Naked Doorways

Okay - I know I said I was going to move on to that important Marissa-breakdown scene, but I just haven't had the stomach for it.  So - back to the 1st dinner scene it is.

I hate editing.  Just so we're clear.

Anyway, this scene was particularly hard -- not just because of the nature of it (lots of reverse angles), but because of the way we shot it.  It's a great example of how breaking the 180-degree rule can cause problems.

Watch the video first.  It's a little less than a minute.

As Larry approaches the hallway to try to find the bathroom to wash his shirt, the camera follows him from behind.  He leans a little to screen-left to be able to peek through a door that's slightly ajar. Then we cut to the reverse angle in order to see his face as he peers into the room -- but we've crossed the 180/vector line, so he is now leaning toward screen-right.  Generally one would want to cut on motion (i.e., cut away from the shot of the back of him when he's mid-lean, and then show his face for the rest of the lean, to complete the motion process) -- the motion helps hide the cut from the viewer's attention ("motion draws the eye," right class?) -- BUT what happens here?  He is leaning to the left - cut - leaning toward the right!  So if we cut on motion, it will be jarring because it looks sort of like he's changing direction.  So I tried to cut it as close to his "rest" as I could -- but THEN, of course, he sees Marissa by accident and jumps and ducks off to the bathroom - toward screen left.  I need to show him going into the bathroom because we then see him in the bathroom, but when I cut back to the angle we shot from behind him, the bathroom is on his and screen right!  Rrrgh!

So this is what I came up with -- using the takes we had, which is also a factor:  in some takes he flinches more physically than others; in some takes he "rests" longer as he looks; in others, he leans farther.  Also, the shots of him from behind are the same shots as the ones when Marissa exits the room, so there are considerations there.  She is sometimes more visible as we approach the room than other times.   You can hear Greg and me discussing this, and there are some rehearsal takes to try to work it all out, but we never quite got it _all_, and we never indicate on tape that we were aware of the leaning-direction problem.

Also, there's the issue of how far away the camera is that is supposed to be representing their POV.  The angle of the POV has to match the shot of their face in terms of how far away the object of their vision is.  So -- for example -- I liked the close up of Marissa best, but her wider POV shot best -- but I can't use both together because they DON'T MATCH.

Anyway - as I said - this is what I came up with. 

I would LOOOOOOOVE it if several people commented and said something about what level of success this version has achieved.  I've lost perspective.  Does it work?  AT ALL?  Is the shot of the doorway from Marissa's POV even intelligible?  What would make it better?  (you can comment without a Blogger acct very easily, just choose "url/name" when it asks you to identify yourself and then type in your name)

Please comment.  I hate editing - have I mentioned?  Company - even virtual - would make things so much better.  Maybe I'd procrastinate less.  I ain't too proud to beg, sweet darlin'.