Skill-Builder 2.1: Card Game Scene – Shoot and Review; Scout for Collaborative Scene
Exercise 1: Card Game Shoot (two people, one activity, one location)
Shoot a Scene of two people playing cards or a board game. Capture at least 20 Shots using different Shot Types and gather a minimum of five minutes of raw footage. This exercise will deepen your understanding of the content covered in the first and second sections of the LLL training course, “Visualizing a Scene,” and “Shooting Continuity.”
During your shoot, practice the following:
1. Vary your Shot Types and Coverage: Aim to gather footage that will allow you to edit a Scene with fluid continuity
2. Compose each Shot carefully: Pay close attention to framing, Point of View (POV), and balance.
3. Use a tripod efficiently: Ensure your camera is stable and level.
4. Hold your Shots steady: Avoid panning, tilting, or zooming while recording.
5. Apply the “Seven Second Rule”: Hold each Shot for as long as it needs to tell its story.
6. Don’t direct your subjects: let them interact naturally without your interference.
7. Continue to use automatic camera controls: Focus on Coverage, Shot composition, and timing rather than manual camera adjustments.
Immediately after the shoot:
1. Backup your footage to your Editing Drive and at least one Backup Drive.
2. Log the footage in your Media Backup Log.
3. Refer to the ‘Media Storage’ module to review how to backup and log your footage.
– This project does not include audio recording or editing.
– Use any camera available to you.
– You are learning a lot fast – if you are working in a group, help each other!
Exercise 2: Card Game Shoot Review
Follow the instructions for reviewing your footage in the “Review Sessions Setup and Feedback Guide” below and then review the following issues and questions:
Questions from the Review of Reading Scene Shoot (that should also be addressed during this exercise):
1. Storytelling: How effectively do the Shot Types convey the complete story of the activity?
2. Shot Length: Has the cameraperson held each Shot for a minimum of seven seconds, or long enough for it to tell its story?
3. Stability: Are the Shots steady, not shaky? Was a tripod used effectively? If not, did the cameraperson use proper handheld techniques to keep the Shots steady?
4. Distractions: Are there any aspects of the camerawork that calls attention to itself and distracts you from the subject’s activity?
5. Naturalness: Does the subject appear natural in their activity, or do they seem directed, self-conscious, hesitant or otherwise aware of the camera?
Questions about new skills learned during the Card Game Scene shoot:
6. Does the Coverage feel sufficient to edit the Scene with fluid continuity?
a. Cutaways: Are there enough Cutaways, and are they the right type?
b. Points of View (POVs): Does the Coverage include both subjective and objective POVs?
7. Select two or three specific Shots and evaluate them using the following compositional criteria:
a. Angles of View (AOVs): Did the cameraperson use the correct heights for Eyeline, High Angle (HA) or Low Angle (LA) Shots?
b. Framing:
i. Is everything in the frame intentional? Are key elements clearly visible? Is unnecessary clutter excluded?
ii. Are the subjects positioned correctly in the frame according to the Rule of Thirds, Headroom and Lead Room?
c. Depth: Does the Coverage utilize the foreground, midground, and background, and/or diagonals for spatial depth?
Exercise 3: Scout for subjects, activities and a location for the next shooting exercise (two people, two activities, one location)
In preparation for your next Skill-Builder shooting exercise in section six, “Collaborative Scene,” research and identify the appropriate subjects, activities and location. You are looking for two people doing two related but distinct activities in one shared location.
Examples:
– Two people in a kitchen – one chopping vegetables, the other washing dishes.
– Two people in a farm field – one weeding, the other harvesting.
– Two people in an office – one photocopying, the other working at a computer.
– Two artisans – one shaping wood, the other sanding it.
The setting can involve trades such as woodworking, metalworking, glassblowing, dressmaking, manufacturing, or construction.
As a reference, watch the first scene from Rafael Deleon’s She’s an American Child (00:30-01:30) to see an example of this type of Collaborative Scene.
Review Sessions Setup and Feedback Guide
In-Person Review Session Setup:
– Ideally, use a projector or large screen connected to a single computer to display each person’s work.
– If the exercise includes sound, connect speakers to the computer’s audio output.
– Each group member should bring their footage, exported Sequence, or written document on an external drive compatible with the main computer.
– For efficient playback, use video software like VLC.
– If reviewing footage, avoid playing individual clips one at a time. Instead, compile all clips in the order they were shot into a Sequence using editing software such as Adobe Premiere.
– This compiled Sequence can either be played directly in the editing software or exported and played via VLC.
Online Review Session Setup:
– Option 1: If all group members are joining by computer, each person can share their screen to present a written document, footage, or Sequence—either played from a video player like VLC or directly from editing software.
– Option 2: If some group members are joining by phone instead of by computer, they should upload their written document, footage or Sequence to a file-sharing platform (like Google Drive) before the session. A designated group member can then share their screen during the meeting to present the submitted work, either from a browser or downloaded files.
Healthy Approaches to Feedback:
Giving Feedback:
The filmmaker needs your fresh perspective on their work. Focus your feedback on what you see, learn, and feel. Be specific. If something isn’t clear, tell them what you are curious or uncertain about rather than suggesting fixes.
For example, instead of saying:
– “You should have gotten a Close Up (CU) of the book in his hands,” it is more helpful to say, “I don’t fully understand what he’s reading. How could you have communicated that to me?”
Instead of:
– “The duration of the Shots are too short throughout this section of the edit,” say “I’m feeling frustrated in this section of the edit because I don’t feel like I get to experience what is going on. How can you help me feel more engaged with the story here?”
Rather than:
– “Cut this Scene from your Treatment because it repeats what we experience in an earlier Scene,” say “The fourth Scene feels to me like a repeat of the second Scene. Why are you including the fourth Scene? What does it add to the story?”
As you give feedback, remember that some of our most valuable learning comes from watching and discussing other people’s work. You can often learn as much, if not more, about how to improve your own work from the feedback you give others about their work.
Receiving Feedback:
Feedback helps you understand how others experience your work – mirroring the likely response of your future audience. Their fresh perspectives are one of the most effective ways to learn how to improve the impact of your work.
When presenting your work, let it speak for itself without preemptive explanations or excuses. Similarly, after receiving feedback, resist the urge to explain or defend your choices. Instead, focus on listening, taking notes, and asking questions to make sure you fully understand the feedback.