Is there a different approach to filming comedy than say drama, or an action film?
I worked on eighteen films with Woody Allen, most of which were comedies. What I learned is that by using single, moving master shots he was able to get fresh, spontaneous performances with reactions in frame simultaneously. There was room for the actors to ad lib, step on each other’s lines, and so forth; so every take was different and therefore full of energy. It’s a great way to film comedy. Drama, on the other hand, is often filmed with a lot of camera set-ups – reverse angles, over-the-shoulders, and close-ups. It is a style that is time consuming and meticulous, and repetitive by nature. Action films generally utilize lots of coverage and quick cuts. Director John McTiernan equated directing them to engineering, often needing shots of just six or twelve frames – fractions of a second. Each style is valid and effective if utilized properly.
