On-Set Protocol: The 5 Stages of Shooting a Scene
I first learned of the five stages of shooting a scene when I was the Second AD on the TV series The Hitchhiker. I didn’t have a lot of set experience at that time so when the First AD asked me to run the set while he worked on the shooting schedule, I got seriously flustered about the order of how to do things. That’s when I heard the dolly grip call my name and quietly say “Peter, it’s Block, Light, Rehearse, Adjust, Shoot!”
These five stages of shooting a scene should be the basic on-set protocol for every filmmaker around the world. However, there are some directors who will not block with the actors first because they think not blocking will save them time. So when the actors arrive on set, the scene is already lit, the camera is in its first position and the director simply tells the actors where to move to fit the shot. Not good!
Setting up the first shot and lighting the set without blocking the actors first is a disaster waiting to happen and can create many problems later on: 1) you could end up spending extra time talking to the actors about their blocking before each set-up; 2) you might have to adjust your lighting and re-frame the camera because the actors want to move to a different position; 3) you may have to return to a previous camera position because you need to add a shot.
Because the actors don’t get a chance to show you their ideas for blocking the scene or get to see what you have planned before you set up the camera, this situation could also seriously undermine your actor/director relationship.
The following five stages of shooting a scene have been proven over and over again to be the most effective way to shoot any scene, so if you decide to not fully block a scene, you do so at your own risk by possibly falling behind schedule, dropping shots and losing the trust of experienced actors.
1) Blocking determines where the actors will be on the set and the location of the first camera position. Always block with the actors before blocking with the camera and let the actors show you what they want to do first. At this stage you want to block for actor movement first, not necessarily for performance (how they say their lines.)
2) Lighting is the time when the DOP and the crew light the set and position the camera for the first shot with the second team (stand-ins.) The DOP starts with the Director’s widest shot (or master shot) and gradually ends up with the smallest shot which requires less lighting and set-up time.
3) Rehearsing is the full camera rehearsal of the first set-up with the actors and the crew. This rehearsal is about the ballet between the camera, sound and actors and is mostly technical in nature.
4) Adjustments (Tweaking/Finals) are when the DOP and crew make their final technical adjustments to the lights and other equipment based on the changes from the full technical rehearsal. It’s also when the Hair, Make-up and Wardrobe departments do their final “touches” on the actors.
5) Shooting is when the camera rolls and you shoot several takes for the first set-up. Once you have a “print”, you then repeat the process with the second set-up until the scene is completed.
NOTE: When you call “action” your job is to watch both the actors’ performance as well as the framing and composition of the camera. Any creative or technical notes you have will usually come after the first take (and not during the camera rehearsal) because it’s only when the camera rolls that the crew and the cast will give 100% effort.
Copyright (c) 2020 Peter D. Marshall / All Rights Reserved
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