N.20 | "Fargo" (filming from inside the conversation example), Spike Lee on choosing your director of photography plus more

JOURNAL ENTRY

Dec 29, 2024: Last entry for this year.

I shot a micro film this week — just by myself. I had more time thanks to the holiday break. This is actually an assignment for film school. It is inspired by a scene from the film Men (2022). I did this solo because I wanted to practice with my camera, with exposure, composition, editing and more.

There’s a long tunnel in the film and it’s very dark in the middle of it. This was a tremendous exercise in exposure. I went to the location several times (weekends of previous weeks) to do a lot of different tests. I played with aperture — to see the difference in footage at f2.8, f10 and f22. I played with ISO also — to see how far I could go before making everything dirty and grainy (image noise).

I did a rough cut of the film already. I’ll submit it to the film school coach as soon as possible to get some feedback and make adjustments. I’ll post a link to the film in this journal at some point.

FILM STORYTELLING

Fargo (filming from inside the conversation example)

The Cohen Brothers are masters at a lot of things. One of them is how they shoot conversations — with the help of Roger Deakins.

The majority of Hollywood movies use the over-the-shoulder shot when filming conversations. That puts the camera behind the characters. Sometimes, filmmakers use a long lens, which puts the camera faraway. That gives the audience the idea they’re spying on the conversation.

The Cohens almost never use the over-the-shoulder composition. They very often shoot from inside the conversation. They shoot a lot of singles. And their shots precisely serve the story.

Let’s take a look at a scene from Fargo (watch 1-min-22-sec clip here). We start with police officer Marge Gunderson sitting down. Yes, we actually start with an over-the-shoulder shot. But, after that, we jump right inside the space of the conversation.

The camera is in between the two characters. The lens is wide. We are right there, with the characters. When the camera reverses to Jerry Lundegaard, you see a lot of cars moving in the background. Lundegaard doesn’t say a word. He just keeps rocking in his chair.

Could the cars be a metaphor for his mind wandering around and wondering on how to get out of that messy situation?

Maybe, maybe not.

But shooting a single the way they shot it really made me notice the background. An over-the-shoulder with a telephoto lens would have compressed space, making it impossible to create the same effect. An over-the-shoulder with a 27mm would have been dirty and distract me with the back of the head of the other character.

There’s nothing wrong with the over-the-shoulder shot, but there’s really no need to use it in all films, every time. It’s such a pleasure to watch something different every now and then.

Here’s another example, from Rashomon, by Akira Kurosawa.

The film has many conversations between characters.

None of them are shot using the over-the-shoulder approach.

That below is called a two-shot, which was used much more in the 30s and 40s. This was the way to shoot dialogue back then. But I find it relevant anyway. Plus, it’s so cool to see something out of the ordinary.

Another example below.

Making a conversation interesting and powerful doesn’t necessarily require the over-the-shoulder shot. You can do things in different ways.

Special thanks: Joel & Ethan Coen - Shot | Reverse Shot by Every Frame a Painting on YouTube.

TIDBIT I’M PONDERING

Spike Lee on choosing and collaborating with your director of photography

I’m studying Spike Lee on Masterclass at the moment. At some point, he touches on how to approach finding your director of photography (DP). He opens by saying:

Take a deeper look. Do your research. Look at their work. Watch something that they shot that is longer than just a reel. Their work doesn’t necessarily need to be similar to what your current project is. When you’re choosing your DP, audition this person in the same way you audition actors, editors etc.

Also, it’s a good sign when a DP reads the script first, and tells you how they’d want to shoot the film. This will give you insights on how well they can tell a story with the camera, composition, camera movement, color, lens choice and more.

Lee also makes a point on speed. The DP should be fast to set up your scenes, because you’ll always have a limited budget. Budget determines how many days you can shoot. The less money you have, the less days to shoot you have.

Furthermore, the DP must be fast and have everything ready when the actors show up. Actors come to the set when they’re ready to work.

Source: From Spike Lee Teaches Independent Filmmaking on Masterclass (paraphrased and/or quoted).

FILM STORYTELLING

The Grand Budapest Hotel (closeup example)

The closeup is very often arranged at eye level (watch 6-second clip here).

It’s probably the most powerful visual weapon you have to highlight a change in emotion. The closeup is about empathy. You give your audience a front-row seat for the character's thoughts and feelings.