"Look the first thing you do when you start a band is talk about your influences..." - Pt. 2

Considering a portion of our film contains running scenes, our group decided it would be a good idea to look at various films that have running/footchase scenes, and analyze some of the camera and editing techniques used. So we sat down as a group and thought of films, then found the sections on YouTube:

Run Lola Run

In this example, the main character is running to meet with her boyfriend. She is frantic and desperate to get there in time. There are lots of tracking shots used, and the camera is always moving, giving a sense of movement and speed. There is an excellent example of this at 03:30, where the camera is moving backward down the street in front of Lola, she turns a corner, and the camera turns with her, and falls in behind her.

Hot Fuzz

Again, the camera in this example is always moving, lending it a sense of speed. There is also generous use of whip pans. Also worth nothing is that the subject of the shot is often kept in the middle of the frame, with lots of movement shown in the fore and background. Objects moving in front of the camera are also used to edit into another shot, making the whole sequence smooth and fast.

Casino Royale

While the camera work is not as frantic in this example, the camerwork still adds to the effect of the chase scene. There is some movement later in the clip as the camera follows one character through a busy construction site. There are one or two whips pans in there as well as characters reach a corner, or the focus shifts from one character to another.

Brick

This example seems to be the odd one out, as the camera work, editing and sound design are not as frenetic as some of the other clips. For example, there is no music as the chase goes on, and the sound is very subdued; all you really hear is the sound of their feet hitting the pavement. There is also very little in the way of camera movement (aside from the first shot as the chase begins) where the camera is usually low on the ground and the characters run from the distance past the camera. The editing also has a much slower pace, as many of the shots are quite long.

So looking at these clips as influences for our film, we have to look for common threads in each that basically define a scene showing someone running, and try to replicate those themes and/or techniques in our own work.