you can shoot a car scene cheapo! captain phillips sez so...

[nycineaste]

Hey guys,

This is likely old news to the veterans here, but for anyone who needs to shoot a car scene and is thinking of how to do it cheap, go rent "captain philllips", the opener scene is almost a mini-tutorial in how you can pull one off:

your shots (mostly from captain phillips scene with a touch of my own musings):

- shoot from the back seat, 3/4 rear closeups on the actors, (tighter closeups for variation)..
- shots of the actor through rear view window
- perhaps a shot of driver's hands on the wheel
- gets shots from another car, from ahead of the car and from behind...for your wide/long shots

Like I said this is prolly old hat to most of you, but there it is... "micro-budget" car scene in a major hollywood motion picture!

enjoy

 

[keithlango]

Great techniques, and super handy!

But turning the conversation onto the larger cinematography implications, though-- those early scenes were very claustrophobic feeling. I sensed it right away in the theater and was actually aggravated by it. Why go tense, claustrophobic and active in the default all-is-well domestic scenes? Why not save that choice for when the story actually does go tense and claustrophobic? My guess is that the goal was to set the viewer on edge from the start and not let them off the hook. While I may quibble with the timing of the technique in that film, it was very useful in creating tension in the viewer from the second scene onward until the end of the film. So keep that in mind.

Of course, I'm just a voice amongst the sea of meaningless internet voices. This advice is likely worth what you paid for it.

 

[Grug]

Except that that scene was the weakest in the entire film! To be fair, I'd put it down to the writing (apparently there was none and the entire scene was improv) but something to keep in mind. Shooting things 'properly' can give a scene the sense of purpose and direction it really needs at times.

 

[Chris Adler]

Agreed, Grug. That scene was horrible and a blasphemy. It was pure exposition and I bet it was added after polling audiences and they found Capt. Phillips was completely unlikable. They thought that cheesy scene might raise his stock a bit buy having him explain to us how much he loves his kids. Boo.

They failed.