What are the little things you can do to make your shot look great?

C

c.g._eads

Veteran
I just learned recently to make sure your character's wardrobe is a different color from the background to really make them 'pop out' (assuming that it works for the scene, of course).

What are those other little hidden things you can do to make a shot look great (i.e. tricks with lighting, tricks with composition, tricks with depth, spacing, character placement, painting the walls any color but white! -- But what colors are the best to paint your walls?)

Any and all little tricks of the trade are appreciated.
 
Keep your crew happy. Feed them well, water them well, give them breaks, keep them infomred. That will have the most effect on any shoot.

Congratulations on becoming a full color memeber.

- Mikko
 
mikkowilson said:
Keep your crew happy. Feed them well, water them well, give them breaks, keep them infomred. That will have the most effect on any shoot.

Congratulations on becoming a full color memeber.

- Mikko
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Correct! I've been down the 'pizza' road too many times as both a director and as a crew member. You can spend the extra money and do a little bit better for food. Seriously-- it's 'one of those things.'

Otherwise, always throw a gel on the hair light that will compliment them. Personally, I like straw on dark hair (especially if the talent has dark skin), a faint red on blonde hair, etc. Something that will give the highlight a different feel.

Always flag off the top of a wall. It's unrealistic, but it's a convention that the audience is used to. Plus, it hides the boom.

Pick up AS MUCH foley as you can on set. It will save you later on.

David Kuznicki
Production Manager, WGTE-TV30
 
david_kuznicki said:
Always flag off the top of a wall. It's unrealistic, but it's a convention that the audience is used to. Plus, it hides the boom.
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What exactly does this mean and how do you do it?
 
When getting any sort of face or closeup shot of your actors, make sure to use their eyes as your focus point. Especially important if you're shooting with a wide open iris or a 35mm adapter....you may already know this though. Its the only thing I could think of!
 
PDX_DVX said:
When getting any sort of face or closeup shot of your actors, make sure to use their eyes as your focus point. Especially important if you're shooting with a wide open iris or a 35mm adapter....you may already know this though. Its the only thing I could think of!
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Could you explain this in more detail? Do you just mean, make sure the eyes are in focus? Or to frame the shot in such a manner that the eyes are what we're focusing on?
 
david_kuznicki said:
Always flag off the top of a wall. It's unrealistic, but it's a convention that the audience is used to. Plus, it hides the boom.
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I would also like to know what you mean by this....
 
I think he means to use a flag or "cutter" on the top portion of the beam from your keylight--in other words, keep the light off the top of the set wall so that it goes dark.
 
Usually when I set up a scene I follow the 3 point lighting rule religiously, and make sure to have good backlighting, and have the actor/actress dress acording, so lighting is perfect and their outfit makes everything pop.
 
Plan your shots so they have depth. In other words, avoid shooting your
actors/talent right up against a wall or backdrop, this usually looks awful.
Compose your shots with foreground, middle, and background in mind.
The more depth, the better.

Spend extra time to do some thoughtful location scouting... finding great
looking locations will add tremendous production value to a low-budget project.
 
c.g._eads said:
Could you explain this in more detail? Do you just mean, make sure the eyes are in focus? Or to frame the shot in such a manner that the eyes are what we're focusing on?
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I'd assume he means to just double-check that your focus is on the EYES, not anything else. You don't want to see the nose or the ears in focus and the eyes slightly soft. It's something you might not catch if you're in a hurry, but it amounts to an unusable shot.
 
They eyes are what most people look at, and as such, it's the "focal point" of the scene. Also, the reflection from the lights in the eyes can help make the shot. When that's out of focus, it's shooting yourself in the foot.

Shooting your own foot can be good too, as long as it's in focus.
 
c.g._eads said:
Could you explain this in more detail? Do you just mean, make sure the eyes are in focus? Or to frame the shot in such a manner that the eyes are what we're focusing on?
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Yeah, I did mean to make sure that the eyes are in focus....Sorry, the wording was a little hard to understand. These are some good suggestions from everyone!
 
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