Master Shots Research

In this post I will be discussing my research on master shots. Master shots are found frequently within television and cinema, and by definition a master shot is one interrupted take where the camera captures an entire scene or sequence in one shot. A master shot usually requires complex movement, whether from a height (a jib) or a track via a tracking dolly or steady-cam. The reason I am researching and aiming to increase my overall understanding of what a master shot is, is because I plan on executing on within the film 'Alice'.  The more understanding I have of master shots as a director, the more equipped I am to implement one effectively into my own film. The first time I came across the concept of a master shot was little over a year ago. As I undertook directorial research for my previous short film, I read a book named 'first time director'. The book was extremely informative and educational on the dos and dont's of directing from start to finish. An entire chapter of the book was dedicated to master shots, which I learned a great deal from. From what I had read within the book regarding master shots here's what I learned. 

• Master shots do not have to be opening shots. This is a common misconception. Master shots can take place at any point within a film, but are often used by directors as ways of opening a film as a statement and as a way of introducing the world. 
• Master shots must gather coverage, above allowing the scene to play out in one take. 
• The coverage must vary in angles and proximity. E.g. over the shoulder shots, close up and mid shots should all ideally be implemented into one master shot. 
• A good master shot must always have a focal point or a subject for the shot to follow. Without it the camera becomes noticeable. 
• The camera MUST remain invisible within a master shot. A master shot must always serve the story as best as it can. It must follow characters or events whilst avoiding complex aimless camera movements which the audience can notice. 
• 'Eye candy' is extremely important in a master shot. This is movement in the background and to the sides of a subject or character as they move. It adds depth and visual appeal to the shot. 
• A master shot must clearly concisely demonstrate spacial awareness within a scene. If I was to shoot two people running toward each other in a master shot for example, I would ideally show them facing each other at an extreme wide then come down to their level (or an over the shoulder shot). 
• A master shot must have a clear starting and ending point, and must constantly move towards that end point. 

These are all points that I have recently gone back over in my mind to refresh myself on what a good conventional master shot should do and why. Although I did not use a master shot within the short film I researched for last year, it is clearly coming into effect now. I also find that whilst its good to look at the conventions and rules of things like shot types, those rules are there to be broken. I am a firm believer that those rules can only be successfully broken when there is a sufficient knowledge of the rules in the first place. Above theoretical research of master shots I've recently been looking at some physical examples within film and television. I have found examples of some great master shots which do everything a master shot should. I firmly believe that when pulled off master shots take the production values of whatever is being shot to a whole new level. If we manage to pull the shot off how I want then the film will surely be a huge step up from what is generally expected of student productions. 

On top of reading Gill Bettmans 'First Time Director' in which I gained insightful knowledge of the master shot, I also picked up another book from the library. The entire book is about Master Shots, and included step throughs of the many master shot techniques. What I found most exciting about the book is that it includes breakdowns of the great master shots used within films. I found myself acknowledging this as I'd seen a good 80% of the films included. What this does is remind me of a shot and then delves into why and how they did it, which is the real stuff I need to know as a filmmaker. Below is an image of the book I am talking about along with a few examples of master shots from popular films. 

Below are two scanned images of a sequence from 'Master Shots' which discusses the camera travelling with a subject within a scene. This sequence is informative and helpful for the master shot scene within 'Alice' as the shot is following Alice, the main subject. At times the camera lends itself to other subjects within the scene. E.g. for a few moments it follows someone else, before it pans back to Alice emphasising her importance. The camera will also occasionally pan to someones face as she walks as they react to her. Again, this emphasises the importance of Alice as a pivotal central subject. This shot also discusses the importance of empty spaces around the actor. Within the master shot in 'Alice' the space she inhabits is filled with drunk individuals who offer her no solitude to the people who are tracking her. Alice uses this to her advantage, deciding to kiss one of the drunken boys against the wall. The camera at this point emphasises the empty space of the corridor as the trackers come very close to her. Without this there's no real reason they wouldn't just see her straight away. The second image from this chapter of Master Shots shows us with images how we can put this into practice. 

This second chapter from 'Master Shots' discusses character switching, and how the camera can make a character become important simply through movement and positioning. In this chapter we are given an example from the film 'Children of Men'. I found Children of Men to be a very important film in terms of researching master shots as it's made up of many. Alfonso Cuaron and Emmanuel Lubezki, the Director and the Director of Photography, have teamed up numerous times. The result is often films with breathtaking cinematography that pushes boundaries. Children of Men is certainly a film that pushes the boundaries of how long a shot can be held whilst the story unfolds. This is also the case in 'Gravity' another film which was the result of the Cuaron and Lubezki partnership. In the scene discussed below in the chapter from Master Shots, the focus is on how the placement of the camera really tells the story of Clive Owens character in one single shot. The way be bustles through the crowds to announce himself as a physically superior character is done through height of the camera alone. Following this opening sequence the camera lowers itself making Owens character the subject, tracking him through the crowd within the shop. Below the shots of the chapter is a link to the scene from Children of Men. 

Another example of a successful master shot I could think of off the top of my head is this opening shot from Paul Thomas Andersons 'Boogie Nights'. The shot has an uninterrupted duration of 3 minutes. This is a perfect example of an effective master shot because it really pushes the story forward. We start in a high angle of a street and lower ourselves to the pavement where we eventually begin to track a group of people. The combination of the car and people walking us two things to look at and keeps the shot visually stimulating. We approach a club and track a group of characters into the building. This is effectively story building because we learn the importance of those characters through dialogue. When we get inside the building the camera takes a life form of its own. The camera is simply in the scene as a person would be, bouncing off people and following points of interest. This is definitely how I'd like the master shot of the party scene in Alice to play out, bouncing off of people and allowing the scene to flow but also giving the audience a point of focus throughout, which would be the character of Alice. 

This next example is one of the most famous master shots of all time. The opening master shot from Orson Welles 'Touch of Evil' is innovative cinema. The opening shot has a duration of 3 minutes and 30 seconds, and introduces us to characters, the location, and most importantly it sets a tone for the film and foreshadows events to come. This is the perfect master shot in many ways. It maintains our focus at all times, for instance when we need to look somewhere the camera doesn't simply pan. If it did, something within the subconscious of even the most novice cinema-goer would think 'why is it doing that? What am I supposed to be looking at?'. Instead the shot gives us something to follow and those things however subtle or blasé make a master shot work. A shadow running across the wall at the beginning of the scene, moving from left to right is an example of this. It leads our eyes and focus to the next point which is the car. The camera then moves upwards and hoists itself above the scene where we see a couple walking towards the car. Our eyes follow them, then they follow the car, then they follow another couple and so on and so fourth. The importance is in the 'eye candy' which I spoke about earlier. Without it a master shot becomes empty and pointless, you could just cut. But with it there is no need to cut at all, as the audience are visually immersed in a sequence of events. The set up and the execution of a master shot are obviously very complex but its purpose remains simple. Tell a story in one sequence that pushes the whole story of the film forward in some way. 

This week following my master shot research I found that it wasn't too early in the point of pre-production to test out our own. Myself, the cinematographer, the producer and the sound-operator visited the location we were to use for the master shot. We simply explored the location and discussed possibilities. As director I looked at it from every angle, how we would move characters alongside the camera to create a successful master shot. The important thing for me was to find a way to tell this story in one big shot, a story which required us to see two opposing sets of characters. This scene is about Alice Vs the young guys she's following. She's there to track them and capture them on camera. A problem arises when they notice her and try to grab her. In the test we documented on camera, the extras aren't there which will add to the scene greatly when the time comes. However we had enough people to play out the scene as I wanted it in terms of who the camera will follow and when. Below is an example of the master shot we created as a preliminary test. This is the bare bones of the shot without lighting and extras and cast, but hopefully it gives a clear indication of the direction we're hoping to go in with the master shot.