Capstone: planning a specialty shoot

This capstone brings the course together. You will plan a short specialty sequence that combines large-format capture, aerial work, a drone, a suspended camera, underwater shots and a cold-weather location. The aim is not to master every technique yourself but to show that you can turn a director's intent into a plan that specialists can execute safely, on schedule and on budget, with images that match the rest of the film. Work through each section, then assemble your own plan for a sequence of your choosing using the template at the end.

The brief

The film is a drama about a search-and-rescue volunteer. The climactic sequence, about two and a half minutes on screen, follows her across a frozen mountain lake at first light to reach a person who has fallen through the ice. The director wants the audience to feel the vast, indifferent landscape, then the claustrophobic danger under the ice, then the relief of the rescue. The film is planned for an IMAX release with expanded-ratio sequences, and this sequence will open up to 1.90:1 on IMAX screens.

The location is a lake in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado, at about 9,000 ft (2,700 m), in February, where dawn temperatures are often around −4 °F (−20 °C).

The director's shot list includes: a high aerial over the mountains revealing the lake; a lower drone move that follows the volunteer running across the ice; a fast cable-cam move skimming the surface beside her; underwater shots looking up through the ice at the hole and the struggling person; and close coverage on the ice for the rescue.

Step 1: match methods to shots

The plan moves the most dangerous underwater work into a controlled tank, using the real lake only for short, supervised plate dives. That is the kind of decision a DP should propose early.

Step 2: format, lenses and matching

• Camera: a 65 mm digital camera for main unit, aerial and drone where payload allows, recording a mode that IMAX accepts for its expanded ratio; a full-frame camera of the same family for the cable cam if weight requires it.
• Lenses: large-format primes for main unit; a lighter large-format zoom or primes for aerial and drone, within payload limits.
• Frame lines: 1.90:1 and 2.39:1 loaded on every camera, with action kept in the common area.
• Exposure and color: one show LUT, the same recording format and the same white balance approach across units; snow exposed brighter than middle gray with highlight detail protected.
• Frame rate and shutter: 24 fps, 180° shutter, with ND filters to hold the shutter in bright snow.

Step 3: safety and risk assessment

Scores of 10 or more need specific controls approved before work starts. The production safety team, not the DP, owns the plan, but the DP's shot requests shape it, and the DP agrees to keep shots within the controls.

Step 4: equipment and people in the cold

• Crew: cold-weather clothing standards, warm-up shelters within a short walk, rotation schedules and hot food.
• Cast: a costume plan with hidden warm layers, a warming tent beside the set and limits on time in the cold.
• Equipment: heated battery storage, cold-rated cables, condensation control between set and shelters.
• Altitude: at mountain altitudes the drone's lift and the helicopter's performance fall, so payloads and flight plans are adjusted.

Step 5: schedule

• Day 1: rig the cable cam, test ice, set up shelters and power; drone tests; helicopter positioning.
• Day 2, dawn: helicopter reveal shots in the first 45 minutes of good light, then drone shots; afternoon: cable-cam rehearsals and takes.
• Day 3: main unit rescue coverage on the ice; weather-hold day if needed.
• Days 4 and 5 (studio): tank work under the ice set, with the underwater unit.
• One plate dive day at the lake, scheduled with the ice-diving team, with a backup day.

Step 6: data

Step 7: budget

Approvals for the US location

• FAA approvals held by the aviation operator, including a certificate of waiver with a motion picture operations manual for low-level filming, and air traffic coordination if any controlled airspace applies.
• Part 107 remote pilot certificates, registered drones with Remote ID, and any waivers or LAANC authorizations needed.
• Permits from the land manager: the US Forest Service or state land agency, or the National Park Service if the lake were in a national park, where drone use would almost certainly not be allowed.
• A commercial diving plan under OSHA's commercial diving standard for the plate dive.
• Consultation with tribal governments if the location includes tribal lands or culturally significant sites.

Presenting the plan

When you present a specialty plan to the director and producers, lead with the story and the experience the audience will have, then show how each method serves it, then the safety plan, schedule and budget. Show references and tests where you have them. Be clear about what could change the plan: weather, ice conditions, approvals or test results. Producers trust a DP who shows they have thought about risk and money as carefully as about images.

Template for your own specialty plan

• The brief: story purpose, screen time, release format and location.
• Shot list with story purpose for each shot.
• Method for each shot and the reason for choosing it.
• Format, lenses, aspect ratios and matching plan.
• Risk assessment with scores and controls.
• Equipment and people plan for the environment.
• Schedule with light windows and weather holds.
• Data estimate and workflow.
• Budget with contingency.
• Approvals and permits for your country and location.