by Gil Bettman
Had we actually done the shot in Board #26, the best lens for this shot would be an extreme wide-angle 10mm lens. This would make the top of the dam seem very far away and the height of drop immense. It also would help sell the moment right before the impact. If the bike landed right next to the camera, the forced perspective of the lens would make the bike get very big, very fast. It would seem to be immense and very fast-moving, which would make a powerful shot.
Putting a camera in a crash housing where you think it is going to be hit is more responsible than it sounds. The actual odds of a direct hit are very small. The Imo is the cheapest of all 35mm cameras. The housing offers excellent protection. And with every near miss you get a great shot.
The perspective of Board #27 is closer to that of a 50mm or normal lens. The decision to use a 50mm was governed by the fact that I only had one dummy bike to throw off the dam. Because I could do the shot only once, I wanted the shot to be good from beginning to the end. If I had used a wider lens, the drop would have seemed greater, but the forced perspective of the wide lens would have made the bike get very small, very fast. So small that the shot would only have been truly dynamic right at the beginning, when the bike went by the lens. Furthermore, the height of the dam was great enough to make the drop seem terrifying even when shot with a 50mm.
Board #28 — Figure 6.006
The shot in Board #28 was drawn to show how I intended to use a telephoto lens to accentuate the motion of the bike in the middle of the drop.
When filming an object flying through the air, whether a cannonball, a car, or a jumbo jetliner, the telephoto lens is generally the lens of choice, because it enhances the speed of the object in mid-flight when it is traveling across the frame at a distance from the camera. The wide-angle lens is best at the moment of take-off or landing when the object is launched or lands right next to the camera.
The wooden forms used to construct the dam had left a crosshatch pattern in the concrete face of the dam. The telescopic properties of the long lens would enlarge this pattern and seemingly bring it closer to the falling motorcycle. As the operator panned vertically with the motorcycle down the face of the dam, the horizontal lines in the pattern would pass rapidly through the frame and energize the shot.
I drew Board #28 so that the shot lasts until the moment when the bike hits the rocks and breaks into pieces. This was because the telescopic properties of the lens would keep the bike large in the frame and make the impact appear dynamic.
FIGURE 6.006
Board #29 — Figure 6.006
This board was drawn to show what the shot in Board #26 would look like at the moment of impact. As I stated above, when shooting an object traveling through the space, such as the motorcycle, it is a good plan of action to try place a “locked-off” camera in a crash housing with a wide-angle next to the spot where the object comes down. This was why we drew the board. But we ultimately decided not to shoot this setup (it is the same as the setup in Board #26) because it would have been too time-consuming to go down the elevator to the bottom of the dam to set up an Imo.
Had we done the shot, the forced perspective of the lens will make the object get very big, very fast right before the moment of impact. If the impact occurs close to the camera, the lens will also seem to accelerate the speed at which the pieces of the motorcycle are propelled outward from the point of impact.
Board #30 — Figure 6.006
The purpose of the shot in Board #30 was to show Lance going over the edge of the dam, headed for disaster. Like Board #25, and unlike all the other shots in this sequence, when I drew Board #30 with Doug Lefler I had not previously planned out with the stunt coordinator and the DP how I was going to do the shot. So there is no lesson to be extracted from this board. It was only drawn as a placeholder to signify that we needed to shoot this piece of the action.
Figures 6.016 to 6.018 are frame grabs from the shot that we actually did. To do this shot the operator hand-held the camera about three feet off the ground, looking down over the edge of the dam, and the stuntman simply rolled under the camera toward the lip, while the operator swung the camera over his body. The tighter frame made the movement of the stuntman’s body dynamic. The use of a medium wide-angle lens looking down into the canyon below made the drop seem precipitous and the danger great.
Board #31 — Figure 6.007
This board and the two that follow, #32 and #33, answer the question posed by all the boards from #25 on, specifically: “If the motorcycle goes over the edge of the dam and falls from a great height, breaking to pieces, will the same fate befall Lance, when he goes over the edge?” The early boards pose the danger to the hero, hopefully generating suspense. Boards #31, #32, and #33 relieve that suspense by showing Lance catching himself at the last moment.
Board #31 captures the actual moment when Lance saves himself from falling to his death. In this he proves his heroic stature. I knew if I did not show this to the audience — if I simply skipped from Board #30 to Board #32 — I would have omitted the actual moment of truth, and thereby made the fortunate result seem staged, and not believable or earned. However, Board #31 would seemingly require that I hang a camera or a cameraman twenty feet below the lip of the dam, hundreds of feet above the bottom of the canyon. Fortunately, when I scouted the location in preparation for drawing these storyboards, I discovered that, at the farthest edges of the dam, the drop from the road along the top of the dam to the canyon walls beneath was not more than ten feet. If you look at Board #4 and imagine that you were standing on the road along the top of the dam right where Doug Lefler drew the number 4 with a circle around it, you could jump from here and land safely on a spot ten feet below. Therefore, a cameraman could easily set up a tripod on this spot, and with a 50mm lens on the camera looking up at the lip of the dam, he could frame up the shot drawn in Board #31. The stuntman could safely throw his legs over the edge of the dam and hang by his arms, just as I drew in Board #31. This made it quite practical to plan on getting this shot.
6.016
6.017
6.018
FIGURE 6.007
Board #32 — Figure 6.007
The shot in Board #32 was drawn and planned as part of this sequence because, as I emphasized above in my discussion of Board #16, in order to make an action sequence exciting for an audience, it is absolutely necessary to:
● Put the real-ies in the action as much as time and money allow.
The shot drawn in Board #32 is a tight shot on John Stamos, rather than the stuntman doubling Stamos. This makes it more believable to the audience that the hero they are rooting for is in danger of falling to his death.
The rigging needed to safely hang an actor from a great height is quite low-tech and can be inexpensively and easily deployed. The actor wears a rock climber’s pelvic harness under his clothes. An extremely thin and strong piece of cable is run under his hand, down his sleeve, and attached to the harness. When the camera is framed up just above him looking past him into the abyss below, as is drawn in Board #32, he seems to be hanging on by his hands, but in fact, he is cabled off and completely safe. He could even safely let himself drop and then catch himself, to sell the action of the stunt.
The shot in Board #32 was drawn as seen through a medium wide lens. It was not necessary to use an extreme wide-angle lens because the height of the dam was great enough to make the drop seem terrifying, even when shot with a medium wide.
Board #33 — Figure 6.007
The shot drawn in Board #33 is a good complement to the shot in Board #32. The shot in Board #32 puts the real actor in the action and makes the audience believe that their hero is in great danger. The shot in Board #33 adds emphasis to the danger by making Lance seem small and, therefore, more vulnerable and in a very precarious position.
As drawn, this shot would be done with a medium long lens on a camera at the base of the dam. A wide-angle lens would make the height seem greater, but when seen through the wide-angle lens, Lance would
be too small in the frame. The medium long lens would show the height, but also make the stuntman doubling Stamos big enough in the frame to be easily seen.
WHAT WE ACTUALLY SHOT
As I have stated above, we did not shoot all the boards. The final-cut version of the ambush on the dam can be viewed online by following this link: http://hollywoodfilmdirecting.com/directing-the-camera.html
If you view this clip you will see that we dropped more shots than I mention above, and we did not do all the shots as we drew them. This is the reality of shooting action. The storyboards are a wish list. Unless you are an established director on a big-budget studio movie, you will never have the time to complete all the shots that you want or even a bare minimum of what you think you must have. Murphy’s Law strikes. You drop shots throughout the day, and after you wrap you just pray that you got the crucial shots that will make the action come to life.
In the case of this ambush on the dam from Never Too Young to Die, I think we succeeded . . . just barely. Look at the clip and judge for yourself.
The biggest obstacle I had to overcome to make this sequence work was the limited availability of Gene Simmons. I only had him for one shoot day when I should have had him on set every day. This was because Steven Paul actually ran out of money on Never Too Young to Die before we got to shoot the finale. So the crew went on hiatus for a couple of months while Steven flew around the world selling off the overseas distribution rights. By the time he had raised the funds to finish the film, Gene Simmons was off playing the villain on the Rutger Hauer version of Wanted: Dead or Alive. This is why the shots of Gene driving the truck were done on a soundstage against a blue-sky backdrop and many of the setups that were drawn in the storyboards with Ragnar facing the camera were actually shot on Ragnar’s back or over his shoulder, so as to conceal that it is actually the stunt double and not Gene Simmons. Hence the motto of low-budget filmmaking: “When you get lemons, you make lemonade.”
CHAPTER 6 SUMMARY POINTS
● When you are working low-budget, the key to shooting a great action sequence is determining the crucial pieces, because that is all you will be able to shoot.
● Once you have determined these crucial shots, you should memorialize your decisions by storyboarding the sequence.
● It is wise for a director to be open to creative suggestions from his storyboard artist.
● Whatever the means used, it is crucial to produce a permanent visual version of everything the director and the stunt coordinator have agreed upon. A picture is worth a thousand words, so this will save precious time and money on the set.
● If you are shooting action, it is often most cost-effective to shoot two units. If you have storyboarded the sequence then both units can literally work off the same page.
● The high, wide three-quarter is the classic establishing shot. This is because it shows the audience the front, the side, and the top of the subject and everything surrounding it.
● If you can quickly and easily put the camera in the air and shoot straight down, do it. When you are shooting low-budget, the camera is almost always at eye level or on the ground. A top-down shot refreshes the eyes.
● When shooting action, if you think you can get a laugh, go for it. Humor is free, it adds to entertainment value, and makes your stunts new, even if they have been done a thousand times before.
● Once the camera or cameras are in place, stage every piece of action you can think of in front of them before moving on.
● When you are shooting a chase or any action sequence that unfolds over an expanse of terrain, avoid shooting tie-in shots. You get more good pieces in less time if you shoot each player in a separate setup and then cut back and forth between the players.
● When you are doing an action sequence on a budget, you should shoot every possible insert you can think of.
● Inserts: (1) should be easy to read, which is to say, the audience should be able to immediately understand what they are looking at, and (2) they should cut smoothly into the overall action.
● Put the real-ies (the real actors rather than the stunt doubles) in the action as much as time and money allow.
● When doing a stunt that involves any real danger, shoot it once with as many cameras as possible. This is safer, and saves time and money.
● If you have to do the stunt twice, then you have screwed up. Your goal should be to do it well the first time and move on.
● Good operators are expensive. This tends to limit their number to two.
● Additional, “locked-off” cameras (cameras that are not operated) require added assistant cameramen. This tends to limit the number of “locked-off” cameras that can be used effectively at three.
● To shoot a shot with multiple cameras you have to make sure the cameras do not see each other. If they do see each other, it should be at moments that can be easily edited out.
● The most efficient way to decide where to put multiple cameras is to start by determining the location of the cameras that must be in an exact spot, for esthetic or safety reasons, and then adjust the other cameras accordingly.
● When filming an object flying through the air, whether a cannonball, a car, or a jumbo jetliner, the telephoto lens is generally the lens of choice, because it enhances the speed of the object in mid-flight when it is traveling across the frame at a distance from the camera. The wide-angle lens is best at the moment of take-off or landing when the object is launched or lands right next to the camera.
FOR TEACHERS
In the “For Teachers” space at the end of Chapter 8, I describe how a teacher can solidify the students’ understanding of how to direct an action sequence by requiring them to design and shoot a short action sequence. I suggest a two-man fight or a chase, because these are the simplest and easiest and a good place to start. If a student is more ambitious he can shoot and edit a dance number or a moment from an athletic competition.
As a first step toward the successful fulfillment of that exercise, you can require the student to break this action sequence down into shots and to record these preparations using storyboards. Thanks to digital technology, students who cannot draw can now produce storyboards using software designed for this purpose such as Frame Forge. If a student does not have the skills to fulfill the assignment using Frame Forge or a similar program he can do it using any digital camera with a 30X or better zoom lens.
If the student chooses to generate the storyboards using a still camera then he is going to need stand-ins to pose in front of the camera and go through all the motions of the action sequence while he shoots a still of each camera setup. Those who fulfill the assignment in this fashion should form groups of three. They can then work as a team; two can pose while the third shoots the still.
In either case, the students should be instructed to:
1. Put the camera in the right place.
2. Put the right lens on the camera.
3. Get the right number of pieces.
The students will be best prepared to successfully complete this storyboarding assignment after they have read Chapter 7 and 8. In those chapters I fully explain in detail how to best shoot a fight or a chase by using camera placement, lens selection, and montage to energize the action. In order to create a good storyboard the student must understand these elements of craft. Therefore, it would be best if he were given this assignment after having studied the last two chapters of this book.
The students should be encouraged or required to hand in the assignment in a digital format. They can do this by putting it on a USB drive, burning it onto a CD, or posting it at a file-sharing site and then sending a link to the teacher and their classmates. This way the assignment can be projected in the classroom and critiqued using the Socratic Method. If the students actively participate in the critique they can refine their understanding of the lesson by identifying ways to improve the work of their classmates.
CHAPTER 7
DIRECTING A CHASE SEQU
ENCE
THE BASIC RULES
Speed is the component you try to pump into every frame when directing a chase. When reduced to the basics, there are three ways to do this:
1. You use the wide-angle lens in narrow spaces and make sure the action passes right in front of the lens.
2. You use the long lens in open spaces and make sure the action passes on the X-axis, across (perpendicular to) the lens.
3. You isolate each participant in the chase in separate setups and quick cut between them.
Chases on roads between vehicles and chases on foot between people make up about 95% of all chases on film. I am going to break down the foot chase shot by director Kathryn Bigelow in the film Point Break. This foot chase is legendary. It is completely satisfying as a high-energy action sequence. And yet it is as bare-bones and low-budget as you can get. It is just two men running through a residential neighborhood — the Venice/Culver City section of Los Angeles — shot with no lights and a hand-held camera. Yet it is as energetic and suspenseful as the vastly more expensive chase sequences in any of the Bourne or Dark Knight films. Those who are trying to launch a career as a director need to know how to shoot action on the cheap and make it look great. This is what Kathryn Bigelow did brilliantly in her foot chase in Point Break and this is what I will teach in this chapter. If you learn how to shoot action with low money or no money and direct a low-budget film that is an unqualified hit, such as Spielberg did with Duel, or Cameron did with the first Terminator, then the studios will come after you and give you the money you need to shoot action the expensive way. But, first things first.
TIE-IN SHOTS