1st Edition
Shooting the Scene The Art and Craft of Coverage for Directors and Filmmakers
Navigating the necessary skills for shooting fiction film or TV is a challenge for any filmmaker. This book demystifies the art and craft of “coverage”—explaining where to put the camera to shoot any kind of scene.
Author Mark Rosman takes readers step by step through the basics such as scene analysis, blocking actors, composition, shot listing, storyboarding, and screen direction to the more advanced, including how to shoot fights, car chases, and visual effects scenes. Rosman draws on his extensive film career to reveal the tips and tricks professional directors use to shoot creatively, quickly, and effectively on any budget and design the perfect shooting plan to make memorable and impactful film and TV. Through simple descriptions, clearly drawn diagrams, storyboard panels, and frames from famous movies, this book is a comprehensive and in-depth look at the art and craft of mastering coverage.
Ideal for students of directing and film production as well as any filmmaker looking for a guide to shooting any scene.
Includes two bonus online chapters covering on set procedure and how to watch your dailies.
Part 1: The Fundamentals of Shooting a Scene 1. Directing the Camera 2. The Three Non-Camera Related Elements that Affect Coverage 3. The Director's Visual Toolkit 4. Using the Toolkit 5. Putting it All together 6. Planning Tools 7. Shooting for the Editing Room 8. Common Coverage Mistakes 9. Director's Steps in Creating a Shooting Plan Part 2: Adding Style and Tackling Coverage Challenges 10. Style, Vision, and Artistry 11. Applying Style to Coverage 12. Challenging Scenes 13. Shooting Efficiently and Effectively 14. Multiple Cameras 15. Tips, Tricks, and Pointers 16. Coverage Collaborators Part 3: Advanced Coverage 17. Scenes with Complex Elements: Non-Action 18. Scenes with Complex Elements: Action 19. Scenes with Complex Elements: Visual Effects 20. Coverage into the future
Biography
Mark Rosman is a Continuing lecturer of film and TV production at UCLA’s School of Theatre, Film, and Television, where he teaches directing, production, and beginning and advanced coverage. He is an award-winning writer and director of film and television, having directed family classics such as A Cinderella Story and Life-Size, as well as countless other features, TV movies, and TV episodes for Warner Bros., Universal, CBS, Disney, ABC Family, USA, TBS, Hallmark, and Lifetime.
