Tips on a spefific scene?

[JTyner]

Hi all!!!!!


I am going to be shooting/editing a scene where the actor keeps opening a door and ending up in the same room.

Any tips to share on shooting/ editing this scene for the best results?

Thanks in advance!

JT

 

[David W. Richardson]

It can be done fairly simply, or in a much more complex way.

First, the simple. Show the actor opening the door, but don't show what's beyond the door. Then cut to inside the room, door opening, and actor entering the room. Repeat.

Now if you want the audience to SEE the room through the open door, that's where it gets more tricky. To do this, I would mount a greenscreen so that it covers the entire door frame. When the actor opens the door, all you see is green. Then composite in a shot of the room, so it looks like he's standing in a room and looking into the exact same room. For this to be effective, the greenscreen would actually need to be mounted several feet back from the door, so it could be evenly lit.

Those are the only two ideas I have at the moment.

 

[clang]

Scene blocking (especially movement of actor) and the precise sequence of shots will be vital - the audience needs to believe the actor has walked from one room to another. Consider storyboarding the whole thing. Timing will also be vital to make that illusion work, e.g. footsteps giving the impression of continuous movement to hide the cuts.

I agree with David that a few shots apparently showing two rooms (although one is actually green-screen or composited) will also help.