Blocking, framing & execution
The Vehicle Series
A repeatable way to break down, block and frame scenes inside vehicles, worked out before you ever step on set.
The final chapter of my BODVO system: the front and back coverage paths, every shot in the coverage, hood mount or process trailer, inserts, and the same approach in planes, trains and buses.
Plan the car scene before you get in the car.
Space is tight, reflections are everywhere and time is always short. Most of those limits only show up once you’re already in the car.
If you’ve been on a shoot where you had to figure it out inside a car, you know how quickly things fall apart. Vehicle scenes are one of the most technically demanding setups in cinematography, and they reward the DP who arrives with the decisions already made.
This is the approach I use to design and shoot vehicle scenes on real commercial productions. Cars, planes or trains, it makes very little difference to the approach. Once you recognise the setup, you know where it leads and can work backwards from there.
- Where does the camera go in a car?3.2 The basics · 3.3 The front path · 3.4 The back path
- What coverage do I need?4.2 The front wide · 4.3 The two shot · 4.4 The front tight · 4.5 The profile · 4.6 The back wide · 4.7 The back single
- Hood mount or process trailer?4.9 Equipment red flags · 5.3 Front wide hood mount · 5.4 Process trailer wide
- How do I plan the inserts?4.10 Inserts · 5.7 The insert · 6.4 Better inserts
- Does it work outside a car?7.2 A car with wings · 7.3 Flying private · 7.4 The bus · 7.5 The train
Know the frame before you’re in the car.
Two night frames from a car job I shot, broken down on the podcast in Episode #160: the driver on his own, then a police officer at his window. Each one is paired with a board drawn to match it.
In the course I apply the plans in a CineDesigner virtual set, so you can watch each coverage path built and tested in real time, from the front wide to the inserts.
BOARDFRAME
BOARDFRAME
DPs with a vehicle in the script.
Built for DPs prepping commercials, music videos or narrative projects that involve vehicles in any way. New to set or already working, the system is the same.
Take it if
- You’ve lost time or creative control trying to rein in a car setup.
- You want your coverage options and their trade-offs settled in prep.
- You want to pick the rig and the schedule from the coverage path, so the gear order fits the shots.
- You want enough options in your head to adapt when conditions change on the day.
Start elsewhere if
- You want to know how commercial jobs are found, booked and prepped. That’s The Foundation.
- You want lighting and exposure technique. That’s Mastering Exposure and the free breakdowns on the podcast.
- You want the Playbook system from the beginning. That’s The Playbook Approach. Dining table scenes are in Volume III.
- You need live, one-to-one coaching. This is a self-paced video course.
Every lesson, in order.
From why a system matters, through the front and back coverage paths in the virtual set, to planes, trains and buses.
Three lessons are free previews on Teachable, so you can see the course before you buy.
01Introduction
- 1.1 Course Overview5:14
- 1.2 The Teachable Platform1:57
02The System
- 2.1 Systems Overview5:44
- 2.2 Goal Setting7:39
- 2.3 BODVO Basics6:47
- 2.4 The One Decision2:49
- 2.5 Embrace Constraints3:54
03The V in B.O.D.V.O.FREE PREVIEW
- 3.1 The Vehicle Scenario3:18
- 3.2 The BasicsFREE PREVIEW ↗6:38
- 3.3 The Front Path9:28
- 3.4 The Back Path7:37
- 3.5 Outside the Norm3:40
04The Complete Coverage
- 4.1 Filling the Rolodex3:49
- 4.2 The Front Wide9:51
- 4.3 The Two Shot8:58
- 4.4 The Front Tight3:28
- 4.5 The Profile4:50
- 4.6 The Back Wide4:51
- 4.7 The Back Single5:53
- 4.8 Alternatives10:02
- 4.9 Equipment Red Flags9:00
- 4.10 Inserts9:06
- 4.11 The Workflow14:37
05The Front ApproachFREE PREVIEW
- 5.1 The Virtual Set2:45
- 5.2 Vehicle TipsFREE PREVIEW ↗9:22
- 5.3 Front Wide Hood Mount13:35
- 5.4 Process Trailer Wide10:00
- 5.5 The Two Shot8:28
- 5.6 The Tight Option5:44
- 5.7 The Insert4:57
06The Back Approach
- 6.1 Back Coverage3:06
- 6.2 Back Wide Shot9:54
- 6.3 The One Shot11:37
- 6.4 Better Inserts3:32
07Trains, Planes, & BusesFREE PREVIEW
- 7.1 Planes, Trains, & BusesFREE PREVIEW ↗3:21
- 7.2 A Car with Wings9:53
- 7.3 Flying Private4:10
- 7.4 The Bus9:09
- 7.5 The Train6:44
- 7.6 A Common Variation11:21
08Conclusion
- 8.2 Going Forward5:49
- 8.1 System Review8:00
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 lays out the system I use for every vehicle scene, which the breakdowns only show one job at a time.
Everything in the Vehicle Series.
One payment, then it’s yours to work through at your own pace and come back to before your next vehicle job.
- The course42 video lessons, 4h 50m in total, from the system and BODVO basics to coverage in cars, planes, trains and buses.
- 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.
30-day money-back guarantee. If it isn’t right for you, email within 30 days of enrolling for a full refund.
Before you enroll.
How is this different from the podcast and Patreon breakdowns?
Which course should I take first?
Is it only about cars?
Are the lessons filmed on real jobs?
How long do I have access?
What if the course isn’t right for me?
When does it start and finish?
Can I pay with PayPal?
Where do I watch the lessons?
Know what you want before you’re on set.
The fastest way to improve on set is to practise and know what you want before you get there. This course gives you that structure for one of the hardest setups we shoot, so the next vehicle scene starts with a plan you can explain to the director and crew.
