Recce

A Recce is when you film a rough version of a scene to work out its suitability for shooting assessing any potential issues which may effect the real filming such as:

• Lighting - The set may be too dark and so extra lights may be needed in the real shoot

• Sounds - The room in which your filming in may be hollow and so the sound may echo

• Camera angles - You may find the camera angles you are using are not working well. i.e you may want the audience to relate to the character and so close up shots may be one to consider

• Location - From looking at the Recce, you may choose to shoot your film in another location

• Mis-en-scene - You may need to use more props or different costumes to fit in the scene

• Actors Movement -  The actors/actresses movement may be restricted due to the amount of space available. Also different types of camera shots may be needed to follow the actors/actresses movement if they are combat fighting, dancing, running etc

A Recce is like a run through dress rehearsal, without it you dont have much knowledge of how the scene will turn out. The reasons why many film makers use Recces are to:

• Save Money - If you have a Recce, you will be able to test the suitability for the shooting in advance so when it comes to shooting the real film, you will be organised making it less likely for there to be mistakes costing you more money on your film

• Camera Shots - This is a chance for you to explore using a range of camera shots so you can see what shots work and don't work

Quentin Tarantino, the director of Reservoir Dogs used a Recce in his film to test how the scene would look before he filmed the real version. From his Recce he noticed many problems:

• Camera Shots - The camera shots in the Recce were too long making it boring. Also a long shot was used during the suffering of the man who had been shot, making it hard for the audience to feel any emotion as we couldn't see the man. In the real version of the film, a close up was used on the suffering man so the audience could see his suffering and feel his pain making it easier to relate emotionally

• Camera Shots - In the Recce of the toilet scene, the camera faced the mirror to make the room look big as it was really small. This was a good shot though it didn't really work because the two characters couldn't fit in the frame due to the space and movement. In the real version a long shot of the toilet was used so we could see both characters and their movement