Movie Directors And The Master Shot
Movie Directors And The Master Shot
An old school director of photography shared a filmmaking pearl of wisdom that stuck with me before ever shooting my first movie scene. They said no matter what kind of amazing camera shot I might want to experiment with as a movie director (I call it a “wonder shot”) always shoot a simple master shot. Avoid getting too fancy or cute with it.
He advised me to always film a take or two using a master shot in case your “wonder shot” does not work out. A master shot is used to cover most or all of a scene including actors. It can be as straightforward as locking the camera down on a tripod for a static shot. Or going hand held with the camera to follow the action. You will not get close up details of a scene, but a master shot guarantees you will have the entire scene covered for post-production.
Knowing you have a master shot gives you much more
flexibility as a filmmaker to be creative, take chances, and experiment with a scene with the rest of the takes you have time for. During the shooting of my first movie I used a few “wonder shots” hoping they would turn out as I envisioned them. I dreaded the thought of being in post-production when the editor informs me that a scene could not be cut together or was unusable.
I am always a bit nervous after filming a show because I know post-production will reveal any mistakes made during production. Nothing is perfect when making movies. What an independent movie director hopes to avoid at all costs is reshoot days. I work with indie film budgets that rarely allow for reshoots. What I get the first time during filming is what has to be edited. There usually is not enough money to go back to reshoot a scene to fix a problem.
Sure some of the “wonder shots” I
have chose to shoot scenes did not turn out like I had hoped. A few of the calls I made as a director just did not work. What saved the day? The master shots that were simple and not fancy.
It turns out that the master shots I thought I would never use in post-production (because surely all my “wonder shots” would work) did the job when ever there was editing issues. The editor was able to use the master shots to replace my “wonder shots” and keep the show on track during final edit.
The other side of the story is some of the “wonder shots” I had taken chances on worked beautifully. There is nothing like hearing an editor say, “great camera angles” or “loved the way you shot that scene.” The editor’s mind is now free from having to wrestle with a scene to make it work. Instead they have shots they can edit into a visually strong scene.
Master shots are
not sexy or glamorous, but they can become a lifeboat for a movie director when it becomes clear in post-production a camera move just did not work. On an indie film budget it is important for a movie director to cover all the scenes as much as possible. Indie filmmakers that cover a scene one way reduce their options. Do not ever shy away from shooting a “wonder shot”, but balance it with a master shot to cover your rear in post-production. This is indie filmmaker Sid Kali typing JUMP CUT.
Sid Kali takes you inside his life as a filmmaker. Get the scoop on screenwriting, producing, directing, and movie distribution. Visit his blog Slice of Americana FilmsAlso check out Movie Biz Coach a crisp way to learn the ins and outs of the movie business.
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