Second unit crews shoot scenes the main unit can’t. David K. Irving explains what a second unit does, when you need one and how to direct the B team.
“Last summer a second unit production crew went to France and shot scenes for several of this season’s episodes. They shot costumed actors in and around real castles and landmarks, we couldn’t possibly have duplicated here in Hollywood.” ~Vic Morrow
Principle photography is the time dedicated to shooting your movie. A 15-page script shot over five days averages 3 pages a day. The director must shoot everything he or she requires to advance into the edit room with ample material with which to cut the film. Hidden from this formula are shots required during pre-production, second unit photography, optical effects and stock footage.
A videotape playing home movies of the characters in the film has to be shot prior to principal photography. Stills of the happy family that cover the grand piano are taken, developed and framed as props in pre-production. Therefore, a director is prepared to shoot material during pre-production, which plays a part in principal photography.
The B team is often referred to as the second unit, composed of cinematographer/operator, first assistant camera, clapper/loader driver and a second assistant director. During principal photography, a second unit might be assigned to shoot second camera in an action sequence, or shots that do not require principal actors. These shots may have been assigned to a second unit on the original schedule or may be slop shots left over from a shoot the A team couldn’t finish. These types of shots would include pickups, inserts, drive-bys, establishing exterior shots, etc.
A second unit is sometimes considered a luxury, especially on a low budget show. But the time saved and the extra material generated by a second unit is worth consideration. A big budget show may have a second unit available throughout the shoot. If the budget doesn’t allow for a second unit, the director can ask one be hired for at least a few days or a week to assist the first unit. If this camera can be employed both as a second camera and also as a second unit, the director can ask this unit to shoot material without principal actors (e.g., drive-bys, inserts, long shots, establishing shots, beauty shots, etc.). Every one of these shots done by a second unit relieves the first unit to spend more time on scenes involving principals.
A second unit (and often up to six cameras) is always used for stunts to shoot a second angle so the stunt is performed as few times as possible. Large set pieces, such as musical numbers benefit from a second camera. In both these cases, it is the third and fourth camera that becomes the luxury. Many shows opt to employ two cameras. Often the two cameras are placed side by side to get a medium and close shot simultaneously. However, the more one separates the cameras the greater difficulty to light. It can be faster to light for one camera than two. A calculation to consider is whether the cost of the additional camera(s) saves “X” number of set-ups per day.
Post production effects, also called optical and/or digital effects, have become big business. Special effect companies, called houses, have sprung up in many cities to services the film and television communities. The special effect houses specialize in enhancing and creating images that either cannot be created on set or by creating them on a computer, enhance the production value of a shot for a fraction of what it would cost in principal photography. A blue screen shot, for example, is executed first on set with the principal actors with the backgrounds added later in post.
Special effect opticals play an important part of many films. Whether it is the marauding dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, the dazzling slow-motion fight sequences in The Matrix, or just lighting a fire in a fireplace, a team of experts is called in to produce the desired illusion. Special effects are either real-time effects produced on set (such as fire or prosthetic make-up) or images manipulated, added to created entirely in post production.
Elaborate live action shots such as tank and miniature photography, are executed by a second unit team so as not to take up the time of the first unit. Complicated blue or green screen shots often employ the efforts of both the first and second unit.
Stock footage shots are images that can be purchased by the foot to enhance, fill out or compliment your film. I once needed several shots of a marlin being caught for a big game fish sequence. Planning the sequence during pre-production the production team presented several ideas how we might achieve the series of images an audience would expect to make the scene work effectively. These included shooting a dead marlin being tossed into the water and shot in reverse, shooting the scene in miniature, animating the sequence and shooting a marlin catch with the “B” camera. The only solution presented that made any sense was using the “B” camera. But what if the second unit went out on the water day after day and never caught the fish? I needed a back up plan so we bought 100’ of a marlin catch shot on 35mm film which is what we used in the final film (Night of the Cyclone starring Kris Kristofferson).
Stock footage is of great use to filmmakers as it can be less expensive to purchase the footage. The key to stock footage is how it is integrated into the film, both in terms of content and style. For example, the shots of the marlin in 16mm would never match the gain of the film shot during principle photography, which is why the only stock footage that could be considered had to originate in 35mm.
Stock footage can also be used to integrate news footage or notable figures into a film. For instance, the films Zelig and Forrest Gump used stock footage extensively, modified with computer generated imagery to portray the lead character meeting historic figures such as John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, and John Lennon. Airplane II: The Sequel uses stock footage of failed flying machines in a parody of a flashback scene. The same footage has appeared in several other productions, notably Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines.
Stock footage can be expensive but it can also be free. There are several sources for footage in the US and England, as well as news stations and movie studios. The United States Library of Congress can provide stock footage in the public domain.
B-roll is also another common term for stock footage. B-roll, like pick-ups and second camera shots, provide additional material for the editor to consider when stitching together a film. Since a film is written three times, once on paper, once with the camera and again in the editing room, it behooves the director to deliver extra footage for the editor to consider. Just as the director asks for more music from the composer than may be needed, so too an editor enjoys more shots from which to chose in order to make a sequence. Editors can only manipulate and edit the footage provided them, they cannot add.
We would like to make a byline correction on an article appearing in StudentFilmmakers Magazine’s April 2008 Edition, “A Quick, Mini Guide to Running Efficient, Effortless Auditions.” The author of the wonderful article is the very beautiful Tamar Kummel, who is a director, actress, and writer. Her book, “How To Run Auditions” is currently available on Amazon.com. For full information, please see www. tamarkummel.com. Look forward to more great articles
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