Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Timing is Everything, Catspaw


 Two points if you know where this title came from. This has been the point and purpose of the week, working out and refining the timing on the action scenes. Nothing is more painfully obvious to the viewer than a poorly timed or sluggish fight scene. One of the funny side effects of a real fight versus a choreographed one is that, in the real thing, time seems to slow. In a mock or choreographed one you are so intent on hitting your cues just so that time feels like it is passing faster than it actually is. This leads to a common reaction amongst the stunt guys when reviewing their work. “Why’d you make us so slow?” (Note here that it is assumed that the cameraman is to blame.) The trick therefore is to a) get them to enact their scene with as much energy as possible, and b) make the subtlest adjustments possible in post to smooth out the slow bits. If you simply speed up the footage the end product will look a lot like the fistfights from the old B westerns. What is needed is either a clean cut between two actions or a smooth speed ramp, depending on the situation. Also, if the pacing doesn’t feel right, cut, cut, cut! This is where the original run time of 87:40 will take its hardest hit.

 In other news, the first scene has been screened and reviewed, with a couple adjustments being recommended. The overall first impression has been positive, now to make sure it stays that way through the rest of the run.

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