Shooting a Road Film
Road pictures -- that's what they used to call them in the early part of the 1900's. It is said that Bob Hope and Bing Crosby put road pictures on the map (pun intended) when they did a slew f them from the 1930's to the 1940's. Their road pictures had characters who were traveling and finding themselves in crazy, funny situations when they made it to their destinations. Today there is a different connotation for road films. The films are more about the journey rather than the destination although the premise of the film is usually the destination. That's the crystal clear theme about road pictures -- the fact that the journey on the road is a metaphor for the journey inside that the characters are on. And the destination is usually happiness although they never know that. Aside from the themes of a road film, shooting one can be quite hectic. A road film will most likely take place in a car, truck or van on the road. Good examples are Thelma and Louise, Dude, Where's My Car?, and Little Miss Sunshine. They are definitely movies in which the characters go on an emotional journey while searching for something else. But the other thing about them is all the exterior locations, the hotels they stay in and the crazy characters they meet along the way. Location is key in a road picture. The weather and the background will influence what type of story you are telling. In the snow you will have people struggling more to get around, the character's tires are liable to get caught. It's tempting to have an emotional breakdown on the road when the character's car has breakdown in the snow. Choose your settings wisely because the exterior is where the emotional journey is set. They could be driving down deserted back roads or on the freeway. You could showcase the county or a two-hour drive in the city. Your exterior locations will have to be chosen wisely because you will have to permit them all. When shooting a film, you have to mark specific places that you are going to shoot so that the city or state you're shooting in can determine whether you need to shut down sidewalks, roads or freeways. You also will have to pay fees for your permits and may have to have police or monitors on set. Interiors are the same. You must have permits for them as well. Go to www.film.ca.gov for California Film Permit information or go to your local permit office to find out where you need to get your permits. Interiors should be just the break our character needs in the film to sort things out. The break or the destination isn't what is important, it's how one feels after they have taken the break or got tot the destination. This is always a place for most exciting or tragic part of the film to take place. It was hotel for both Thelma and Sunshine. For all the exterior locations, you will have to use special equipment to film them. Shooting people driving or on the road takes special camera operating equipment, possibly helicopters and possible trucks or dollys following or leading your picture vehicle. To shoot in front of the vehicle to get the head on look as the actors are driving, you can hook a vehicle to the front of the vehicle that is being shot with a hitch. The DP would be inside the other vehicle with the camera, shooting the action. The best place for sound to be would be hidden somewhere in the car so they can catch it but sound will most likely not be usable. It should only be though of as a reference for when you do ADR (automatic dialogue replacement). If you want to shoot the car shots from the side or interior, you can use a car mount. A car mount can sit on the edge of the windows, on the hood of the car or on a moving vehicle beside the car. It hooks to the picture vehicle so that the DP can get a look inside the car while keeping steady. It hooks on so that the camera doesn't bump or move unless the picture vehicle does. Shooting from a helicopter should only be done when doing over-the-head shots. It's not necessary when getting closer vehicle shots in which you can see the characters' mouths moving. Safety is of key importance. If you are shooting with a car mount outside or hooking one vehicle to another, it doesn't matter what kind of film you are shooting, you should have a police officer and safety monitor present.
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