Skip to main content
Humanities LibreTexts

4.1: Planning to Shoot

  • Page ID
    113534
  • \( \newcommand{\vecs}[1]{\overset { \scriptstyle \rightharpoonup} {\mathbf{#1}} } \) \( \newcommand{\vecd}[1]{\overset{-\!-\!\rightharpoonup}{\vphantom{a}\smash {#1}}} \)\(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \(\newcommand{\id}{\mathrm{id}}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\) \( \newcommand{\kernel}{\mathrm{null}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\range}{\mathrm{range}\,}\) \( \newcommand{\RealPart}{\mathrm{Re}}\) \( \newcommand{\ImaginaryPart}{\mathrm{Im}}\) \( \newcommand{\Argument}{\mathrm{Arg}}\) \( \newcommand{\norm}[1]{\| #1 \|}\) \( \newcommand{\inner}[2]{\langle #1, #2 \rangle}\) \( \newcommand{\Span}{\mathrm{span}}\)\(\newcommand{\AA}{\unicode[.8,0]{x212B}}\)

    Production is a Real Time Event

    Production is a real-time event. Actual content is created as a camera rolls - one minute of actors saying lines will equal one minute of real time. Finding an efficient use of production time requires meticulous planning to make sure the equipment, crew, actors, sets and legal documents arrive at a specific time on the right set. Careful production preparation will not solve every production issue. It does prepare the filmmaker to execute their vision rather continually fix preproduction oversights.

    Preproduction progresses slower than real time. You cannot write a script to a two-hour movie in two hours. This luxury of writing dialogue and action over weeks and months does not exist in production. The weeks it took to write a script takes mere hours to shoot on the set. Those hours spent on the set are when all the pieces should come together. A great cost to a feature is the time spent with trucking equipment, cast, crew, food, and costumes, to the set. Production needs efficiency.

    This issue is more obvious in documentary films. Whereas fictional projects can re-shoot scenes to a certain perfection, documentarians often have one chance to shoot coverage, such as, rioters flipping cars and breaking windows. Filmmakers need to have resources in place to capture the action as it happens.

    To prepare for real time events, production crews need an intricate plan to make sure equipment, crew, permits and other filmmaking resources are at the right place during filming.

    String of Lights
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): String of Lights. Pixabay License; Free-Photos via Pixabay
    Narrative vs Documentary Production

    Video production lays out across two broad classifications: Narratives and Documentaries. Generally narratives are fiction-based scripted productions while documentaries are filmed interviews and live events. It might seem that documentaries are unscripted and lacking the level of preproduction of a scripted show, modern documentaries often draw as much preplanning as a narrative. In fact narratives and documentaries have borrowed so many techniques from each other that the planning of both kinds of features have great similarities. Narratives employ vérité, or hand-held camera techniques, borrowed from documentary production to make their features seem more realistic. While documentaries utilize storytelling narrative techniques, like story boarding and recreations to cover their edited interviews and narrations. Much of this chapter focuses on professional production techniques shared by both Narratives and Documentaries.

    The “Aha!” Moment

    Preparing for preproduction also has a second advantage. It sets up sudden spurts of creativity on the film set. Actors ad lib, the weather gets in the way and in the real world, real life gets in the way. Good filmmakers can take advantage this because they are prepared and open. Often called the Eureka Effect (I like “Aha!” better – a word I do utter on the set), these are moments of sudden inspirations which improve storytelling. Many times cool unexpected things happen on a movie set during production.

    On “Jaws,” the large mechanical shark (named “Bruce”) often broke down and never really looked like a credible shark onscreen. Director Steven Spielberg abandoned much of this footage and, at times, set the camera from the point-of-view of the shark. By omitting the villainous beast onscreen, the final effect for audiences were more ominous and scarier. Roy Scheider’s iconic “You’re gonna need a bigger boat” line was never in the script but was inspired on the spot.

    Sudden inspirations are possible when films are meticulously planned out. Plans that the crew follows until a cooler idea surfaces. The great scientist Louis Pasteur said, "Chance favors only the prepared mind." He believed greater insights arise due to preparation. These are “Aha!” moments.

    Despite detailed planning, filmmakers are open to unplanned occurrences on their sets. Sometimes magic happens when directors let cameras roll beyond the scripted lines. The classic scene in "Taxi Driver" where Travis Bickle stares into the mirror asking, “You talking to me.? was actually triggered by an on-camera conversation between screenwriter Paul Schrader and Robert de Niro. Warning, the following video has adult language.

    Good filmmakers find that balance between good planning and being open to real-time events as they come along. Harrison Ford suffered from food poisoning on the day he was supposed to shoot a fight scene with a sword wielding-assassin in “Raiders of the Lost Ark." He was too sick to shoot the scene the way Steven Spielberg wanted. Someone on the set suggested Indy should take out a gun and shoot him. They reblocked the scene this way and it became possibly the funniest bit in the film. The humorous bit made possible by a film crew willing to break away from their plan, problem-solve around it, and come up with an inspired solution. Read the article for a more detailed explanation of the scene.

    The Shot List

    One strategy to production efficiency is to imagine what your shoot day(s) will be like. It helps to visit your location(s) a few days before your shoot and at the approximate time of production. This way you can assess the light, noise, and other factors affecting filming. This is known as the site survey and it allows an accurate assessment of any issues which may come up. This also allows you to make an accurate shot list based on your script demands. A list of needed shots and ordered shot schedule creates production efficiency. StudioBinder produces many informative videos and does a good job breaking down the many aspects of shot sizes and composition. This thirteen-minute video breaks down some of the basics:

    (StudioBinder is a subscription-based company but has many free downloads and forms needed for production.)

    A shot list contains more than a compilation of the kinds of clips needed. The list also orders the shots. Features are not generally shot in story order because in many films, shooting in script order would be overly cumbersome. Shoot days must be planned efficiently. Let's say, for example, restaurant scenes bookend a scene in a house. You would not want to shoot in the cafe, then move onto a house then back to the cafe.

    Further, individual scenes will likely not be shot in script order. If two scenes in a kitchen surround a scene in the bedroom, it makes sense to shoot in one location first then move onto the next. Breaking down a scene further, each scene will be shot from multiple angles. So a shot list takes the shot, location, angle into consideration as well as the time of day the scene takes place.

    For a simple 2-actor setup, this is my five-shot go-to for a scene:

    1. Master Shot; Long Shot or Establishing Shot
    2. Over-the-Shoulder (OTS) Actor 1; Medium Shot (MS)
    3. Close-up (CU) Actor 1
    4. OTS Actor 2; MS
    5. CU Actor 2
    Two Actresses on Film Set in Front of a Green Screen
    Figure \(\PageIndex{2}\): Two Person Scene (from "Disbelief", Laney College 2021). (Creative Commons License; Image by Susan A Bradley via Laney College)

    I may add shots to this basic list as appropriate. For instance, if one actor pulls something from their pocket, I would add that to the shot list (CU Man pulls out knife). The reason for this is that each shot setup requires resetting lights and camera positions. The OTS and CU are shot from about the same angle and require minimal repositioning of people, set pieces and equipment. With the technology shifts, shooting an HD project using 4K, 6K or 8K files may allow you to shorten your list. These larger files with greater metadata allow you to zoom into an OTS shot to get your close-up in post production.

    Crossing the Line

    Extensive preplanning helps avoiding the dreaded violation of the 180 rule, also known as "Crossing the Line". The 180 degree rule endeavors to keep two characters or objects spatially relevant to each other as you cut from scene to scene. If this spatial relationship is broken, it may confuse an audience. Whether it is a subtle distraction or longer lasting disorientation, crossing the line can be avoided.

    Keeping track of which side of the screen your actors are on from one shot to another is important, especially if those two shots appear next to each other in the final edit. It is easy to screen what you have already shot; I will generally do this before setting up the next shot to make sure my characters stay on their own sides of the screen. Pay close attention if your characters move around during the scene. A person starting on the right side of the screen may end up on the left by the end of the shot. The 180 rule comes into play when the shots are edited together.

    Since rules can be broken, if your goal is to disorient the audience (e.g. a fight or chase scene) then by all means break the 180 rule but only break this rule for a purpose.

    Mitigating Chaos

    Creating a shot list is one way to mitigate the chaos that sneaks into productions. Organized filmmakers work to minimize last minute and unforeseen issues. Detailing all the production and collateral information in one place keeps the film cast and crew moving in the same direction. Creating a binder of information is essential and is called a Production Bible. Check out the next section for detailed information.


    This page titled 4.1: Planning to Shoot is shared under a CC BY-NC 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Steve Shlisky (ASCCC Open Educational Resources Initiative (OERI)) .