NAME: Brenna
Empey
DATE:
10/22/2016
PROJECT #3 BEAT LIST
After
writing your Director's Statement of Intent, but before shooting, create
a Beat List for your One Take film. Like a shot list, the Beat List will
include the moments you are hoping to capture in your one take. To create the
Beat List, do the following:
1.
Visualize the event unfolding in your mind as you answer these questions:
a) Where is the action
taking place? How will we know that?
It will be taking place in a basement apartment. We’ll
know because I plan to start filming the subjects outside, so we’ll see what
type of place they’re entering.
b) How will the action
unfold? In other words, what are "beats" of the action?
The beats in this scene won’t be communicated by
movement, but rather by emotion on my subjects’ faces. This might make it
tricky as a film but I think starting outside the house will really help. In a
perfect world, my two subjects will discuss the prospect of getting their palms
read before entering. The palm reader and the subjects will then introduce
themselves, and we’ll sit down, and begin the palm reading. Then the beats will
be emotional as the subjects receive information from the palm reader and react
to it.
c) Who is involved in this
event?
A palm reader and two people getting their palms read.
d) Where is the drama in
the event? Is it between competitors? Are there spectators? Is there some kind
of physical risk?
The drama is with the subjects. I’ve made sure
that my subjects are two people, who have never had their palm read before, so
hopefully their reactions will communicate the emotions they’re going through
as the palm reader gets things right about who they are, their past, etc. There
will be at least one spectator and possibly more – but for sure it’ll be the
other person waiting to get their palm read, or the other person who just got
their palm read. There is no physical risk with filming a palm reading,
thankfully!
2.
Decide how you will communicate the above information to the audience in terms
of beats or points of focus. In other words, what specific images/subjects
does the audience need to see to:
a) understand what's
happening;
I need to get an
establishing shot of the apartment, I think, or at least an establishing shot
of where we are inside the apartment,
whether that will be a bedroom or the living room or wherever. I also need to
make sure I get a shot of the palm reading book that my palm reader will be
using, and definitely some coverage of the plants and incense she has in her
house.
b) connect with the people
involved;
A lot of my coverage will
be of people’s faces, because I really want to capture my two subjects reacting
to what the palm reader is telling them. I’m also going to get coverage of the
palm reader reading from her book and really studying the palm, so we
understand that she’s serious and not a fraud.
c) grasp, and feel,
the drama.
Palm reading is all about
feeling, so I need to make sure I’m getting tight shots of details. I want
tight shots of faces (the palm reader and subjects), and tight shots of their
hands during the reading process. Eyes are the windows to the soul, where we’ll
see the most emotion in the subjects’ reactions, so I think I’ll need to spend
a lot of time on their faces.
3.
Decide where the camera will need to move in order to capture these images.
The
camera will follow behind the subjects as they enter the apartment, and look
around the apartment a bit to establish the space. When they sit down to have
their palms read, that’s when I’ll get all my tight shots and really move in to
capture close-ups of faces and eyes. The palm reader and the subject will be
sitting across from one another, so I’ll mostly be capturing them in profile,
but will be panning from one face to another a lot of the time. This includes
tilting down to the palm being read, so I’ll be moving in a triangle a lot.
I’ll also widen out to diversify the shots and get a two-shot of the palm
reader and subject.
4.
Create a list of the above beats and images in the order you think they will
occur. (Don't move past each beat too quickly--give the audience time to
process the information!) For each beat/image, include this information:
a) The subject of the beat
(what/who are we looking at?)
b) The why. Why is each
beat important? What is the purpose of the shot in terms of
story, drama, character? What impact will it have on the viewer?
c)
Include: 1) The
type of shot (W, M, CU, ECU, etc.); 2) the angle and type (High, Low, OTS, POV,
etc.); 3) any visual element(s) you'd like to take advantage of in the
location (Flat or Deep Space, Horizontal/Vertical/Diagonal Line, Warm or Cool
colors, etc.) However, remember that you are not to manipulate this event
by giving direction, assigning wardrobe, production designing, etc..
·
Waiting
to enter the apartment
a)
The
subject of the beat is the two people who are going to have their palms read.
b)
The
purpose of this beat is to show the anticipation of the people about to get
their palm read. I hope they’ll talk about how they’ve never done this before
and how they feel about it or what they’re expecting.
c)
This
shot will be W and OTS on our subjects, warm colors because the sun will
hopefully be setting when we film, and deep space because you can see all the
way to the back of the apartment from the front door.
·
Meeting
the palm reader
a)
The
subject of the beat is the palm reader
b)
The
purpose of this beat is show both the subjects and the audience the normalcy of
this person, who they might not have expected to be so normal.
c)
This
shot will be W three-shot on subjects and palm reader, warm colors because of
the sunset, and flat space because I’ll back out from the doorway into a
cramped stairwell that will make it flatter.
·
Entering
the apartment
a)
The
subject of the beat is the apartment/what’s inside it
b)
The
purpose of this beat is to let the anticipation of both the subjects and the
audience grow, because now we’re entering a new space, where we don’t know what
is going to happen.
c)
This
shot will be MED OTS, warm colors because the sunset will be coming in from the
window (although this may be hard to do because the walls inside the apartment
are white, and the furniture is black), and deep space because we’re moving
into the apartment.
·
Palm
reader and subject sit down/get ready
a)
The
subject of the beat is the palm reader and first person who’s going to get
their palm read
b)
The
purpose of this beat is to show that it takes some prep before reading someone’s
palm. I’m hoping that the palm reader will explain a couple things to the
subject before she begins reading, and I hope I can get a shot of her palm
reading book to bring the audience in on what’s happening.
c)
This
shot will be W two-shot, warm colors, because now we’ll be able to see the
warm-colored tapestry and warm-colored coffee table that the palm reader has in
her apartment, and flat space because now I’ll be focusing on the small living
room where the palm reading will happen.
·
Subject
reacts to palm reading
a)
The
subject of the beat is the person getting their palm read and their palm
b)
The
purpose of this beat is to show how the subject is feeling about this thing
they’ve never experienced before, and may not even believe in. In my experience
palm readings are pretty accurate, so I’m hoping there will be feelings of
surprise and disbelief on the subject’s face.
c)
This
shot will be MED on the person getting their palm read, warm colors, flat space
because the living room is so small and I want to focus on the subject’s face
anyway.
·
Subject
reacts to finger reading
a)
The
subject of the beat is the person getting their palm read and their fingers
b)
The
purpose of this beat is to continue the previous beat, but now the palm reader
is reading a new part of the hand. In a perfect world, this beat would be more
of the subject’s authentic reactions to what the palm reader is telling them.
c)
This
shot will be MED-W so I can see both the face of the subject and their hand,
warm colors, flat or deep space depending on where they’re sitting in the room
because there’s more space off to one side of the couch than the other.
·
Palm
reader answers the subject’s questions
a)
The
subject of the beat is the palm reader
b)
The
purpose of this beat is to show that the palm reader isn’t just here to mystify
my subjects, but also to legitimize her practice of palm reading by being
generous and willing to explain. It’s fun for a palm reader to the reactions of
her subjects, too, and I want to capture some of that in her face.
c)
This
shot will be MCU, moving back in on the palm reader this time, warm colors, flat
space.
·
Palm
reading ends and subject reflects
a)
The
subject of the beat is the palm reader and the person who got their palm read
b)
The
purpose of this beat is to bring conclusion to what we just saw and allow a
moment for the subject to talk to the palm reader in reflection.
c)
This
shot will be MCU to W as I move out to capture the whole image of them discussing
the palm reading, warm colors because of the light coming in from the window,
and flat-to-deep space.
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