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CoursesRoll 04 · The Office scenario, blocked and covered

The Playbook Approach, Volume II

Blocking & Coverage

It can look like every job brings a new setup. There are really only five, and this volume takes the most common of them, the Office scenario, from the scout to the last piece of coverage.

Where the camera sits against the talent, the perpendicular and parallel approaches, the wides, the reverse, inserts and budget options, worked through on a virtual set in CineDesigner so you can watch each decision play out.

Lessons
45
Runtime
5:54h
Access
Lifetime
Pace
Yours
$399one-time
Enroll for $399▶ Watch the intro · 5:17
30-day money-back guaranteeCard or PayPalSecure checkout on Teachable

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A Cinematography System: The Playbook Approach, Volume II course thumbnail
Why this course exists

You can’t light what you can’t block.

Once you recognize which of the five scenarios you’re standing in, you know where the path leads. If you know the destination, you can work backwards and make every decision with it in mind.

That means deciding where the camera goes relative to the talent, what the wide has to do, which coverage you’ll need, and what problems the cast and crew are about to create before they create them.

I spent years of my career without these techniques, and my progress was slower because of it. This is the system I use every day on a job. None of it depends on specific gear, so you can try it on your very next project.

What the course answers · and where
  • Why work from a system at all?
    2.1 A system overview · 2.2 Define the goal · 2.4 The big decisions
  • What are the five scenarios?
    2.3 BODVO basics · 2.5 The Playbook approach
  • How should the camera face the talent in an office scene?
    3.1 The office basics · 3.3 The classics · 3.5 Alternatives
  • What do I shoot after the wide?
    4.3 The wides · 4.4 Traditional coverage · 4.5 Shooting inserts · 5.8 The reverse
  • What if the budget is small?
    5.3 Budget option · 5.4 Budget option (part 2)
One room, both directions

The wide, then the reverse.

An office lunch room from a comedy spot I shot, broken down on the podcast. The wide reveals the celebration; the reverse turns around to the people watching it.

Each frame sits against its storyboard. The course works through this order on the virtual set: the wides, traditional coverage, inserts, then the reverse and the profile shot.

Finished wide frame: a man in a waistcoat celebrates with a water cooler bottle in an office lunch room while three coworkers at the tables watch Storyboard for the same wide: the man lifts the water cooler bottle in front of the kitchen counter BOARDFRAME
Drag to compare. The wide: Astera tubes in the overhead practicals, an M18 through a 12×12 on a T-bar for the key from frame left.Episode #205, Zeiss Supremes & the Mini LF →
Finished reverse frame: four coworkers at the lunch room tables look back toward the celebration Storyboard for the reverse: the man drinks from the bottle in the foreground while two coworkers watch from the doorway BOARDFRAME
Drag to compare. The reverse: the M18 and 12×12 circled around and lowered to push level deeper into the room, a SkyPanel S60 out the back door for depth.Episode #205, Zeiss Supremes & the Mini LF →
Who it’s for

Cinematographers who want a system.

Built for DPs of any experience level who want a repeatable way to block and cover the scene they’ll face most often. Experienced DPs still get something from seeing a different approach.

Take it if

  • You walk onto each location and work out the camera placement from scratch.
  • You want the wide and the coverage planned before the lights go up.
  • You want to see the problems a blocking choice will cause while there’s still time to change it.
  • You took Volume I and want the next scenario in the system.

Start elsewhere if

  • You want lighting and exposure technique. That’s Mastering Exposure and the free breakdowns on the podcast.
  • You want the business side: finding work, rates and prep. That’s The Foundation.
  • Your next job is car work. That’s The Vehicle Series.
  • You need live, one-to-one coaching. This is a self-paced video course.
Curriculum

Every lesson, in order.

From why a system works, through the Office scenario and its coverage, to the perpendicular and parallel approaches on the virtual set and the alternatives: overhead, outdoors, and placement versus location.

Two lessons are free previews on Teachable, so you can see the course before you buy.

01Course Introduction2 lessons · 8 min
  1. 1.1 Course Introduction6:24
  2. 1.2 The Platform1:26
02Leveraging SystemsFREE PREVIEW5 lessons · 28 min
  1. 2.1 A System Overview2:51
  2. 2.2 Define the Goal6:15
  3. 2.3 BODVO BasicsFREE PREVIEW ↗5:38
  4. 2.4 The Big Decisions7:55
  5. 2.5 The Playbook Approach5:01
03The Office Scenario7 lessons · 1h 11m
  1. 3.1 The Office Basics13:01
  2. 3.2 The Office Basics (Part #2)10:05
  3. 3.3 The Classics9:48
  4. 3.4 The Classics (Part #2)6:00
  5. 3.5 Alternatives9:31
  6. 3.6 Alternatives (Part #2)10:41
  7. 3.7 Parallel Examples12:41
04CoverageFREE PREVIEW6 lessons · 43 min
  1. 4.1 The Next Step3:13
  2. 4.2 The Mood DialFREE PREVIEW ↗8:34
  3. 4.3 The Wides13:03
  4. 4.4 Traditional Coverage8:31
  5. 4.5 Shooting Inserts4:28
  6. 4.6 Shaping with the Angle5:11
05The Perpendicular Approach11 lessons · 1h 40m
  1. 5.1 The Virtual Set3:55
  2. 5.2 The Location Scout11:46
  3. 5.3 Budget Option12:27
  4. 5.4 Budget Option (Part #2)10:40
  5. 5.5 Additional Layers11:22
  6. 5.6 Additional Layers (Part #2)8:18
  7. 5.7 Coverage Options11:57
  8. 5.8 The Reverse9:02
  9. 5.9 The Profile Shot7:05
  10. 5.10 Removing Variables7:23
  11. 5.11 Tips & Tricks6:23
06The Parallel Approach8 lessons · 1h 04m
  1. 6.1 Going Parallel1:43
  2. 6.2 Parallel Scout12:55
  3. 6.3 Parallel Wide10:45
  4. 6.4 Parallel Wide Part 29:58
  5. 6.5 The Alternative Wide7:34
  6. 6.6 Down the Line4:29
  7. 6.7 The Flop11:38
  8. 6.8 Back of Mind5:19
07Alternatives5 lessons · 37 min
  1. 7.1 Open Your Mind1:25
  2. 7.2 The Overhead Scenario9:53
  3. 7.3 Placement vs Location8:32
  4. 7.4 The Great Outdoors9:59
  5. 7.5 Taking It Further7:06
08Conclusion1 lesson · 3 min
  1. 8.1 Final Thoughts2:39
Times from the course player
Patrick O'Sullivan seated at a desk in a dim room lit by a practical lamp, wearing a black cap and black T-shirt.
Your instructor

Patrick O’Sullivan, working DP.

I’ve been a cinematographer for more than a decade and have shot hundreds of commercial projects. Landing, prepping and shooting those jobs taught me a lot about the different ways a DP can approach the role.

Since 2014 I’ve shared that on The Wandering DP Podcast, breaking down real jobs with the frames, diagrams and decisions behind them. This course is the system underneath those breakdowns, applied to the Office scenario: how I block it, plan the wide and build the coverage before a light goes up.

10+
Years of experience
500+
Podcast episodes
132K
YouTube subscribers
3,100+
Patreon members
Enroll

Everything in Volume II.

One payment, then it’s yours to work through at your own pace and come back to whenever a job puts you in the Office scenario.

What’s included
  • The course45 video lessons, 5h 54m in all, from why a system works to the Office scenario covered on a virtual set.
  • AccessLifetime access on any device.
  • Guarantee30 days. If the course isn’t right for you, let us know within 30 days for a full refund.
One-time payment
$399USD
Enroll for $399

30-day money-back guarantee. If it isn’t right for you, email within 30 days of enrolling for a full refund.

Card or PayPalInstant accessCheckout on Teachable
Questions

Before you enroll.

How is this different from the podcast and Patreon breakdowns?
The breakdowns show how individual jobs were lit and shot. This course is the system behind those decisions: how I recognize the scenario, block it, and plan the wide and the coverage, applied on a virtual set so you can watch each step.
Which course should I take first?
You don’t need Volume I before this one. Volume II builds on the same system, and each volume takes a different scenario: Volume I the bar scene, this one the Office, Volume III the dining room table. If you’re new to commercial work, start with The Foundation. If exposure is the weak spot, start with Mastering Exposure.
Are there lighting examples in the course?
The course uses a virtual set in CineDesigner so you can see the methods applied in real time. It’s my system for evaluating coverage, framing and lighting opportunities in a given space, with blocking and coverage at the centre.
Do I need years of experience?
No. The point of a system is to get you to good decisions faster on set. A DP at any level will get something from seeing the approach.
How long do I have access?
For life. Work at your own pace and go back over the material as often as you like.
What if the course isn’t right for me?
There’s a 30-day money-back guarantee. Let us know within 30 days of enrolling and we’ll refund your payment.
When does it start and finish?
It starts the moment you enroll and finishes when you do. There’s no cohort and no schedule.
Can I pay with PayPal?
Yes. On the Teachable checkout page, switch from the Credit Card tab to the PayPal tab under Billing Information, choose your country and enroll.
Where do I watch the lessons?
In the Teachable course player, on desktop or the Teachable mobile app. You’ll get your login details by email straight after checkout.
Try it on your next job

Every scene is a chance to put it into practice.

These techniques have changed the quality of my professional work many times over. Nothing here needs special gear or circumstances, so once you understand how the system is structured you can use it on your next shoot and build on it to suit your own style. I look forward to seeing you in the course.

$399one-time
Enroll for $399See the curriculum
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