The journey from script to lens
How the hell will this thing will be shot?
With roughly six weeks until we shoot Big Break, the Cinematographer and I have begun working closely together to translate my vision into something that will be seen and experienced on the screen. There’s a reason the Cinematographer is also referred to as the Director of Photography. Through her interpretation of my vision and her creative choices, the movie actually comes to life. Favienne will have her own newsletter interview in the coming weeks that dives deeper into her role, but for now, I’ll share what we’ve been doing to prepare to shoot Big Break.
As an exercise to get us all in the right headspace, think of a memorable scene in one of your favorite movies. For me, it’s the scene where Clarice meets Hannibal Lecter for the first time in The Silence of the Lambs. As Clarice walks down the hallway to Hannibal’s prison cell, there are two different camera setups/ perspectives. Ping ponging between Clarice’s face as she walks, and what she sees as she walks down the long hallway. The moment the two of them greet each other, we have one shot over her shoulder looking at him, and vice versa. Within two minutes, there were several shots and camera placements. Each shot was carefully thought out and discussed at length to ensure it would not only serve the story but also evoke the right emotion. In this case, the terror that Clarice feels as she gets closer to Hannibal.
What’s interesting about Big Break is that, because of its found-footage nature, much of the shooting style is already determined by the story itself. While more traditional movies like The Silence of the Lambs had multiple setups, Big Break follows only one perspective: the interview camera. Also, as it’s set in the early 00s and is shot on a time-period-accurate camera, that helps determine things like aspect ratio (how wide the image is) and resolution. Plus, it’s meant to look like a real news interview, so added lighting would be minimal, and we’d be at the mercy of whatever light is at the location.
Even though it sounds simple at first, Favienne and I are still going through extensive preparation to determine the shot list and how the camera will move within the space during these long takes. One of the more interesting aspects of this style of shooting is that the camera itself is also a character. Favienne will be operating the camera AS one of the characters, Sophia. So, not only do we have to determine which camera angles and movements fit the story, but we also have to go deeper and figure out what Sophia would do, where SHE would want to point her lens.
To begin answering these questions, Favienne and I sat down for a few hours to do what’s called a script breakdown. To prepare for this, I went through the script and noted down specific emotions of each scene. I thought about each character’s goal in each scene, where the emotional beats are, where there is a shift in tone, and which aspects/props should be in the foreground vs. the background. For example, at one point, Vivienne and Leona stand in front of a massive shelving unit. Like floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall shelves. Our production design team will fill the WHOLE shelving unit with little trinkets, photos, books, etc. But there are a few items that are integral to the story, so we need to make sure we catch them on camera and draw people’s eyes to them.
Once Favienne and I broke down the script page by page and discussed the details ad nauseam, we could move on to the next phase, called shot listing. This means that for every scene, we decide where the camera will be placed, what it will focus on, where the actors are, and, eventually, where the lighting goes. Since Favienne will be operating the camera like a news cameraperson who’s recording an interview, there is sometimes a LOT of movement within a single shot. To document this, we have created overhead diagrams of each room’s layout and begun sketching the camera and actors’ movements. There are lots of arrows in one room. Like drawing out a dance choreography.
Again, because of the nature of this film (long takes), many small details will need to be determined on the day, once we have everyone in one space. But we are doing our best to prepare as much as possible to ensure we are on the same page on each shot and each emotion, and to give the rest of the crew an idea of what the setups will be. The shot list is also essential for Meron, my Assistant Director, who will create a daily schedule that includes details such as how long it will take to set up the lighting for each shot.
So, how exactly does the actual filming happen, how are shots decided, and what are the intricacies of a director/cinematographer relationship? I can imagine you already know what I’m going to say here… I have no fucking clue. But hey, this is how we are doing it, and I am very pleased with this process so far. Especially because Favienne is far more experienced than I am. So, not only is she able to bring her experience into every choice she makes, but she is also teaching me about certain cinematography details as she asks me for my opinion. Talk about a workout for your brain.
Alright, that’s all for now. I better get back to the fun part of this all: watching movies I love and noting down the shots that I think could work for Big Break.
Chat soon.
Xoxo,
Caitie