The Ups and Downs of a One-Camera Shoot

We filmed two scenes for STBD yesterday at Affogato.

In each of them, characters were having conversations across a divide -- either sitting on opposite sides of a table or staring at each other from different vantage points.

Normally, a professional film crew would use two cameras (at least) to cover this setup, ensuring that the characters' reactions to one another were consistent. But, on our shoestring budget of zero, we use one camera to cover each side of this setup.

How? Multiple takes.

Do you see the potential problems?

The Cons

- If one character ad-libs a line, it may not match the other character's response in the reverse angle.
- If one character changes his or her delivery or motivation during subsequent takes, it may not match earlier takes.
- It may ALSO not match the reactions of the other character, creating a disjointed conversational flow.
- If props are moved, or if one character's hand / body / mouth enters the other character's frame, it could disrrupt continuity.

And yet, despite all of these pitfalls, there are upsides to using a single camera.

The Pros

- Less footage to capture, sort through and edit (in fact, presumably, HALF as much).
- Lighting only needs to work for one angle at a time, rather than both.
- Half a set is NOT in use during the filming of each angle, allowing the unused portion to be dressed / lit for the next setup.
- Fewer potential mistakes by multiple camera operators (and, as a result, only one operator needed).

How a One-Camera Shoot Affects the Actors

This is the tricky part, because the actors always know whom the focus of a shot is on when the camera is only pointed at one of them. This can lead the off-camera conversant to drop his or her energy level. That's understandable, since they can rest assured the visuals of their performance won't be recorded... but that also affects the energy level of the actor being filmed.

If someone is flirting with you, or yelling at you, and they're putting 100% of their effort into it, you'll respond much differently than you would if they're only putting in 50% effort, no? The same goes for actors. Despite their best intentions, it's still inherently unnatural for one to react at 100% when the inciting incident that causes his or her reaction was only delivered at half-energy. The actor being filmed may become self-conscious because he believes he's over-acting -- when, in fact, he's merely doing what he's supposed to be doing.

Suddenly, the entire scene loses its zip.

The solution? Simple. Encourge everyone involved in the scene, even if they're not on camera during that take, to give it 100% every time. It's natural for the off-camera actors to still withhold just a bit, to make sure they have a little something extra in the tank when it's "their turn." But if everyone is running around 80-90% energy, the scene will flow much more effectively -- and believably.