"- Say hello to my little friend."
Defined by spectacular action and edge of your seat suspense
shootouts can serve as the ultimate climactic set-piece.
Today, we'll look at iconic shootout sequences
and dissect how the directors approach them in radically different ways.
This is how to shoot a shootout.
Since Thomas Edison filmed Annie Oakley doing trick shots in 1894,
filmmakers have been shooting scenes of shooting guns.
As the language of filmmaking got more complex,
so did the shootouts.
Shootouts could be found all over the gangster films of the 1930s.
While westerns would make climactic shootouts their calling card.
The modern blockbusters in the 1980s gave us even more spectacular gunfights.
And over the centuries since Edison,
filmmakers still love a good shoot them up.
There are two basic approaches to shooting a shootout with a lot of variety in between.
Let's look at our first approach.
Director Michael Mann is the master of the shootout.
His gun battles are defined by realism.
Whether they're in the18th-century frontier
or modern-day Hong Kong.
Mann often seeks to depict shootouts as realistically as possible.
Arguably Mann's most iconic shootout can be found in "Heat".
Using authenticity and realism to create an experience
that puts the audience right in the middle of the action.
So what techniques does he use to achieve this?
Every detail of the scene was heavily researched to achieve maximum real-life accuracy.
From putting the actors through military training
so that they could mimic actual tactical maneuvers.
To small details like the bullet holes.
"- I wanted to dramatically demonstrate in terms of the wounds,
if you like, on the cars.
The damage there, even a 5.56 millimeter round does.
They can do that to a human body.
These are all factual wounds necessity.
We took the cars out to the ranch and shot him full the holes."
- The cinematography is grounded, literally.
- With the angles almost always eye-level.
And the camera in constant motion covering multiple perspectives.
This docu-style realism creates a sense of spontaneity and panic.
where anything could happen.
Mann switches between tight framing to heighten the tension
and wide shots to maintain the scene geography
and to capture the tactical choreography.
But much of the scene is also shot on a long lens, which has two effects.
One is shots like this captured far away from the subjects
but zoomed in as if the camera operator is also caught in a melee.
And two, the long lens compresses the space between the subject
and the background to make the shots more claustrophobic
as the police gradually surround McCauley and his men.
Sound design is equally important.
Mann chooses to not use a score, which forefronts the cacophony of gunshots.
He even drowns out the character dialogue,
allowing us to feel like we're right in the thick of the shootout.
The sound effects of the gunshots are also evidence of Mann's dedication to authenticity.
"- Big gun shootout that you hear in the movie is all production sound.
Nothing artificial could come close
to delivering the fear of the sound ricochet off the walls of the buildings of an empty downtown."
- What we're hearing is what those actual weapons sounded like in that actual space.
It doesn't get much more real than that.
Location plays a crucial role in the sequences realism.
Shot on location the scene uses the actual geography of downtown Los Angeles to its advantage.
Specifically 5th street between Flower and Figueroa.
Here's Mann on why that specific location appealed to him.
"- I wanted a T-junction up there so that they could block it.
And I wanted Neil McCauley and Chris to go uphill to it."
- By utilizing elements ofthe pre-existing space,
Mann makes the shootout feel truly situated within a real-world environment.
Which makes us more on edge
when we see bystanders and their cars caught in the crossfire.
Realism in a sequence like "Heat" can highlight the true horrors
of what a real shootout would entail.
Our next approach on the other hand has less realism and more fun.
Some of the greatest shootouts throw realism out of the window in favor of style.
These are the shootouts that just look cool.
Some of the most influential filmmakers in this field are the Wachowskis.
In films like "The Matrix", they take advantage of simulated worlds,
where the rules of physics can be bent to create mind-bending action sequences.
This approach is on full display in this thrilling scene.
"- Freeze!"
- The camera here is either locked down or smooth and controlled for two effects.
To allow the audience to take the action with full visual clarity
and to emphasize the confidence and control with which Neo and Trinity move through the scene.
One of the most groundbreaking elements in "The Matrix"
is the use of slow motion.
The Wachowskis and cinematographer Bill Pope
shot the sequence at 300 frames per second
to create a slow-motion spectacle.
And by mixing slow and normal speed together,
we can keep the action kinetic
while punctuating key moments with dramatic, slow motion.
Sound designed too is crucial.
The propulsive techno track adds energy,
while specific details, such as the ping of shell casings
heighten the ultra-cool style.
The Wachowskis use intricate framing and eye-trace
to guide the audience through the scene.
Eye-trace is when the subject of the frame is in the same area from shot to shot
so the viewer can more easily follow along.
In each of these shots, the object of our attention is in the same spot.
Or in this case, near screen right motion in the background
leads our eyes to Trinity in the foreground.
This is aided by cutting on action,
which keeps the flow of the scene uninterrupted.
The Wachowskis use a heightened style to create a jaw-dropping shootout
that is so exciting, it doesn'tmatter if it's believable or not.
While "Heat" and "The Matrix" are great examples of shootouts
on opposite ends of the realism spectrum
most shootouts fall somewhere in between.
And there are plenty of ways to favor one or more techniques to dramatic effect.
As we've seen, sound design is a critical aspect to any shootout.
In "State of Grace", the sound mix focuses primarily on gunshots
and impacts to make each shot all the more brutal.
In "Road to Perdition", the sound is removed completely
allowing the mournful musical score to turn a violent act into a moment of poetic revenge.
Editing too can be used in a variety of ways to elevate a shootout.
"Atomic Blonde" doesn't cut at all to highlight how swiftly Lorraine deals with her foes.
While "Baby Driver" cuts to the beat of its soundtrack
to emphasize that these criminals move like clockwork.
No matter what form it takes a great shootout can be the crowning achievement of any film.
From suspenseful spectacle.
To hilarious scene.
No matter the style, every shootout needs preparation.
If you think Michael Mann or The Wachowskis were able to do
what they did without storyboards and shot lists, you'd be sorely mistaken.
Sign up for StudioBinder's free storyboard and shot-listing software
and start prepping for your next gunfight.
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