimes you’ll have a DP with a very specific shot and movement in mind and no matter what you might be able to do to make it “better” you just stick to what they want.

In other cases, like in Larry’s story where he basically gets a start point and an end point and has to fill everything in between, you can find moments to make the shot more exciting. Whether it’s having a character interact with something or someone, pick up details of an object or conversation as you’re  passing through a space, maybe you’re stuck looking at the back of the actors head and you want to see their face or get in front of them…what can you have them do so you can accomplish that?

You get the idea. In my still budding career, that’s how I’ve generally gone about things.