A general rule in cinematography is: the
more variables a scene in a script has, the more difficult it is to film. Car scenes come with a lot of moving
parts…literally. This presents some challenges. However, since over the years countless scenes
have been written, set and filmed inside of moving cars, some standardised cinematographic
methods have emerged to handle these situations. In fact there are two main ways of pulling off
these shots: one method is done practically with real locations and a rig called a
process trailer, and the other way is achieved through a bit of filmmaking trickery
and is called a ‘poor man’s’ process trailer. So, let’s break down how these two
techniques work, the gear involved, and some reasons why filmmakers may choose one
method over the other in different situations. This video is sponsored by Squarespace - the
best place to create and manage your website. To be able to cut together a dialogue scene
filmmakers need to shoot multiple angles of the scene being performed,
multiple times. Therefore, it’s important that there is a high level of
consistency among all of the different takes, so that when shots filmed at different
times are placed next to each other there is an illusion that the scene is
continuous and unfolding in real time. This is why cars present a bit of a snag.
Consistency over a long shooting period can be difficult when traffic is unpredictable,
the background outside the window changes, the driver alters how fast or slow they are
accelerating, and the lighting conditions morph as they drive past different areas that
may cause shadows or different angles of light. Also, asking an actor to drive and
perform dialogue at the same time can be a bit too much multitasking
and diminish the performance, or even be dangerous as their attention
to their driving will be compromised. For this reason, car dialogue scenes shot while
driving on roads are almost always done with a rig called a process trailer. Sometimes also
called a low loader, this is a trailer with wheels and a platform big enough to fit a car
on - which the actors sit inside - that can be towed by another vehicle. The car that is shown
on camera is referred to as the ‘picture vehicle’. Process trailers need to sit very low to
the ground so as to give the illusion that the picture car is moving. If it is too
raised then the perspective will be off. Most low loaders are designed with a front
cab section that the driver sits in and a rear section behind the cab with mounting points
for lights, a director’s monitor, space for essential crew to sit, gear to get stored, and
generators to be mounted that can run power. This front section then tows the process
trailer which the picture car sits on. The actors sit inside the picture vehicle and the
camera operator is placed on the trailer, usually outside the vehicle, and films the scene as the
actor’s play out each take and pretend to drive. Meanwhile the actual driving will be done inside
the front cab by a professional low loader driver. Any camera operators, focus
pullers or other essential crew that need to be on the trailer
section have to be harnessed in for safety and contained by a barrier
of mounted poles that grips build. The route that will be driven by the low
loader will be carefully planned ahead of production and will almost always involve
getting permission and paying for permits from the local government. They will
often insist that a police escort is used to drive in front of or near the process
trailer and may even require that some roads need to be closed or blocked off during
shooting for the safety of the public. To provide a consistent background and
limit blocking off roads to a small area, the driving route will usually either
be looped, or it will be a route that has a turning point at the end of it - which
can be driven each time for multiple takes. This turning point will have to be scouted
in advance by the driver to ensure there is enough space to perform a u-turn with
the elongated, low clearance vehicle. There are a number of different shot options
that can be used on a process trailer. Often, cinematographers will shoot from a
stabilised platform like a tripod or car mount which the grips can secure on the
process trailer, outside the picture car. Common angles are shooting a two shot
front on, through the windscreen, then punching in for close ups on each
actor though their respective side window. The camera could also be rigged or shot
handheld from inside the picture vehicle. I’ve also witnessed some DPs who like to
operate a handheld camera on an Easyrig, and position themselves just outside the open
side windows - especially for car commercials. If shooting through windows DPs will
almost always use a rota pola filter. As the name suggests this polariser
glass can be rotated by turning a wheel, to position the filter so that the polariser
effect minimises the reflections from the glass. This allows the camera to see the actors inside
the car without being blocked by reflections. Some complex camera moves beyond locked off
frames can also be achieved, such as this. Which is done by shooting off a Scorpio 10 -
which is a small telescoping crane arm - that is rigged to the process trailer and moved by a
grip. It has a mini Libra head attached to it, which means the camera can be tilted, panned
or rolled remotely by an operator using wheels. In this case they achieved these
moves by removing the car’s side doors and shooting through the passenger
side of the vehicle. They shot all the moves practically then later inserted
the window’s glass and reflections with VFX. Cinematographers will often get
their team to rig a fill light on the process trailer. Usually this is
quite a soft light with some spread, such as Skypanels or an HMI with diffusion. This
will lift the level of ambient light inside the vehicle which will be much darker than the
bright levels of natural ambience outside, yet be soft and not too directional so as
to mask that the shot is being lit at all. It’s also possible to use a car mount, where
the camera is attached directly onto the car by grips through using a mounting mechanism
that is usually secured through poles with suction cups that stick onto the car’s
body, or with a rig called a hostess tray. In this case, some actors may be able
to do their own stunt driving without a process trailer for scenes without
dialogue. It may also be possible to use a professional driver that stands
in as a double for the actor, which requires shooting at an angle that doesn’t
reveal too much of the driver’s identity. Before we get into the other way that
filmmakers can shoot car driving scenes, I’d like to thank Squarespace, our
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off your first purchase of a website or domain. As nice as it is to shoot driving scenes for real
by using a process trailer, this method does come with a number of disadvantages. For this reason,
filmmakers also came up with a second, artificial method for capturing these shots - which is
referred to as the ‘poor man’s process trailer’. There are a few different methods of doing this,
but basically it involves placing the stationary car in a low light environment, like a studio,
then using lighting, giving the car a shake, and creating a simulated background to give the
illusion that the actors are in a moving car. There are four main ways that this can
be done: with projection, with lighting, with a green screen or with volumetric
lighting from giant LED screens. Although there are different nuances to each of
these methods, they are set up in a similar way. First, a background is placed behind the
area where the shot will take place. So if the shot is a close up of a driver,
then a projection surface will be set up behind the picture vehicle in the same
directional line that the camera is pointing. A projector will then hit that surface
with a pre-recorded clip shot out of a moving vehicle which plays out for at least
the length of a full take. It’s, of course, important that the looped video in the
background is shot at the same angle as the shot which you line up and
is moving in the right direction. The alternative to this is to
replace the projection surface with an illuminated green or blue
screen. Then in post production key the green and replace it with the
video clip of the moving background. A higher budget version of these
two methods is to use volumetric lighting - which is basically gigantic LED video
panels that output a brighter luminance. Again, clips can be played by these video walls,
which can usually be controlled by software that can also do things like defocus
and shift the perspective of the video. Because of the increased levels
of light output from these panels, you also get more realistic production of light, so any highlights in the video clip will produce
brighter areas or reflections in the lighting, and any changes in colour will change the
colour of the light that hits the subject. Once you’ve set your background, then it’s time
for cinematographers to work on the lighting. How this is done will depend on whether it’s a day or
night scene and is based on the discretion of the cinematographer. But, usually it will involve
adding some kind of ambience to the scene, like a bounced source that softens and spreads the
light while raising the general exposure levels. Then you’ll usually want to set
up some moving light sources to simulate that the car is in motion. This
can be done by loosening the lock off on a stand and swivelling a light around.
Or, what I’ve found works quite well, is to get a few people to swing
around some handheld LED tube sources. To get the feeling of camera motion to be
realistic, I’ve also found that shooting with a handheld camera combined with getting
people to randomly shake the picture vehicle tends to give a more accurate feeling of
motion than shooting a locked off frame. One of the biggest reasons why filmmakers
chose to shoot car scenes in this way rather than with a real process trailer
is because of budget. Shooting with a full police escort and locking off
roads can become incredibly pricey. The cost of renting out a studio, or
even shooting outside in a parking lot, is going to be far cheaper than renting a low
loader and paying for road closures and permits. Having said that, if you want to shoot with a
large volumetric LED wall in a big film studio, then it quickly moves away from
being a ‘poor man’s’ method and will probably be a similar financial spend
to shooting with a real process trailer. So, taking budget out of the equation, what are some of the advantages
and tradeoffs of each method? Basically, shooting with a process
trailer offers a realistic look, with little vibrations and real world,
interactive lighting, that is difficult to match, while shooting with a ‘poor man’s process
trailer’ offers much more ease and convenience. It’s much easier to record clean dialogue when
working in a soundproof studio environment, than when working out on real roads. It’s also significantly faster and easier to
change between setups when working in a studio, than when working from a low loader - which often
requires driving the vehicle to a stopping point, then getting a full grips team to re-rig
the camera so that it is safe and secured. It’s also far more convenient for the
director. When shooting in a studio they can clearly watch every shot
on a monitor, and stroll over and give notes or have conversations with actors
between takes. Whereas shooting on a process trailer usually involves more staggered
communication and direction over a radio. Studio environments also give cinematographers
far more visual control. For example, when shooting outdoors the sun
position will change over time, the light may go in and out of clouds during takes
changing its exposure and quality, you may get unwanted reflections off the glass or hit a bumpy
section of road that moves the camera too much. In a studio lights can be set to a
consistent intensity and position, lens changes and camera moves
are easy, as you work off a flat, unmoving surface - ensuring that take after
take can be visually repeated in the same way. Also any technical glitches are easy to fix
right away, whereas if a focus motor slips or a monitor loses a transmitted video feed
on a process trailer, you’ll have to bring the whole moving circus to a safe stop to
fix the problem - which is time consuming. A final disadvantage to working with a
process trailer is that it forces you to face the camera towards the windscreen
of the picture vehicle or shoot side on. Shooting from behind and looking out of
the front windscreen requires renting a niche vehicle where the driver’s
controls are placed behind the picture vehicle - which can be a
lot of effort for a single shot, compared to just turning the car around
inside a studio against a moving background. Despite the logistical challenges and
inconveniences, some filmmakers with a budget still opt to shoot the real thing.
Prioritising the realistic visual nuances that come straight out of the box
when working with a process trailer. Thank you to all the Patrons for your continued
support of the channel, as well as everyone for engaging with the video. Otherwise, until
next time, thanks for watching and goodbye.
