As filming of Sharrie Mccain’s “Collision Envisage” resumes (2/18/17), this time we are indoors. This was the first indoor scene filmed. The room being used was converted into a classroom at the Police Academy. This is an example of “set dressing”. The room already has a mounted whiteboard. Tables and chairs had to be put into position for the students/police cadets. Everything else in the room had to be out of the way, such as actors’ and crews’ personal belongings, and extra tables and chairs not part of the scene. The directors and director of photography determined the best places to position the additional lighting needed for filming (but would not be seen in the film). Ceiling lighting already mounted in the room had to be adjusted.
The attached photographs provide context to this discussion.
A “prop” is an item handled directly by an actor, such as the marker used by the instructor in the scene, or the police badges.
The front of the room (where the whiteboard is) and the right side of the room will be seen in the finished product.
There was just one scene photographed. There were four camera positions, 2 stationary, and 2 moving. Two cameras were used, one for the stationary shots, and the other for the moving shots.
Once again, I was a production assistant. Besides helping to set up and moving furniture around, I performed my usual assignment: the slate guy. Because there were 4 camera positions, the scene number had an A through D appended (e.g., 9A). As usual, there were multiple takes for each scene/camera position. I found myself concentrating on camera positioning, so I would know what to write on the slate.
Not exactly on topic, but I have to say that everybody associated with this project work so well together!
Additional Information
Wikipedia: Set Dresser
Originally published February 20, 2017. Updated October 15, 2020 to adjust category assignments.
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