Help with a shot

diego1235467

diego1235467

Well-known member
So I'm working on a short film, and I need some ideas for one of the scenes.

The scene is basically a car crash looking into the front of the car. I want the crash to feel dreamlike and strange, and obviously want to avoid expensive stunts.

So I was thinking of having the actors react to the fake crash, while maybe blowing air into the windows etc. All this while the outside is overexposed so that all we can see are the actors.

Does anyone have any ideas on how to make this scene work and look better? It's an art film, so I don't want a realistic car crash. I just want a strange, dreamlike scene.

Any help is greatly appreciated!
 
are you interested in slow-motion with a quick additive fade to white as if it's a memory? or does your scene continue through the crash to the resulting damage?

i do know a lot about glass, and how to properly make it break(without a hammer...no jokes please), if you want a more technical approach, since the front windshield is laminated, vs the tempered glass of the side windows.
 
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I'm thinking you could do something like this with after effects - it's all about switching your shots just as the audience feels like they know what's happening. If you can get some tight shots of the faces of the actors in slow motion as the crash is happening and then show a side shot of the driver hitting the wheel and then switch back to the front of the car as they land back in the seats...something like that. Use AE to put in some broken glass and smoke - just don't overdo it and make it cheesy. :)
 
The car crash will be seen through glimpses. A shot of the girl screaming a "flailing" around, another fade to white, and shots of them on the ground with injuries.

Chris seemed to see my "vision" for the scene. All of it will be in slow mo. Tight shots make sense, and I'll have to see if AE can help me with glass flying around.

What about overexposing the outside? Is there any other way to do this? Everything outside needs to look completely white, while the actors remain somewhat well exposed.

Also, how do I shoot the cars leading up to the crash? I figured a shot looking toward the driver's seat (from the passenger's), and showing a car coming toward us. How can I shoot something like this safely?
 
As far as overexposing the outside, just get a lot of lights and blow it all out, while leaving proper lighting inside the car. That's probably the easiest. I'm not exactly a driving safety expert, but I imagine you want to do this on a "closed course" (Parking Lot, Driveway, backroad etc).
 
hi diego,

we did the same type of shot and did the exteriors with the camera operator in a wheel chair.

started with the camera hard against the radiator and wheeled the camera away from the car backwards at the same time reversed the car away....played backwards, sped up and....... voila a car crash.

you can diff the windows with half white diff for the interior white out shots.

cheers,
ian
 
Yeah, diffusing it's a good idea.

It sounds like your crash was from the POV of the other ca, though. I want my shot to be from the car that gets hit.

Of course I could do two shots, one with the car coming at the camera, and ad it gets closer switch to a POV shot...
 
hi diego,

the camera was the pov of the hero car....the one that was backing away was the one that hit it....

the finished film only had 3-4 seconds of this shot but was enough to sell it.

cheers
ian
 
diego, how about more info about the scene. it may help us provide more ideas for you.

who's driving...male or female?
what kind of film is it?
passengers?
is it a random crash at a major plot point, or is this to be expected at this point in the story?
is the driver hysterical, or just having a conversation, or distracted in some way?

i'd love to know why this crash happens, without giving away too much of the story. because to know WHY will dictate the importance of HOW it looks in your film, and not be some gnarly FX shot that looks cool. then again, maybe i'm over-thinking it LOL.
 
Of course. I'll explain the scene better. It's damn near impossible to explain the plot without giving away too much.

During the crash scene, the guy is driving with his girlfriend in the passenger seat. As they go to cross an intersection, they glance at each other and get hit by a speeding car. It's all random, but not necessarily shocking or anything. All of this is in a flashback. This also isn't set in stone. This is just what's in my head at the moment. The scene will most likely change based on how the story progresses, f/x limitation, and your input.

The film is a very somber drama. The main theme in the film is the existence of (or lack of) life after death . Whether a spirit actually stays behind, or it's just our imagination and memories is up to interpretation.
 
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ok, very cool...i'm definately thinking on the same wavelength.

for some reason, i am thinking you can shoot this without wide shots, as car crashes are typically shown from a bunch of angles, because people like seeing destruction, but that's not what this scene is about. i want to feel like i'm one of the characters, as if I'M experiencing the crash. medium and tight shots should work here. we've all seen car crashes in films, but for this one, i'd like to experience it more from the inside. i'm hoping more people will chime in, because after all, this is just one scene, and if some of these ideas work to your liking, it may inspire ideas for other scenes as well.
 
That's exactly what I want for this, we're definitely on the same page. If anyone's got more input, bring it on! I'd love to hear it :)
 
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