Free Framework PDF
CoursesRoll 05 · The dining room table scene

The Playbook Approach, Volume III

BODVO

The dining room table is the hardest setup in my system. Put more than three people in a scene and the wide, the coverage and the lighting get complicated very quickly.

How to set the wide, block around the circle, and choose between lighting from overhead and lighting from outside, worked through on a virtual set.

Lessons
41
Runtime
4:51h
Access
Lifetime
Pace
Yours
$399one-time
Enroll for $399▶ Watch the intro · 6:04
30-day money-back guaranteeCard or PayPalSecure checkout on Teachable

Jump to what’s included and price ↓

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

More than three people at a table.

Early in my career I noticed I was being asked to shoot the same handful of scenes over and over. I built a system around them so I could develop looks and solve problems well before I stepped on set.

That system is BODVO: bar, office, dining table, vehicle and other. This volume takes on the dining table. How much coverage do you need? What’s the best way to get the wide? Where do the actors sit relative to each other and to the camera?

Those questions sound simple until you start dissecting the scene. If you get the basics right, you can work backwards from where the scene has to end up, and the course gives you a way to make sure you have everything covered.

The questions a table scene raises · and where the course answers them
  • How much coverage do we need?
    4.1 Understanding Coverage · 4.4 Coverage (Part #1) · 4.5 Coverage (Part #2)
  • What’s the best way to get the wide?
    4.2 Setting the Wide · 4.6 Wide Study (Part #1) · 4.7 Wide Study (Part #2)
  • Where should the actors sit relative to each other and to camera?
    4.3 The Circle · 6.6 The Four Hander · 6.7 Adding More People
  • Do I light it from overhead or from outside?
    3.9 Overhead Lighting · 3.10 Outside Lighting · 5.4 Overhead Lighting 101 · 6.1 Lighting from Outside
  • How much can I settle before the shoot day?
    5.2 Prep Stage (Part #1) · 5.3 Prep Stage (Part #2) · 6.2 A Simple Plan
From a real job

One table, wide to single.

A family dinner on a commercial I shot, broken down in Episode #350. Four people around one table: a wide that has to hold all of them, then singles that have to match it.

The key was a gridded octabox over the table and dimmed way down, with lamps outside the sheered windows adding the night ambience. In the course, sections 5 and 6 take the table scene through the overhead approach and the outside approach on a virtual set in CineDesigner.

Finished frame: a family of four passing dishes around a dinner table at night, seen past a sofa in the foreground Storyboard for the same wide: the family gathering at the table under a hanging light, a sofa in the foreground BOARDFRAME
Drag to compare. The wide: the board was drawn in prep; the frame is what got shot.Episode #350, Permission to Tent →
Finished frame: the father at the dinner table, listening, in warm low light Storyboard for the same shot: the father at the table with family around him BOARDFRAME
The father’s single, matched to his daughter’s angle across the table.Episode #350, Permission to Tent →
Who it’s for

DPs who keep getting the big table.

Cinematographers at any level. You don’t need years of experience to use the system, and experienced DPs still get something from seeing a different approach.

Take it if

  • You shoot scenes with more than three people around a table and want a plan for the wide and the coverage before the day.
  • You want to know when to light a group from overhead and when to light it from outside.
  • You’ve taken an earlier volume of the Playbook Approach and want the system applied to the hardest setup in it.
  • You’d rather start a scene from a known set of options than solve it from scratch on set.

Start elsewhere if

Curriculum

Every lesson, in order.

From why a system matters, through the dining table classics, the wide and the circle, to a virtual case study lit with the overhead approach and the outside approach.

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

01Introduction2 lessons · 5 min
  1. 1.1 Course Introduction3:18
  2. 1.2 Teachable Platform1:22
02A Systematic ApproachFREE PREVIEW5 lessons · 26 min
  1. 2.1 A Systemic Approach5:14
  2. 2.2 Goal Setting4:56
  3. 2.3 BODVO BasicsFREE PREVIEW ↗5:55
  4. 2.4 Inside or Outside4:55
  5. 2.5 Limit the Options4:36
03The Dining Room Table10 lessons · 1h 22m
  1. 3.1 The Dining Room Table2:48
  2. 3.2 The Basics8:46
  3. 3.3 The Classics (Part #1)10:49
  4. 3.4 The Classics (Part #2)8:37
  5. 3.5 Not the Real Thing5:44
  6. 3.6 Inside Examples (Part #1)10:18
  7. 3.7 Inside Examples (Part #2)10:47
  8. 3.8 Outside Examples8:05
  9. 3.9 Overhead Lighting6:40
  10. 3.10 Outside Lighting10:09
04Coverage7 lessons · 57 min
  1. 4.1 Understanding Coverage2:29
  2. 4.2 Setting the Wide14:01
  3. 4.3 The Circle4:48
  4. 4.4 Coverage (Part #1)10:16
  5. 4.5 Coverage (Part #2)10:37
  6. 4.6 Wide Study (Part #1)8:27
  7. 4.7 Wide Study (Part #2)6:43
05The Overhead ApproachFREE PREVIEW5 lessons · 39 min
  1. 5.1 Virtual Case Study3:27
  2. 5.2 Prep Stage (Part #1)11:51
  3. 5.3 Prep Stage (Part #2)FREE PREVIEW ↗6:19
  4. 5.4 Overhead Lighting 10110:00
  5. 5.5 Overhead Lighting 2017:45
06The Outside ApproachFREE PREVIEW7 lessons · 51 min
  1. 6.1 Lighting from Outside8:34
  2. 6.2 A Simple Plan7:27
  3. 6.3 Survey Time4:52
  4. 6.4 The Classic 39:06
  5. 6.5 The 3 Alt7:16
  6. 6.6 The Four HanderFREE PREVIEW ↗7:52
  7. 6.7 Adding More People5:55
07Tips & Tricks4 lessons · 28 min
  1. 7.1 Rigging Thoughts7:34
  2. 7.2 Offering Solutions7:05
  3. 7.3 The Scoop7:41
  4. 7.4 Back to Basics5:11
08Conclusion1 lesson · 4 min
  1. 8.1 Just the Beginning3:30
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 takes the hardest setup in my system, the dining room table, and lays out the blocking, coverage and lighting options that a single breakdown can only show one job at a time.

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

Everything in Volume III.

One payment, then it’s yours to come back to whenever a table scene turns up on a job.

What’s included
  • The course41 video lessons on the dining room table scene, from the system itself to coverage and lighting a virtual case study.
  • 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 one job was lit and shot. Volume III takes one kind of scene, the dining room table, and lays out the options for blocking, coverage and lighting it so you can plan it on any job. The lighting is worked through on a virtual set in CineDesigner, so you can watch each decision applied.
Which course should I take first?
Section 2 of this course covers the system and BODVO basics before the dining table work starts. If you want the system built up from the beginning with the bar scene, take The Playbook Approach first. If you’re new to commercial work, start with The Foundation.
Do I need specific gear to use this?
No. Nothing in the course depends on specific gear or circumstances, so you can try it on your very next project.
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.
Your next table scene

Know where the scene ends up. Work back from there.

Every job I’m on is a chance to put these ideas into practice. Once you understand how the system is structured you can use it on your next table scene 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
Other courses

Next on the slate.

The Foundation course thumbnail
Roll 01 · Commercial CinematographyThe Foundation$499 one-time →
Mastering Exposure course thumbnail
Roll 02 · The language of image creationMastering Exposure$399 one-time →

Campaign sales measurement & privacy