CHAPTER 32

ROLL CAMERA

 

As the time comes to roll camera, the script supervisor makes a last check to see that characters are correctly costumed. The right props must be on the set and at hand, and nothing can be forgotten or misplaced.

The AD's task is to marshal everyone into their starting positions, ensure that doors and windows are closed, and get silence on the set, ready for action. There is a last hair and make-up check, and the director of photography (DP) checks that all lights are switched on. If you are using a film camera, the assistant cinematographer (AC) has checked the film gate for debris, something that must be done regularly.

Distances have been measured out and the focus puller is ready to adjust the lens in perfect synchronization with the actors' movements, all according to a marked piece of tape on the lens focus ring. With 35 mm this becomes vital because the depth of field is selective and focus is critical for viewing on a large screen.

The script supervisor confers with the AC concerning the next slate number, which we will assume is Scene 62 Take 1, and she takes her position next to the camera. Correctly slating every shot is the key to knowing what you have covered and being able to organize it afterward in the cutting room. This information goes into the camera, sound, and continuity logs, which become sources of vital information. So vital, in fact, that we must digress for a moment to establish how marking systems work.

SHOT AND SCENE IDENTIFICATION

Your crew must keep logs of important information when you shoot. These serve the same end for both videotape and film, but record keeping and continuity observation are more stringent for film because it allows no instant replay.

CLAPPER BOARD

There are many fancy, automatic film-marking systems, such as the Smart Slate, but the exquisitely low-tech clapper board, with only a piece of chalk and a hinge to go wrong, is my favorite. The clapper-board ritual has three main functions:

• Visually, the slate identifies the shot number and the production for the film laboratory.
• Aurally, the operator's announcement identifies the track for sound transfer personnel.
• When sound and picture are processed separately and must be synchronized, the closing bar provides an exact picture frame against which to align the bang in the recorded track.

When video recording is single-system (sound and picture on the one piece of tape), sync is not an issue. No clapper board is needed unless you shoot double-system sound (film or video picture and sound recorded separately on a Nagra or DAT machine). For either film or video double-system productions, the clapper board is essential to precision sync.

If you shoot single-system video, you will still need a shot-numbering system to identify setup and take numbers against the script. Then, using high-speed scan and timecode (a unique time signature for every frame) recorded in a log, a chosen section can be rapidly located for viewing on the set. This is invaluable on location when time spent reviewing tape is often stolen from much-needed rest.

Clapper or numbering boards carry not only scene and take numbers but a quantity of vital information for the image quality-control experts in film labs or video online studios. These include a gray scale, white and black as a contrast reference, and a standard color chart. In video, a color chart called color bars is usually generated electronically by the camera and recorded for reference purposes at the head of every camera original tape.

To summarize:

• For film production, use a clapper board with verbal announcement before filming.
• For single-system (camcorder) video production, use a number board for the camera with announcement only.
• For double-system video or film, treat the operation like film and use an announcement and a clapper board.

SETUP AND TAKE NUMBERS

The setup is the apparent position of the camera, which is usually altered by physically moving the camera to a new position. However, a simple lens change also counts as a new setup. There are two philosophies of numbering.

Method 1:  The Scene/Setup/Take system is favored in the Hollywood fiction film system. Numbering is based on the script scene number. For example: Scene 104A, shot 16, take 3. Translated this means script scene 104A, setup 16, attempt number 3. Hollywood makes big, highly supervised productions, and needs lengthy factory part numbers. For the small, flexible production, this is unnecessary. The more elaborate a system is, the more susceptible it is to error and to breakdown when people get tired or if you depart from the script. Also, by taking longer to announce, it wastes precious filmstock.

Method 2:  The Cumulative Setup/Take system is used in both documentaries and features in Europe. Shooting simply begins at slate 1 and each setup gets the next number. For example: 142 take 2. This system is preferred for the overstretched small crew because it requires no liaison to coordinate numbers with the script, and no adaptation when the inevitable script departures come up. The disadvantage is that one more step is necessary for the script supervisor. Every setup number must be recorded against a scene in the master script or kept in a database.

SHOOTING LOGS

A film shoot requires various logs:

A camera log (Figure 32-1) kept by the assistant cinematographer (AC) recording each film magazine's contents by slate, take, and footages. Each magazine gets a new camera roll number. This information comes into play during processing and later in editing. A day-for-night scene, for example, would be shot using a blue filter to give it a moonlit look, but if the lab lacked the relevant documentation, it might easily treat the filtering as an error needing color correction in the workprint.

A sound log (Figure 32-2) kept by the film sound recordist records slate and take numbers and whether each track is sync or wild (non-sync voice or effects recording). The latter information is important to whomever does the transfer from DAT or 1/4″ master tape because there may be no pilot tone (electronic sync reference signal).

DOUBLE-SYSTEM RECORDING

Whenever sound is recorded by a mechanically and electrically independent recorder, the film camera rolls and video cassettes do not stay in numerical step with their sound equivalent master roll. This is because stock durations are often different, or because wild track, sound effects, or atmosphere recordings have been added to the sound master rolls as the production progresses, and now there is simply more sound shot than picture.

FILM

Separate sound and camera logs are a necessity as component parts of film dailies travel to their destination in the cutting room by different routes (Figure 32-3).

Film, cutting film:  The film laboratory processes the negative and strikes a workprint, which they send to the editor. Meanwhile the 1/4″ magnetic master tape or DAT cassette goes separately to a sound transfer suite, where a copy is made onto sprocketed magnetic stock. This, too, is sent to the editor. Sound and picture are thus reunited for the first time under the editor's hand.

Film, cutting digitally:  For television, the film negative is run through a telecine machine and sound synchronized by the lab to produce a cassette of sync sound takes, which the editor then digitizes into the editing system. Feature films, fearful of any undue negative handling, strike a workprint from the negative, and this is digitized in the labs and sound synchronized. The editor works from digitized cassettes as in the television method.

VIDEO

Single-system:  When shooting single-system with a camcorder, logs (Figure 32-4) can be simpler because sound and picture are usually recorded side by side and on the same cassette (Figure 32-5). The AC simply keeps a master log by timecode numbers and makes a record of slate, take, and camera setup information. The recorded cassette, containing both sound and action, goes to the cutting room for digitizing.

Double-system:  Sometimes when using video, sound is recorded for quality reasons “double-system” on a separate recorder (see Figure 32-5) as in a film shoot. The sound is synchronized to the picture by the cutting room assistant after the two have been digitized for editing.

LOGS IN ACTION

Logs are going to help the right material go to the right place. The camera log will inform the labs what to expect as they process and print the workprint from the camera original. If a scene looks very blue, they won't try to color-correct the workprint because the camera log says in block capitals: DAY FOR NIGHT. The sound log similarly acts as an inventory of what the sound transcription service, and later the editor, can expect. Much time is saved when syncing up dailies if you know, for instance, that the rest of a cassette contains only wild tracks of trains shunting.

Another less obvious function of logs is to record (by serial number) which piece of equipment made which recording. Should a strange hum appear in the sound or scratching turn up on a film negative, the offending machine must be quickly identifiable so it can be withdrawn for examination.

THE COUNTDOWN TO SHOOTING

The director, satisfied that all is ready for a take, nods to the AD and so begins an unvarying ritual designed to get everything rolling:

AD (loud voice): “OK, quiet everybody, we're about to roll.”

Silence descends. The clapper operator takes position holding the clapper board or clap-sticks in front of the first actor, at a height where it is clearly visible. On close shots, the operator will sometimes direct its placement to ensure that the all-important number and clapper bar are in shot.

AD: “Roll sound.”

The sound mixer turns on the recorder and waits a few moments until able to report that its mechanism has stabilized.

Sound Mixer: “Speed.”

The camera operator now turns on the camera, which comes up to speed almost instantaneously.

Camera Operator: “Mark it.”

Camera Assistant: “Scene 62 take 1”

BANG—the clapper closes, and the camera operator scuttles out of shot and into position next to the camera.

Camera Operator: “Rolling.”

Director: “Action.”

The magic word action can be said in a variety of ways, depending on what you want to convey: excitement, mystery, surprise, dread, routine. It's the director's last prod, and as the scene begins, the script supervisor turns on the stopwatch.

If during the scene a car horn is supposed to sound from Johnnie waiting in the road, the script supervisor will call out “Beep, beep” at the right place, and a character will respond with “Aha, there's Johnnie. I gotta go.” Any other scripted cues, such as a voice calling from the alley below, or a plane going overhead, will be cued in the same way.

CREW ETIQUETTE

During the scene, crew stand as still as possible and stay out of the actors' eye-lines, so as not to distract them. If the film is a comedy, they remain silent and expressionless, even on the funniest line. It is vital not to behave like an audience, for that would initiate theatrical rather than cinematic performances. In any case, every member of the crew has something to monitor:

• Camera operator is watching through the camera viewfinder for focus, composition, framing, movements, and whether the mike is dangling into shot. Film cameras have an oversized viewfinder so the operator sees something encroaching on the frame before it enters the filmed area.
• Director of photography is watching the lighting as the actors move from area to area.
• Script supervisor is watching to see how each physical movement is accomplished in this take and listening for any variations from the scripted dialogue.
• Director is watching the scene for its emotional truth and intensity. What is being expressed? Is the scene focused? Does it deliver what it's meant to deliver?
• Sound recordist is listening to dialogue quality, background, any sound intrusions, and whether the voices are on axis and clear of any footsteps or body movements.
• Assistant director is watching to see if actors hit their marks and listening that all is quiet on the set.
• Make-up and hairdressers are watching to see if their work is wilting under the lights.
• Electricians are watching to see that all lights stay on.
• Grips are watching to see that the rigging they have done is remaining firm, lights are staying up, and scenery is firmly anchored.

The scene proceeds until the director calls “Cut.”

STARTING WITHOUT A CLAPPER

Sometimes when the clapper board could not get into shot, or when you are shooting spontaneous material in the street and not wanting to alert everyone that the camera is rolling, the director will simply signal to start the camera and sound recorder rolling. After the action is complete, the clapper board, (also called clap-sticks) is brought in by the AC, but upside down. The AC calls out the scene number and says “Board on end” or “End clap-sticks,” then claps the bar, after which the director calls “Cut.” In the cutting room the person syncing the material will have a note in the continuity sheets warning of the end-clapped material, which will have to be end-synced, then wound back to the beginning.

WHO CAN CALL “CUT”

There are one or two situations in which someone other than the director calls “Cut.” The camera operator may see a hopeless framing mistake or see that an actor went wide of the mark and veered out of frame. The sound mixer may for some reason be getting unusable sound. Either may call “Cut” if their right to do so has been established with the director. The idea is to save the actors' energies and not put them through a wasted performance. A stunt person or the stunt person's supervisor, seeing a situation of danger or a failure about to unfold, may also call for the take to end. Very occasionally an actor may call “Cut,” but it depends on the circumstances. An actor doing something difficult and stressful like lifting a barrel would be allowed to abort the take. But directors usually don't want the cast deciding when their work is not useable. A big-name actor might be accorded that privilege, especially if the director is of lesser status. But ordinary mortals are expected to keep the scene going until released by the director. Even though an actor flubs a line, the director may know that this part of the scene is to be covered in another shot, and won't care about a momentary glitch.

PICKUP SHOTS

It sometimes happens that a take is excellent except for a couple of lines or a movement. Then and there, the director will reshoot that section, sometimes by calling out “Go back and do the section about the storm again” without even stopping the camera. The script supervisor will call a beginning cue, and the scene will resume until the director calls “Cut.” At that point, director and script supervisor will confer and decide that they must shoot some cutaway shots of listeners so the new section can be edited in. These shots will get appropriate numbers, and their function will be noted in the continuity sheets. Another way to cover the inserted section would be to move the camera and shoot it from another character's angle, and in editing bounce the section off a close shot of this listening character, so it becomes her point of view.

PRINT THAT

In film shooting, the director chooses whether to print the take just shot or go for another take. If the take was good, the director will say “Cut… print that one” and will go on, if it's needed, to say what was good about that take. If the director wants another take, it will be: “Cut, let's go for another take.” Then the director will have a quiet word with the actors saying what he is looking for, and from whom. Particularly if the scene is longish, there may be two or three takes printed up, with accompanying notes such as “Use the first part of Take 4 and the last part of either Take 6 or 7.” With video there is less need to make these choices because everything gets dumped into the editing computer.

COMPLEMENTARY SHOTS

Once the master shot has been achieved, the camera will be moved in to get medium shots, close shots, over-shoulder shots, and so on. Each will be a new setup, and each will get a new number, with each attempt being slated as a new take. Different camera positions may use different lenses or different camera heights to alter the sense of space and perspective. The backgrounds may be cheated to contain enough of something significant in the frame as a juxtapositional comment. Lighting will also be cheated because lighting for a wide shot only sets the general mood of the scene, and individual closer shots must often be adjusted for contrast or to achieve a better effect. The key lighting must still come from the same direction, and the changes cannot so change the shot that it stands apart from the master shot, but within these parameters, there is still plenty of latitude for poetic license.

KEEPING TRACK OF WHAT'S SHOT

The script supervisor has to monitor how each segment of script is being covered, especially when the director departs from the original plan for some reason. In such a case the two of them must confer to make sure there are no ghastly omissions. Usually the script supervisor marks the script in light pencil, then goes over it with a heavy line for everything successfully covered. When changes happen, the light original can be left, and a heavier alternative marked in for the new approach.

BLOCKING CHANGES

Sometimes the blocking is changed. Be very careful that the footage doesn't cross the line, which means the camera has somehow crossed the scene axis. This will cause headaches in the cutting room and a scene that looks awful once it is cut. Here's where a ground plan is useful. You can check, when the camera is moved to such and such a position, to see who is supposed to be looking in which direction. Everyone must logically look either camera left or camera right, however slightly, if the scene is to cut together correctly.

DIRECTOR, SCRIPT SUPERVISOR, AND CONTINUITY REPORTS

Directing means being wholly occupied with the actors every moment of the shoot. You have planned your coverage in advance with your script supervisor, and now it would be counterproductive to waste precious energy ensuring that the coverage is being fulfilled. That is your script supervisor's job. He or she must see that the editor is supplied with adequate coverage and ensure that matching shots really match. Which hand a character used to open the suitcase, how long his cigarette was when he stood by the window, and which direction he turned as he left for the door must be consistent in adjacent shots.

In the event of changes or economies, the script supervisor needs to know how the revised footage could be edited together and must at all times guard against omissions.

CONTINUITY SHEETS

For a feature shoot, the script supervisor produces reports that are often masterpieces of observation. Each setup has its own sheet to record the following:

• Production, personnel, and date
• Slate and take number
• Script scene number
• Camera and lens in use
• Action and dialogue variations
• Successes and flaws for each take
• Which takes are to be printed by the lab (big-budget films are able to print selectively)
• Any special instructions from director or script supervisor to the editor

Not surprisingly, a script supervisor needs fierce powers of concentration and the ability to do huge amounts of typing in spare moments. When everyone else has gone to sleep during a location shoot, you will hear the script supervisor still at work. Because you cannot replay an exposed film as you can a recorded video tape, the script supervisor's work is vital in feature filmmaking. Its quality later determines how readily the cutting rooms can locate a given shot in their filing system and how well it fits together with its complementaries.

IT'S A WRAP

When all the materials for a scene have been shot, and everyone is satisfied that the editor has everything needed, it comes time to strike (dismantle) the set. But wait, the sound department must first shoot a presence track. Everyone stand still! In eerie silence everyone stands like statues, uncomfortably aware of their own breathing and of the little sounds in the room. “Cut,” calls the sound recordist. “It's a wrap!” yells the AD. Pandemonium breaks out as everyone moves to start their winding-up responsibilities:

• Electricians lower all the lights and roll up cables while hot lighting fixtures cool down.
• Grips strike the set and collect up their clamps, stands, and boxes.
• Props collect all the properties and stow them for safety, marking them off a list.
• Camera people take the camera off its support, start dismantling it, and stow gear in its many travel boxes.
• Stuff accumulates on the floor in family groups: all the C-clamps here, all the sandbags there, all the cables in a grubby pile.
• Sound equipment goes in its boxes.
• Actors clean off make-up and change into their street clothes.
• Wardrobe collects costumes for any cleaning and repairs.
• The AD hands out call sheets for the next day, plus some script revision sheets photocopied on different colored paper. Several people groan at the sight of changes still coming in.
• The director is in close conversation with the actors, then goes around the unit thanking everyone for a good day's work.
• The AD checks that there is no damage to the location and that everything is left clean and tidy.
• The gopher (the runner or “go for this, go for that” person) unexpectedly produces coffee and sandwiches for all, and a low sigh of delight goes up.

Doors open and close as weary people schlep the equipment out to the transport, munching as they go. The camera assistant is checking the lens and camera gate or carefully labeling cassettes or film cans while the recordist and continuity supervisor are finishing reports. The latter is filling out a daily progress report for the production manager, who will be anxious to know how many pages of script were covered and how much shooting stock got consumed. Engines start up and the circus moves on its way, to reconvene the next day at the next location.