Complicated Shots

A few days prior to production, Dorian Weinzimmer (director of photography) told me he wanted to attempt shooting the Lurie Garden scene in one shot. For a moment, I thought he was joking. There was no smile on his face. Just that completely serious, dead-panned look that those who know Dorian know what I'm talking about.

To give you a better idea of what kind of shot this was, I would have to suggest recalling the 8-minute shot from the 2006 film, Children of Men (directed by Alfonso Cuarón). Although Dorian's one-shot is much shorter in length, it didn't mean it was simple. His idea was very intriguing to me and was definitely a challenge.

The day before principal photography began, we took a trip over to Millennium Park's Lurie Garden to block out the scene and run through a series of rehearsals. The day of the scene, we spent three hours attempting to get the shot. Finally, after about 12-15 takes, we not only got the shot. We nailed it!

Starting off with something so complex like this seemed daunting before, but in the process of getting it, we really came together as a cast and crew on our very first shot of the first day. I was really impressed with our focus and dedication.

Can't wait to see Ryan Berena (editor) cut this one together!