109
PILGRIMAGE
Written by David Schulner
Directed by Ed Bianci
I hate the master shot. This is the first thing we shoot for every scene. Typically this is a wide shot that establishes where we are and who is in the scene. And typically they are boring as hell. You're too far away from the actor's faces to get any real emotion. The actors usually don't even know their lines and use this shot as a much needed rehearsal. They are practically unusable for anything other than the opening and if you're desperate the end of the scene. I hate the master shot.
Then I worked on Kings. First off, not only do the actors on Kings know their lines but they frequently rehearse privately before they arrive on set.
And then I worked with Ed Bianchi, who directed "Pilgrimage." I found his masters to be things of beauty. Each of Ed's masters tells the entire story of the scene. By the way the actors are framed. By how the camera finds them. I remember thinking we could have editing the entire show with no other shots than these artful masters. I have two favorites. The first is David and Silas eating lunch out in the field. They sit together on opposite sides of a bench with their lunch between them. The rustic forest behind them. As beautiful a shot I have ever seen. And it captures the beauty and innocence of their relationship before it is forever destroyed. My other favorite is the scene between Michelle and Rose late in the show. Rose sits at her vanity table and Michelle joins her pleading for help. And the entire scene is played in the mirror from Rose's point of view. Two and a half minutes. One take. Suzanna Thompson at her most glorious.
Now I love the master. But only if Ed is directing.