ON-SET
Blocking:
In film and theater terms, "Blocking" means to rehearse the scene with the actors on set. The Director supervises this important process . Also during Blocking, the Director of Photography will decide where to place lights and cameras according to the action happening in the scene or according to the Director's wishes. Set: A specially constructed false scene depicting a real location. Sets are generally constructed within Soundstages in order to control lighting, sound, and visual effects. However, this is not always the case. A Set could be on a street corner or on literally any location. A Set can be interpreted as any designated location which you have specially prepared for filming. Location: Where the Set is located. Example: Pinewood Studios or Yuma Desert. Principal Photography: These are the most important scenes that comprise your film. These will include most of the key scenes in which your Talent is acting. Principal Photography is under the supervision of the Director. Secondary Photography: These are scenes that are meant to expound upon Principal Photography. They generally do not include any principal actors, but may include Extras. Secondary Photography is under the supervision of the Assistant Directors, but the Director has the final word. 1st Unit (Primary Unit): Group of crew members that film all Principal Photography under the supervision of the Director. 2nd Unit (Secondary Unit): Group of crew members that film Secondary Photography, B-Roll, Special Effects, or CGI. Usually under the supervision of the Assistant Director. Having multiple units enables the filming process to happen much faster and more efficient since more can be accomplished in a shorter amount of time. If needed, Secondary Units can also film different Principal Photography scenes on separate locations at the same time as the Primary Unit. "Clear the Set": Call made by the Director for all non-Talent persons to leave the Set or to get behind the cameras so that active filming can take place. Actors are to take their Marks. "Quiet on the Set" When the cast and crew are ready to begin filming, The Director or Director of Photography will call out "Quiet on the Set" to indicate to all cast and crew that filming is about to begin. Talking or other unnecessary action in front or behind the camera ceases until the scene is completed. Also, at this cue, all cameras and audio recording devices are activated, lighting is set, and special effects teams are prepped. "Rolling": When the cast and crew are ready to begin filming on set, the Director of Photography (under the cue of the Director) will call out "Rolling" to indicate that all cameras and audio devices are recording, special effects teams are standing by, and lighting is working. "Stand By": If the Director and actors are ready for filming, but the crew or equipment is not, the Director of Photography will call out "Stand By" to indicate that Action should not begin. All cast and crew members are to remain on their marks or in position ready to begin. "Action": The Director's call for the Talent to begin acting out a scene during filming. For a Secondary Unit, the action may be pyrotechnics or other special effects. "Cut": Call made by the Director to end action during active filming and to stop all devices from recording. "Reset": After the Director stops Action, if another Take is warranted (whether just to be safe or because mistakes were made), he will call "Reset" for the actors, props, lights, cameras, (literally everything comprising the scene), to be returned to their original starting location to be filmed again. In some cases, Resetting can take hours or days to accomplish depending on the complexity of the scene. In extreme cases -like the demolition of a building or an epic car crash, Resetting may not be possible due to time, expenses, logistics, or lack of resources. These scenes are referred to as "All-or-nothing" scenes -meaning the cast and crew have only one chance to pull everything off right during active filming. |
Take:
A sequence during active filming. Filming a scene may require multiple Takes in order to capture all the action or to correct mistakes. A Take may comprise an entire scene or part of a scene. Takes are numbered by a slate placed in front of the camera just prior to action so that during Post-Production, the Editor and Director can decide which Takes look the best or would be the most useful within a Scene. Mark: A pre-designated place determined during Blocking for the Talent to stand. This is usually a painted mark or piece of tape on the floor. If the Talent is moving, there can be a series of marks to tell the Talent where they need to be. Marks are critically important in order to maintain proper Framing. If using CGI, a Mark can also be used to determine where the actor needs to be looking or focused. Filming Scene: Different from an Edited Scene. A Filming scene is a singular sequence filmed on one Set or Location. When the Set or Location changes, it is a new Scene. Example: Two people talking on the phone together. One person is at home while the other is at their workplace. Even though when edited, it shows the two people talking to each other in different locations as one continuous scene, it was actually filmed as two separate scenes before they were pieced together in Editing. Another example... A car chase through multiple locations in a city that, during the finished film, looks like one complete sequence, but in reality it is made up of several different scenes.... a parking garage, downtown streets, an alley, a boat dock, a highway, etc. All are filmed at different locations on different sets. "Striking": This is what lighting crews will call out before turning on any lights on set. This alerts people who are on set to avert their eyes so they don't get blinded from the sudden onslaught of high-intensity light sources. Even if you are working on a small scale and perhaps only have a few LED lights, it is still good practice for you or your crew to let people know you are about to turn on some lights. Craft Services: This is the food service for your cast and crew while filming. If you are working on a small scale, simply having a table with pizza or snacks and drinks is better than nothing. Full tummies make happy workers! Key Light: This is the main light source emphasizing the most important element in your scene -whether it is Talent or an object. Fill Light: This light softens shadows on your main scene element. Back Light: This light is used to highlight the back of a person or object so that it stands out from the background. Good back lighting is essential for creating depth of field. Accent Light: These lights are placed in the scene to make various elements stand out more -such as lighting a room better, creating dramatic effects, or just overall making the scene look aesthetically pleasing. Green Screen (Chroma Screen): This screen is used in place of a background. Placing a person or object in front of the screen allows you to edit out the green color in Post Production in a process called "Chroma Keying". Once the green color is removed you can put any background or any visual effect in place of the absent color. This is used mainly for special effects or on Soundstages where a CGI environment will be generated. Soundstage: A small or large empty room similar to a warehouse where Sets can be built. Inside Soundstages, production crews can control lighting, sound, the environment, and visual effects. Soundstages are commonly used as an alternative to shooting on location, as a means to create a specific environment or element for the film, or if the scene calls for things which are not found in reality -such as with Sci-Fi or Fantasy-based films. Framing Essentially this is what your camera sees. The Director of Photography (or Cinematographer) decides the best placement for the camera to capture the action that the Director wants but is also responsible to adjust the camera so that the video being recorded is aesthetically pleasing. See Rule of Thirds. Rule of Thirds A rule of Framing. Basically, you never center an object in the camera. You always offset the object or person according to the direction it is moving or the side that is being the most emphasized. |