Car Shots in Little Miss Sunshine

[jackierr]

Hi David-

I'm a film student at the University of Michigan and I'm directing a film this semester involving some car shots. I want to do some frontal car shots and am wondering how I get them nearly head on and extremely clear, as is seen in Little Miss Sunshine. It seems to me that the shots were even more clear that you can get with a polarizer!

Here's a link to a production still:
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/07/26/movies/26suns.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Thank you,
Jackie.

 

[David Mullen ASC]

You have to tent the windshield so that it reflects black cloth (easier when the windshield is tilted and reflects mostly sky). Trouble is that you also tend to kill all the frontal light that way so you sometimes have to then add some artificial frontal light to compensate, and keep its reflection out of the shot.

 

[jackierr]

clarification...

clarification...

Thank you Mr. Mullen. So when you say tent the windshield I'm guessing you mean drape tent or tarp so as to keep the sun off of it? Sorry if I'm completely wrong, I just want to be able to explain this to my DP.

 

[David Mullen ASC]

You need the windshield visible on camera to only reflect black cloth, so it has to be pretty large, and it should be angled down so the sun doesn't hit the black. Most windshields are tilted and reflect the sky, so you have to put a large black frame more or less tabled, like an angled ceiling over the hood & windshield.

If you are only shooting a close-up through the windshield, it is easier because you can get away with a smaller black flag, like a 4'x4' floppy over the windshield, but remember that any large cloth frames or flags have to be properly (securely) attached at multiple points because they act like sails and will easily get blown-off once the car starts moving.

Just go outside, lean over the hood up close to the windshield, and look through the windshield while someone holds a black foamcore over your head and you'll see the effect.