Cinematography-Theory-And-Practice

CAR SHOTSCar shots have always been a big part of film production. In the oldstudio days they were usually done on sets with rear projection ofmoving streets visible through the rear or side windows. Special partialcars called bucks had the entire front of the car removed for easeof shooting.Rear or front projection of exterior scenes is rarely used these days,partly because the technology of shooting on live locations has beenperfected as well as film or digital replacement of the background.Car shots are accomplished with car mounts. There are two basictypes: hood mounts allow one or more cameras to be placed on thehood area for shooting through the windshield.Hostess trays (named for the trays that used to be standard at driveins)allow the camera to be positioned on the side, usually shootingthrough the driver’s window and the passenger’s window.Camera Positions for Car ShotsThe standard positions for car shots are on the hood and either passengeror driver-side windows. Those at the side widows are accomplishedwith a hostess tray (Figure 11.24). The ones on the front aredone with a hood mount (Figure 11.31). These two components arethe standard parts of a car rig kit, but be sure to specify both if youneed them. On low-budget productions where car rigs are not possible,there are some standard tricks. For shots of the driver, the operatorcan sit in the passenger seat. For scenes with two people in thefront, the operator can sit in the back seat and do 3/4 back shots ofeach, two shots of both, and so on. In such cases, exterior mountedlights for the car are usually not available, so it is common to letthe outside overexpose 1 to 2 stops and leave the interior slightlyunderexposed. It also helps greatly to pick streets with greenery ordark walls on the side of the street to hold down the overexposureof the exterior.Vehicle to Vehicle ShootingCamera cars are specialized trucks with very smooth suspension andnumerous mounting positions for multiple cameras). Camera carsare used in two basic modes. For close-ups of the actors, the picturecar is usually towed by the camera car or mounted on a low-boytrailer that is towed. The reason that it needs to be a low trailer is soFigure 11.26. (left) A school bus litfrom a camera car. On the back ofthe the bus are generators for unitsinside the bus. (Photo by MichaelGallart.)Figure 11.27. (top) If the operatorand AC are not riding on the craneit can be much longer without beingexcessively bulky.Figure 11.28. (bottom) The CableCam in use for a scene on a bridge.camera movement223