Shooting Movies Without Shooting Yourself in the Foot

CHAPTER 17 Close-Ups and Coverage

Okay, we've thought out our master shot and talked a little about coverage. Let's suppose for the moment that we've done the master and now we're on to our other shots. Let's start out with faces. All actors will tell you that it's vital to see their eyes. Yes, the eyes are the windows of the soul, blah, blah, blah— but they have a point. (Let's remember that a large proportion of directors have been or are actors, so we'll face this demand throughout our careers.) The camera might not be able to see souls, but it can read minds; if an actor is fully in his part and understands the inner life of his character, the camera will magically pick this up. To do this magic you want to see the actor's face, and especially ...