A Close Up of a Horse

I was working on a film once with a very big-name director, doing a Steadicam shot inside a stable involving a horse and the lead actor.

The director called in and said, “Start on a close-up of the horse and then pull back to reveal our hero.”

So, I moved in a little closer and framed up the horse from the tip of its nose to the top of the ears.

The director called in and said “No, start in a close-up.”

I looked at the horse and then at the actor who shrugged his shoulders as if to say, “I don't know”. I considered it, and moved into a close-up of the eyes and the director called in, “Not the eyes.”

So, I tilted down to the nose, truly confused at what was going on. At that point, the director stuck his head in the stall and said, “What the hell is wrong with you? Start on a close-up of the horse,” and I responded, “Sorry, what exactly is a close-up of a horse?”

The director looked at me as he considered this for a long moment and then took his hands and framed himself from the mouth to the top of his head, and went back to his chair. I stepped back to the first frame that I had lined up and he yelled in, “See, that wasn’t so hard” at which point the actor looked at me and laughed, and we proceeded to shoot the shot.

Sometimes it’s easy, sometimes it's not, but in the end, the director is always right. (Or, at least, you need to let them think they are).