Efficient Production Shoots = Happy Talent
by Patricia Locke
When you do
produce your DVX100 movie, make sure to keep your movie
production schedule as efficient as possible. We all know that
as independent digital movie directors and filmmakers, we tend
to have multiple duties which keep us extremely busy on set. But
when you are on set and you have your talent waiting in the
wings for you to get the ball rolling, they tend to lose their
motivation which results in a stale performance.
So to combat this,
here’s a simple way to keep your digital film production moving
along at a good, consistent pace:
Divide Your Actor’s Performance
You don’t have to
shoot everything all in one day. Take your time and shoot the scene
on different days. Take some time to rehearse the blocking (physical
positioning within a scene) of your actor with the DVX 100 as
well as the delivery of their lines and performance until they have
it down pact and comfortable.
If it’s an extensive scene that requires dialogue and action,
break up the shoot day into two days.
Shoot their
dialogue performance on one day so they can concentrate on emotion
and delivery, then shoot the action portion of their performance on
another day so they can focus on movement and blocking. Don’t make
the mistake of overwhelming your actor with multiple takes and tasks
on a long shoot day. Keep the shoot relatively short (3-5 hours) and
keep them fresh – especially if you’re working on their donated
time. They gave you their time, the least you can give back is some
understanding. If you keep your film and video production schedule
fun, they’ll want to keep coming back.
Shotlist
Plan out the
shots that you need to get during that shoot day. Map it out in the
most efficient way that works for you. A good place to start is to
shoot according to your camera setups (angle, height and placement).
If you get all the coverage you need with your DVX100 during that
particular camera setup (wide shot, medium shot, close-ups, etc.)
then you know what you need from your next camera setup. Once that’s
done then you can move on to your next setup and so on. Your talent
will be glad as well as impressed that you respected their time
enough to organize your digital movie production and shooting
schedule.
Continued on next page -
DVX100 and
HVX200 Production Efficiency
Do
YOU have a cheap, low budget, do-it-yourself DVX100 tip or trick that
you'd like to contribute?
If so, just email it to
us and we'll post it up!
Thanks
for helping the grass roots grow!
