I recently filmed the duologue scene from Night at the Museum 2 which was discussed in an earlier blog. There were two characters, Larry and Brandon – I played the part of Brandon. As it was my first on-location filming, the process was unknown to me and I was not sure, to an extent, of what to expect. But, from the beginning, I was excited and ready to embark on this new experience.
On set was the director, a camera crew of two as well as fellow acting students who took on the roles of: a boom operator, a sound recordist, a clapperboard operator and an assistant writing notes on camera operation times, positions and shots.
The location of the shoot was an exterior hallway at the university campus. It was under cover with one wall being the façade of a building, while the other side was a long display case with glass panels showcasing various artworks and drawings. This was the most suitable location for the scene between Larry (Ben Stiller) and Brandon (Jonah Hill) in Night at the Museum 2 as they require an “exhibit” to refer to and interact with.
Before commencing the filming, I changed into my character’s costume – a security guard outfit consisting of: black pants, a short-sleeved white shirt, a high-visibility vest, radio communications, a belt, a badge, black shoes and a torch. It was also decided that I should wear my watch and hat right before filming. As we had not procured any suitable hats for a security guard, the Director liked the idea of wearing the cap I was wearing upon arriving at the location – an LA Dodgers branded cap. It surprised me and was not at all expected. She had made the comment that it could bring out the “try hard” quality in Brandon; therefore, it was incorporated into the entirety of the scene.
One of the first thoughts that had arisen as an issue was the state of the weather. There was significant cloud clover and, by 11am, thunderstorms were predicted. This proved to be a significant factor and challenge during the filming process, greatly hindering the productivity of the day. Shortly after 8am, the equipment was being set up while my filming partner and I blocked the scene and went over it multiple times. This benefitted both us in gaining familiarity with the location, but it was also beneficial for the filming crew and the director as they could plan how the scene would work. An additional change was made to incorporate polishing the display case before the final line is said and the scene ending – something we had not rehearsed or planned for before. However, it was an aspect that we collectively decided would create additional comedy in the scene.
We began filming the scene with a mid-shot that incorporated both of the characters. Almost instantly we discovered an added challenge to the filming of this scene – aeroplanes. As we were outside and the city has an airport, planes often fly above the university campus creating loud noise that was able to be picked up in audio. The solution to this was interesting and something that, as an actor, I have never experience before. When a loud noise occurred, usually from a plane (which felt often), the director would call out to “stop” and pause for a moment. We would remain in our positions as our characters as best we could and, once the plane had passed, the director would call to “go back” to a previous line or to go “from the top”. Interestingly, it felt like a routine which had been done before which puts into perspective the number of times of which challenges like this can occur during filming. After filming the scene multiple times, the camera would be repositioned to a new angle and we would have to repeat the process again.
A significant factor in the filming process was repeatability. By this, I mean being able to perform the scene over and over again as authentically and as if it is the first time it is happening as possible. Each time, from the top or from a paused moment, we would have to keep the same energy that we had from the first shoot all the way through to the end. Feedback from the other actors (now filming crew) suggested that we were still remaining authentic and managing to maintain the comedy despite have performed it multiple times.
The weather slowly approached and at about 9:30am it began raining. As the weather wasn’t expected or predicted on the day of filming, we were all caught off guard. At this point, the rain had only a slight impact on the scene as it was not loud or heavy. But, before long, the severe thunderstorms arrived and began to have an impact on the scene. Heavy rainfall and loud thunder made it difficult to continue; however, we decided to wait for opportunities to film again so that the scene would not go unfinished. Because of this, we were able to film in moments of calm when the storm temporarily subsided. We nearly finished filming from all planned camera angles – only one being cut short.
Interestingly, the master shot was filmed last and during the intense noise of the thunderstorm. I learned that we did not need to record audio for this shot as the microphone would be in view of the camera as well as the fact that there was already enough audio recorded earlier to be able to accompany the footage. After filming, all of us, including the director, felt good about the scene.
If we were to film again, it would obviously be beneficial to film on a day with good weather for the sake of continuity and audible dialogue. The planes did not prove to be a significant issue as their impact was limited. Evidently, there are some things that you can’t plan for and, as a production company, you “just have to roll with it” – a fitting quote from the film (and the subject of my first blog) Living in Oblivion.
The Film's Effect 