Movies for TV - Early Television Foundation

MAKINGFILMSFORTV 257
holes in the head of the club through which the air rushes as the
club is swung).
As the play opens, it is essential to establish the relationship
between the three as well as to get an air of tension which is built
up as the play continues. Most of the continuing action will be
covered by two- and three-shots with the aid of dolly and panning
effects. The opening shot could be a close-up of the weapon fol-
lowed by a long dolly shot away from the set gradually bringing
in the actors as they speak their lines. This would be a weak shot,
somewhat of an anti-climax, since the shot ends on at least a
medium long shot in order to cover the whole scene and orient
the viewer. An infinitely superior shot would be to open on a
medium long shot, particularly if the action could be written to
include one of the characters entering the room. As the camera
dollies into the set, its field of view would naturally narrow; this
would result in the exclusion of one of the characters so that the
scene closes on a two-shot with the principal players one on each
side of the weapon. Thus the viewer is shown the situation, and
the opening words, which should give the key to the situation, are
spoken while all the players are visible. An air of tension is built
up by the emphasizing of the weapon as the scene cuts. After the
story is told, an effective ending would be a close-up of the weapon
with a hand reaching up and taking it off the wall, the camera
still trained on the wall where it has left an outline of faded wall-
paper; during this time a weird note is heard many
times as it
starts with a high pitch and drops to silence with a thud. Figure
11-1, shows the comparative sizes and details of the alternative
opening shots. The film producer has tremendous advantages over
the live studio producer. No matter how many times the play is
rehearsed, when it goes on the air live it might well be the first
time as far as the risk of errors is concerned. A slow cameraman,
or a stage hand who is too early, or innumerable things can mar
the production. Certain things are impossible, such as a rapid
change of costume and scene. In a film the shots can be made in
any sequence, but live, they must follow in chronological order.