There are several ways to shoot and light a car scene, but the “Poor Man’s Process” continues to be a popular approach to safely and affordably simulate a moving car, while focusing on the actor’s performance inside the vehicle. In the Visual Storytelling 2 course on MZed, Alex Buono runs through the various methods of filming a car scene for either narrative or commercial work. Alex is the DP for Saturday Night Live, where he’s tasked with creating full fledged productions in a matter of days, from idea to national broadcast. But he has also shot feature films and commercials, so he provides a very practical guide for anyone learning how to make a car scene come alive. Image credit: Alex Buono Free Driving in Independent Films The most basic form of shooting in cars is what Alex calls “ free driving.” The actor is driving, while you’re shooting either hand-held inside the car, or you may have a camera mounted to the hood or the side of the car. This is often done in independent films, but Alex warns it can be quite unsafe, especially if you’re shooting at night. Image source: Alex Buono He says, “First and foremost, it can be dangerous, and the thing you want to be very careful about not doing is attempting to light your actor while they’re actually driving the car, which can be very distracting and dangerous and kind of stupid.” Your actor’s performance will also suffer as they’re trying to safely...
Published By: CineD - Wednesday, 23 March, 2022