Quoted from George Willson Well, Steadi-Cam is a brand name, kind of like Kleenex, in that it's used as a general term for a camera rig that "steadies" itself as you move with it. It allows a camera operator to move through a scene without an undue amount of shaking motion. It still takes some skill and personal steadiness to use it properly, but since the rig is counterweighted, it helps to hold the camera steady so the final shot looks fluid. It's usually used when a dolly, track, or other kind of camera stabilization system would either not fit or be otherwise "not right" for the scene. The expensive kinds have all kinds of bells and whistles and are usually attached to the operator by a harness. The cheap kind is often a pole with a counterweight on the bottom (I have used this latter variety, and it's still remarkably effective).

Thanks George. It helps to know a little about the techniques and equipment in filming. Although I don't want to be overly concerned, ( since I primarily worry about word and storycraft) I am still curious to know about the tricks of the trade with regard to the actual filming so I can write with that aspect in mind.

Sandra

Quoted from George Willson And Phil, if the tree is that important, why wouldn't it be in the original script?

'That tree' may not be so important in a spec script. Passing by a tree in the forest is not necessarily going to be of significance.  It would be in the shooting script when listing all the shooting locations.


Phil

I'm having a few problems with multiple locations too so thought I'd ask here.  It's similar to James' question but it takes place outside, switching between two people who are pretty close to each other but one one is unaware of the other.  The scene goes like this;

EXT. ABBERSTON ARMS - BEAR GARDEN - NIGHT

Russ bursts out of the exit, his hand barricades his mouth.

He runs to the smoking area and hovers above the sand filled bucket.  He lowers his hand, his cheeks puff out.

A rustle is heard (O.S.)

Russ freezes, his stomach jerks and his mouth fills.  He holds it in.  He slowly looks up to see Howard next to the coach.

BESIDE COACH

Howard lays a body bag on the ground and unzips it.

BEER GARDEN

Russ stares in ore, struggling to see in the dim light. Vomit slowly seeps from his lips.

BESIDE COACH

Howard grabs Derek’s feet and struggles to maneuver the dead weight inside the bag.

BEER GARDEN

Russ’ eyes bulge and his lips quiver.  He wretches and a little vomit escapes.

Howard turns and looks over toward Russ’ location.

Russ frantically searches for a hiding place, unable to see one he freezes in the darkness.

Howard scans the area for a moment. Content, he turns and continues to wrestle with the corpse.  He zips up the bag and, with a struggle, drags the body away.

Russ bends over the bucket, opens his mouth and allows the remaining vomit to escape.  He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and quietly sneaks back inside the pub.

END SCENE

As you can see there's a few switches but then it concentrates on Russ' location and he views Howard from his perspective.  Does this read OK?  I'm worried it's too confusing. Any thoughts?

I don't think it's confusing, but I don't have a very good visual from this brief example.

Another alternative to the actual places you have would be to use the TOM/JOE example Bert gave earlier. This is actually a perfect example for it, and would probably read a little more cleanly than the way you have it. But the way you have is very understandable as is.

Remember that the primary rule is clarity. As long as someone else can figure out what you're trying to do, it works.

Cheers for the quick response guys.  I'll give it a go both ways and see which reads better.