What Is A Master Shot? A Movie Director's Lifeboat
Parimal
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An old school director of photography shared a filmmaking pearl of wisdom that stuck with me before ever shooting my first movie scene. They said no matter what kind of amazing camera shot I might want to experiment with as a movie director (I call it a "wonder shot") always shoot a simple master shot. Avoid getting too fancy or cute with it.
They advised me to always film a take or two using a master shot in case your "wonder shot" does not work out. A master shot is used to cover most or all of a scene including actors. It can be as straightforward as locking the camera down on a tripod for a static shot. Or going hand held with the camera to follow the action. You will not get close up details of a scene, but a master shot guarantees you will have the entire scene covered for post-production.
Knowing you have a master shot gives you much more flexibility as a filmmaker to be creative, take chances, and experiment with a scene with the rest of the takes you have time for. During the shooting of my first movie I used a few "wonder shots" hoping they would turn out as I envisioned them. I dreaded the thought of being in post-production when the editor (Friend and film business partner Tim Beachum) informs me that a scene could not be cut together or was unusable.
I am always a bit nervous after filming a show because I know post-production will reveal any mistakes made during production. Nothing is perfect when making movies. What an independent movie director hopes to avoid at all costs is reshoot days. I work with indie film budgets that rarely allow for reshoots. What I get the first time during filming is what has to be edited. There usually is not enough money to go back to reshoot a scene to fix a problem.
Sure some of the "wonder shots" I have used to cover scenes did not turn out like I wanted them to. Sometimes the choices I made as a movie director did not work for whatever reasons. What always saved the day in post-production? The master shots that were basic and nothing too fancy.
It turns out that the master shots I thought I would never use in post-production (because surely all my "wonder shots" would work) did the job when ever there was editing issues. The editor was able to use the master shots to replace my "wonder shots" and keep the show on track during final edit.
The other side of coin is that many times the "wonder shots" I had taken chances with on worked out fantastic. There is nothing like listening to a film editor tell, "great camera angles" or "loved the way you shot that scene." The editor is free from struggling to make a scene work in post-production. Now they have footage they can edit into a scene that can be included in the final edited master.
Master shots are not sexy or glamorous, but they can become a lifeboat for a movie director when it becomes clear in post-production a camera move just did not work. On an indie film budget it is important for a movie director to cover all the scenes as much as possible. Indie filmmakers that cover a scene one way reduce their options. Do not ever shy away from shooting a "wonder shot", but balance it with a master shot to cover your rear in post-production. This is indie filmmaker Sid Kali typing JUMP CUT.
They advised me to always film a take or two using a master shot in case your "wonder shot" does not work out. A master shot is used to cover most or all of a scene including actors. It can be as straightforward as locking the camera down on a tripod for a static shot. Or going hand held with the camera to follow the action. You will not get close up details of a scene, but a master shot guarantees you will have the entire scene covered for post-production.
Knowing you have a master shot gives you much more flexibility as a filmmaker to be creative, take chances, and experiment with a scene with the rest of the takes you have time for. During the shooting of my first movie I used a few "wonder shots" hoping they would turn out as I envisioned them. I dreaded the thought of being in post-production when the editor (Friend and film business partner Tim Beachum) informs me that a scene could not be cut together or was unusable.
I am always a bit nervous after filming a show because I know post-production will reveal any mistakes made during production. Nothing is perfect when making movies. What an independent movie director hopes to avoid at all costs is reshoot days. I work with indie film budgets that rarely allow for reshoots. What I get the first time during filming is what has to be edited. There usually is not enough money to go back to reshoot a scene to fix a problem.
Sure some of the "wonder shots" I have used to cover scenes did not turn out like I wanted them to. Sometimes the choices I made as a movie director did not work for whatever reasons. What always saved the day in post-production? The master shots that were basic and nothing too fancy.
It turns out that the master shots I thought I would never use in post-production (because surely all my "wonder shots" would work) did the job when ever there was editing issues. The editor was able to use the master shots to replace my "wonder shots" and keep the show on track during final edit.
The other side of coin is that many times the "wonder shots" I had taken chances with on worked out fantastic. There is nothing like listening to a film editor tell, "great camera angles" or "loved the way you shot that scene." The editor is free from struggling to make a scene work in post-production. Now they have footage they can edit into a scene that can be included in the final edited master.
Master shots are not sexy or glamorous, but they can become a lifeboat for a movie director when it becomes clear in post-production a camera move just did not work. On an indie film budget it is important for a movie director to cover all the scenes as much as possible. Indie filmmakers that cover a scene one way reduce their options. Do not ever shy away from shooting a "wonder shot", but balance it with a master shot to cover your rear in post-production. This is indie filmmaker Sid Kali typing JUMP CUT.
About the Author:
Sid Kali takes you inside his life as a filmmaker. Get the scoop on screenwriting, producing, directing, and movie distribution. Visit his blog Slice of Americana Films Also check out Movie Biz Coach a crisp way to learn the ins and outs of the movie business.. Also published at What Is A Master Shot? A Movie Director's Lifeboat.
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