Getting Sucked Away (On a Bed)

D

DDirector

Veteran
Hey,

I asked this question a while ago, but with the film shoot going down in a few days, I just wanted to know if there were any suggestions on how to pull off this shot.
It has been seen in the movie 'The Grey'.

I have an idea, but it seems to be a difficult method to pull off, so Im wondering if there are any thoughts on an alternative and better method.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SZJG3mj4IFM&feature=youtu.be


In our film the couple is laying on a bed in an infinity white room. To simplify the shot of the woman being pulled away, we will mimic the film by having the couple pull the bed sheets over then just before the pull. They lay underneath the covers and then the woman get pulled violently. The man sits up and pulls the covers away to reveal the empty bed where the woman was. All happening within a white infinity room.

Shooting on the Red One/Scarlet. This is a student film so we dont have a big budget to pull this off. We need to rely on the resources we have available.
 
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That youtube clip indicates there's not much to it beyond careful cutting. Setup shot, cut to woman being pulled away (presumably by offscreen crew), cut to man sitting up and looking around. As you're shooting in an infinity white room, you have the additional advantage that you can fairly easily mask out anything unwanted in the frame. Shooting one or more shots from above could be visually interesting, provided you have a suitable camera rig.
 
clang said:
That youtube clip indicates there's not much to it beyond careful cutting. Setup shot, cut to woman being pulled away (presumably by offscreen crew), cut to man sitting up and looking around. As you're shooting in an infinity white room, you have the additional advantage that you can fairly easily mask out anything unwanted in the frame. Shooting one or more shots from above could be visually interesting, provided you have a suitable camera rig.
Click to expand...
But what Im asking is HOW to pull her away. I know its about the cutting and whatnot, but the actual PULL. What would be the best way to pull that off. The Physical Pull.
 
I feel like I said this last time, but depending on how tight the shot is, can she just be on a furniture dolly or something with plywood over the top? Just dress it to hide the dolly and then attach a couple ropes that you pull on the cue. It really depends on exactly what the shot looks like to pull that off though.
 
Tie a tow rope around her legs and the other end through a window to the back of a pickup. Dial out to 3,000 revs and drop the clutch. Err, no. Sorry. :) More seriously, I'm assuming that once the woman disappears under the sheets we never actually see her again.

Shot 1 - start the pull (two grips grab her ankles, have her wear boots for protection) and just initiate the pull. You only need her to move a few inches so that her head disappears or even just partially disappears under the sheet. The important thing is the initiation of the movement.
Shot 2 - cut to the guy's reaction. Preservation of the timeline means that when you cut back she will already be completely under the sheets.
Shot 3 - return to the wider shot but you have replaced the girl with a lightweight analog such as a cushion or even a blowup doll. Preferably either the cushion or sheets will be of a low friction silky or satin material. A heavier blanket or quilt on top of the whole thing will help disguise the shape of the cushion. Whip the cushion out at whatever speed you like.

Alternately prop the bed up against the wall so the camera looks like it is actually positioned over the bed. Pin the sheets to hold them up and then just have her drop at the knees on cue and let gravity do your dirty work. Frame for best effect.

As suggested above putting a sheet of plywood would be good. If you don't have a trolley, a thin piece between her and the bed and pulling out the plywood with her on it is a good idea. Make sure there is something at the foot of the bed to catch her because once the wood is fully pulled out it is dropping her head first on the floor! Am ottoman or something would do the trick. MDF is even smoother, no splinter worries and is about third the price here. Half a standard 3mm x 2.4m x 1.2m sheet (8ft x 4ft) sheet is flexible and strong and would easily do the job. Cut it in half lengthways. Also eliminates potential bruising from a rough grip. In a white infinity room you have the freedom to set the bed at an angle and get back to level by tilting the camera. Even at 20-30 degrees gravity becomes a far greater force than you'd think. Low friction sheets are advisable whatever you do. Also consider pinning the sheets at the headboard end (loose and definitely not tucked in at the footboard end, obviously) so they don't come away with the actress.



EDIT: Just re-read your post, you're having them pull the sheets over their heads first? Are you replicating the shot or the idea? I was picturing her being pulled out feet first from the bottom end of the bed. These ideas should be able to work with the sheets just being pulled up to the chin. If the camera isn't under there and they are pulling the sheets over their heads then just substitute the actress with the cushion or whatever. If we aren't seeing the girl, don't use the girl.

Sounds fun.
 
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DDirector said:
But what Im asking is HOW to pull her away. I know its about the cutting and whatnot, but the actual PULL. What would be the best way to pull that off. The Physical Pull.
Click to expand...

She's lying on a sheet, preferably silk or something similarly slippery, and ideally with it wrapped around part of her. Offscreen crew pull sheet, she moves with it. Probably wuld be best to do a slow pull, to maintain control, then speed it up in post.
 
Ok looking at that shot carefully. Doesnt look like she is sucked away at all - looks like he is pulled away. Which would be easier to pull off since the camera is mounted over him and much easier to hide a board etc under him. The effect seems like she's moving away as we are attached to him. The key seems to be in the white sheets which make the whole thing difficult to perceive, and the shot lasting just moments. Also this component of the shot (not sure what the lead in was - havent seen it), is not done on a standard bed. Theyve also introduced the snow particles before the shot changes to him sitting up in the snow as a transitional element.
 
Depending on the shot you need, pulling him (and the camera) away instead is indeed worth considering - gives you far more scope for hiding things out of frame.
 
clang said:
Depending on the shot you need, pulling him (and the camera) away instead is indeed worth considering - gives you far more scope for hiding things out of frame.
Click to expand...
I was thinking about this, but Im wondering how I can practically mount the camera so it moves back with the male actor. Not sure what I can use :/
 
We have pulled the shot off. It looks good.
Because we were shooting so late at night we didn't do a lot of re-takes of this. What happened was the covers between them fell a bit too much and she wasn't in frame for too long.
The people who were holding onto the sheets from preventing it from falling told me after that they purposely pushed the middle down so she would 'disappear'. Which no one told them to. A little disappointing in that she wasnt in frame for as long as I needed, but the shot still looked great.

We had the actors on a single bed on all of the shots. On this shot we put the actors on stunt mats and dressed the mats up to look like a bed. One actor on one, the other on the other. In between we added a long sheet of cloth so when the mats were separated, you wouldnt see the gap. Although the camera was as low as possible, the gap was still visible if the sheet wasnt there.
So we just pulled the stunt mat with the actress on top as fast as possible.
 
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