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The Concept of Coverage

As mentioned in Chapter 1, scene coverage means the breaking up of a filmed master shot into a variety of camera angles and closer shots. The concept of coverage is predicated on the theory—evolved by early filmmakers—that punctuating a master wide-angle shot with closer angles and different camera viewpoints heightens the impact of a filmed performance.

TECHNIQUES OF COVERAGE

In order to achieve the dynamic of coverage, the strategy evolved was: cut out a section of footage from the master shot, and strategically cojoin (splice) the gap with the piece of film from the close shot. That is feasible in principle. But it poses a daunting task for the actors: to repeat their action and dialogue in the close shot with impeccable ...

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