Using the Monitor Remotely On Location

Some Directors prefer to use a monitor to setup and watch every shot. Imo Rice calls “Action” only when he’s satisfied with the way the scene looks on monitor. The monitor is directly cabled to his camera. He can run the connection directly to a PC, but he choose to use the monitor at this location.

Because of the size of the room and the logistics, Mr. Rice is monitoring from the room adjacent to the room where the filming is taking place. There are advantages and disadvantages to monitoring in the next room. On the negative side, he has to get up and walk into the filming room a lot as he’s making corrections to the scene setup or working with actors or his crew. On the plus side, he can review and discuss what he see’s on monitor with his Director of Photography in a private area where the actors can’t hear what is going on behind the scenes. It’s hard enough for the actors to get into role emotionally for a scene… sometimes it’s better when they can’t hear the Director discussing problems he’s trying to correct.