Coverage
In the first camera modules, “Shots” and “Scenes,” we explored how to use a variety of Shot Types to visualize the story of one person doing one activity in one location. Now we’ll increase the complexity by shooting two people doing one activity in one location – a setup you’ll replicate in your next Skill-Builder exercise. This shoot will help refine your ability to use Shot Types to build Scenes with fluid continuity.
In lived-reality documentary filmmaking, our shooting and editing techniques aim to replicate the natural way our eyes and brains edit our experience of the world. As we look around, we take in a series of different Shot Types – such as Full Shots (FS), Medium Shots (MS) and Close Ups (CU) – which the brain seamlessly cut together, ignoring the movements of our eyes – the pans, tilts, and zooms – that connect them.
To create Scenes with fluid continuity, we gather a collection of Shot Types known as “Coverage.” With sufficient Coverage, the editor can construct a Scene that replicates how the viewer would have watched it if they were in the room themselves.
Video Transcript:
We’re looking at the original unedited footage of a Scene about two people playing cards. When shooting this Scene, I gathered the necessary Coverage by capturing a variety of Shot Types from different positions. While I set up each Shot individually, I recorded them with the editor in mind – anticipating which related Shots they’d need to construct a Scene with fluid continuity.
For example, as I recorded these objective Point of View (POV) Shots, I noticed that the subjects’ gazes – both at each other and at the cards – would make the viewer want to see what the subjects are seeing. This requires complimentary Shots from each subject’s perspective. Later in the shoot, when I was positioned for the characters’ subjective Points of View (POV), I captured those corresponding Shots and mentally checked them off my Shot list. The editor can then combine these objective and subjective Shots to create the illusion of fluid continuity, as seen here.
By systematically gathering complimentary Shots, the cameraperson provides the editor with versatile Coverage that can be cut together in multiple ways – allowing the edit to respond to the needs of the story.
Notice that I’m not rushing from one position to the next to capture the Coverage. Since this card playing activity is repetitive, I can take my time to frame and hold each Shot – often for much longer than the previously learned seven-second rule would suggest.
It’s the activity within the Shot that actually determines how long I should hold a Shot. When the action is repetitive, as it is here, I try to hold the Shots for the full cycle of the activities or as long as it takes for the Shots to tell their story. In this Shot the story includes players dealing, reviewing, adding, counting and removing cards. With each hand, a player taps the table to request another card or swipes to indicate that they have enough. I’ve captured the totality of this repeating story in many different Shots. The more story elements the cameraperson includes in each Shot, the more flexibility the editor has in deciding when and how to use them.
When this Coverage is edited together, the seamless continuity of action leads many people to assume that they were recorded simultaneously by multiple cameras. But actually, the editor is able to make Shots recorded at different times during the shoot appear as if they were shot at the same time. Lived-reality documentaries are almost always shot with a single camera. Multiple cameras would typically get in each other’s way, making it harder to capture usable Coverage.
Let’s now study the unedited original footage of Mr. Poole making a cup of coffee. As we’ve learned, shooting Coverage with a single camera takes advantage of the repetitive nature of many of life’s activities. However, activities without much repetition – like making coffee – are more challenging to shoot because they require the cameraperson to capture a variety of Shot Types quickly.
The cameraperson patiently waits for the action to happen, but then only holds each Shot long enough for it to tell its singular story, which often means holding for less than seven seconds. For example, this Shot tells the story of Mr. Poole crossing the kitchen to fill the coffee machine. As soon as that action is complete, the cameraperson quickly reframes to capture a Medium Full Shot (MFS) of Mr. Poole pouring the water. The third Shot captures a Long Shot (LS) of him finishing the pour and putting the carafe in the machine. When shot successfully, with three distinct Shot Types, the editor can use this Coverage to construct the illusion of continuity.
Returning to the card game footage, another essential Shot Type for creating the illusion of continuity is called the “Cutaway.” Cutaways are Shots that, quite literally, cut away from the main action. In this Scene, the Cutaways prevent the viewer from seeing what’s happening with the cards on the table. This gives the editor the freedom to break away from the strict continuity of the activity and include only what’s necessary to move the story forward.
Cutaways must directly relate to the Scene’s action. They shouldn’t show objects that the viewer wouldn’t naturally look at during the course of the Scene.
We’re now adding Coverage and Cutaways to the things we need to think about while shooting. As you practice these new techniques don’t forget what you already learned, which is to keep the camera still as you shoot a variety of Shot Types. Shots that are held still maximize the editor’s ability to shape the story as desired, with, for example, a slower pace, like this, or a faster pace, as seen here.
In contrast, camera movement predetermines Shot selection and pacing. When similar Shots without moves are cut together, the viewer’s attention stays focused on the story.
The shooting of each Scene requires the cameraperson to anticipate how a viewer would naturally observe the action – and to gather the Coverage that allows the editor to replicate that experience. As the number of people and activities in a Scene increases, getting Coverage becomes more complex. The more complex the Scene, the more important it becomes to stay calm, hold your Shots, and methodically gather editable Coverage.
Keep paying attention to how you observe the world around you, just as we explored in the Brain-Game 1: Watching How You Watch the World. Notice how your eyes and brain perceive continuity, and apply these principles in your camerawork and editing.
To learn how long to hold Shots, observe the activities around you. Ask yourself whether they’re repetitive, and imagine how much time each Shot needs to tell its story. With practice, shooting Coverage will become second nature, and you’ll be less tempted to direct your subjects or let your production work disrupt their activities.