The Designis.ms blog recently made a post showing the work of Vincent Moon and his work doing, “Take Away Shots,” where he films bands performing on-location. The style of filmmaking is very similar to that of Cinéma vérité, where what appears on screen is largely unaltered from how it occurred. The audio is usually captured on-location, and the camera-work of the performance completed in a single take.

While most concert films are filmed from the front of the stage or from positions in the crowd, Moon is up close and personal with his subjects. This type of access is not always possible when filming concert subjects, but some of his same camera angles and shots can be achieved by zooming. His methods of slowly moving from one subject to another are an excellent demonstration of how to keep a usable shot throughout the entire performance. Pay particular attention to his use of focus, the contrast of light and shadow to create silhouette, and his methods of framing his subjects.

Yo La tengo - A Take Away Show - Part 1 from La Blogotheque on Vimeo.

Categories: Concert Films, New Media, Tutorials