One of the hardest things for new camera operators to get accustomed to in the world of reality/documentary filmmaking is something lovingly referred to as “the dance.” The dance is when two or more camera operators are shooting a scene with multiple subjects, capturing the action as it happens.
The operators work together to follow the subjects, maintain cross-coverage and quickly react to the changing scene, thereby dancing around the action. It’s up to the shooters to capture the action, usually in one take, in a way that gives the editor as many options as possible. No rehearsals, no resets, just doing it live.
Say you’re shooting a scene with two people, a contractor and a designer, as they walk around a house discussing potential renovations. You have two shooters and only one chance to capture the scene. You’ll be moving from room to room with only a rough idea of where they’ll go and what they’ll discuss.
The shooters single goal is to get good cross coverage of the scene. If you’re unfamiliar, cross coverage means each camera will be shooting a different subject. So, Camera A focuses on Subject A and Camera B focuses on Subject B. As a rule, neither camera should shoot the same thing at the same time. If you find yourself shooting the same thing as your second operator, say an insert of someone’s hands working, even though you’re shooting it from a different angle, you are leaving your editor with nothing to cut to.
Always think of your editor and give them multiple usable shots. If you have to readjust your shot your second operator needs to hold theirs steady. If the other shooter follows a close up of Subject B using a hammer to drive a nail into a board that Subject A is holding then you should have a 2 shot, wide, or reaction shot of Subject A. It’s a natural for new shooters to mimic what the more experienced shooter is capturing, but doing your best to break that inclination is key. After some practice, you’ll develop a pattern of one shooter holding a shot while the other shooter shifts quickly to get the next complimentary shot.
While dancing, staying on the same side the 180-degree line is crucial. This is the hardest part of the dance. Keeping the line in your head when on a film set where you control everything can be tricky enough but doing it on the fly is something that takes lots of practice. A trick that I’ve found helpful is not visualizing where the line during the scene, but rather to look at what shoulder of my subject the other operator is shooting over and make sure that I’m over the opposite shoulder of their subject. By thinking about it this way you can quickly make the call on where the line is as it rotates and shifts around the room.
It’s important to get used to keeping one eye on the scene and the other on your second shooter. A quick glance at your partner will tell you everything you need to know about what you should be shooting. Based on their position and what their lens is trained on you’ll know what they’re shooting and therefore what your shot should be. Many operators like to use hand signals to indicate their shot. One finger is a single, two is a two shot and three is a three shot or a wide. You can also keep your surveillance mic in one hand and quietly call out your shots as you have them. Calling out “I’ve got a single,” or “holding a wide,” will let your other shooters and producers know exactly what is being captured.
Your goal, as a good dance partner, should be to be just as comfortable leading as following. When you lead, you are directing the shots on the fly. You can call out direction over the walkie, through hand signals or just by how you follow the action. Whatever your process you should always be thinking about the edit and giving your editor as many options as possible. Now get out there and start dancing!
