In most cases, fictional narrative movies are shot using a single camera. This enables productions to be extremely mobile and to go to any location required by the script, as opposed to multi-camera and control room productions like sitcoms and soap operas, which are produced in a studio. Single-camera shooting also allows the energy and expertise of the director and the entire creative team to be focused on each and every shot in the movie. Finally, shooting single-camera gives us maximum versatility in editing, because the film has been broken down into its smallest component parts — individual shots —whose intended sequence can be creatively rethought and rearranged throughout the post production process to improve the film.
Short Film Examples
Waking Dreams
The Wake
The Plastic Bag
When I Was Young
Vive le 14 Julliet
This Is It
Video Figures
Figures 4-4 and 4-5 – Jumping 180 Line
Figures 4-4 and 4-5 – Respecting 180 Line
Figures 4-6 and 4-7 – Jump Cut
Figures 4-6 and 4-7 – Smooth Edit
High Resolution and Color Figures
A simple edit. Cutting from a long shot (a) to a medium close-up (b).Overhead of shots (a), (b), and (c). Character sightlines establish the 180° line of action and shot (a) establishes on which side of that line all shots must remain. Shot (c) crosses the line, effectively reversing all sightlines and movements and potentially causing spatial confusion (see Fig. 4-5).The images taken from the overhead positions in Fig. 4-4. Note that while shot (b) cuts seamlessly with shot (a), shot (c) will not cut smoothly with shot (a) because character positions, sightlines, and movements are abruptly reversed.The 20mm/30° rule. Two shots of obviously different sizes and angles such as shot (a) (LS profile) and shot (b) (CU threequarters) cut together smoothly, but two shots that are nearly identical, such as shot (a) (LS profile) and shot (c) (LS shifted slightly to the right), will cause a jump cut.The images taken from the overhead positions in Fig. 4-6. Shot (b) will cut seamlessly with shot (a), but shot (c) creates a jump cut.The movement of a subject through the frame establishes their screen direction and the axis of action. Crossing the line of action (camera position b2) reverses the subject’s movement through the frame creating the impression that the subject is suddenly moving away from the original destination.Three ways to reverse the screen direction of a subject while maintaining the feeling of forward progress. From shot (a) (moving screen right); changing direction within a shot (b1); cutting to a neutral shot (b2); or using another character’s POV shot (b3 and b4) will allow us to continue the journey toward screen left (c).Meeting sequence. Maintaining a consistent and oppositional screen direction creates the expectation that two characters might eventually meet.To create a sense of one character following (or chasing) another, we shoot them moving in the same screen direction. This can be emphasized further by shooting the characters against a shared landmark, in this case a flowerbed.
