Directing the Camera: How Professional Directors Use a Moving Camera to Energize Their Films

by Gil Bettman

Overview

The first half of this book is devoted to teaching a systemized approach that can be used to design the very best moving shot for any dialogue scene, no matter how complex or long. Bettman’s “Five Task” approach enables the aspiring director to quickly grasp this difficult element of directorial craft. In the second half the reader is taught how to shoot action sequences using moving and static cameras and the gamut of lenses to achieve the magic trick essential to shooting action — making stunts that are highly controlled and neither violent nor dangerous look completely mind-blowing.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781615931927
Publisher:	Wiese, Michael Productions
Publication date:	10/30/2013
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	208
File size:	14 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Gil Bettman is a director and a professor. He teaches at Chapman Universityin the Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. His book, First Time Director, made the Los Angeles Times bestseller list. He recently completed his fifth feature film, Go There Once, Be There Twice, a documentary recap of the life and times of rock star Sammy Hagar. Bettman has also directed numerous rock videos and multiple episodes of primetime television.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments
Foreword by Robert Zemeckis

Preface
How to Use this Book

PART ONE: WHY TEACH HOW TO DIRECT THE CAMERA?

Chapter 1: The Importance of Directing the Camera

PART TWO: SHOOTING DIALOGUE SEQUENCES WITH A MOVING CAMERA

Chapter 2: Why Move Your Camera?

Overview
When Do you Move your Camera?, Bob’s rule: The Three Kinds of Camera Movement that Are Invisible,
Externally Generated Camera Moves, Externally Generated Camera Moves — Seamlessness and
Eye Candy, Seamlessness, Eye Candy, Internally Generated Camera Moves, Moving Establishing
Shots, Those Who Break Bob’s rule and Why They Do It, The Rise of the Snoopy Cam, Dogma Picks Up
the Snoopy Cam, The Snoopy Cam Today, Summary Points, For Teachers

Chapter 3: The Good Moving Master

Overview
A Model Moving Master and Coverage — Jerry Maguire, Task 1 — Establishing, Task 2 — Seamlessness,
Task 3 — Eye Candy, Task 4 — Drama, Task 5 — Coverage, The Default Pattern for Designing the Best
Moving Master, The Master for The Mahjong Parlor from Conundrum — Following the Default Pattern,
The Master with Warren Feur from What Lies Beneath — Seamlessness to the Max,
The Master with Warren Feur — How Seamlessness to the Max Adds Eye Candy, The Master with
Warren Feur — How Seamlessness to the Max Helps reveal “Everything,” The Master of norman’s
Confession — A Unique Master for a Unique Scene, norman’s Confession — opening Beat —
Why Zemeckis Departs from the Default Pattern, norman’s Confession — Middle Beat — Why
Zemeckis Departs from the Default Pattern, norman’s Confession — Final Beat —Why
Zemeckis Departs from the Default Pattern, Where to Design the Best Moving Master, never Settle
 — The Key to Designing the Best Moving Master, Summary Points, For Teachers
Fifteen Walk and Talk Scenes

PART THREE: DIRECTING ACTION SEQUENCES

Chapter 4: Directing Action Sequences

Overview
How to Put the Camera in the right Place, How to Put the right Lens on the Camera, How to Get the
Right Number of Pieces, Summary Points

Chapter 5: Lens Selection

Why Force Perspective?, Lens Selection as a Joint responsibility Between Director and Cinematographer,
The Basics of Perspective, Extreme Telephoto and Extreme Wide-Angle Versus normal Perspective,
Lenses — Field of Vision and Depth of Field, General Applications of Different Lenses, General
Applications of Field of Vision and Depth of Field, Wide-Angle Lenses, Telephoto Lenses, General
Applications of Perspective, How Lenses Affect Movement, Motion to the Lens or Away from the
Lens — The Z-Axis, Motion Across the Lens – The X-Axis, Motion Across the Lens – The y-Axis, A
Good Way to Learn How Lenses Affect Motion, Summary Points, For Teachers

Chapter 6: Breaking Down Your Action Sequence

The Theory Behind Storyboarding and Pre-Visualization,The Storyboard in Practice — The Story in
the Storyboard, The Storyboards for the Ambush from Never Too Young to Die, What We Actually
Shot, Summary Points, For Teachers

Chapter 7: Directing a Chase Sequence

The Basic rules, Tie-In Shots, The Story of the Chase, Strategy #1 — Wide-Angle Lenses — Pogo
Cams — narrow Spaces, Strategy #2 — Long Lenses in Open Spaces = More Eye Candy,
 Geography in Chase Sequences, Humor, Shooting Action/Chases with the Wide Lens Versus Shooting
Action/Chases with the Long Lens, Summary Points For Teachers

Chapter 8: Directing a Fight Sequence

The Basic rules, The Two Setup rule, Segments and Coverage, The Importance of Mastering Fights,  
The Importance of Good operators and Good Assistants, The Joy of Stunts, Summary Points, For Teachers

Conclusion
About the Author