So you may be thinking… chase scene?!? Well whoopty frickin’ doo. Another chase scene…how original. Yet don’t underestimate the power of the dark side…I mean the chase scene. For building up excitement, suspense and production value, it can’t be beat.
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It’s all about building up suspense BEFORE the chase scene even begins…and that’s what we’re going to cover here.
You can build suspense by either having the character see something before the audience does or have the audience see something in the background before the character does.
Perform this whole thing as 2 shots.
Shot 1 – Position your camera below head height looking up at the actor. It works best if the actor is leaning against a barrier (ex. a wall, a car, a log, dead bodies, a tree, etc.) that could block their view of their pursuer. The moment the actor hears their pursuer, they look around. Pause a moment to allow the audience to watch this reaction. Then cut.
Shot 2 – This is the POV shot of the actor seeing their pursuer approaching.
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This technique keeps the pursuer unseen just for a moment which makes your audience feel a sense of fear. Once the pursuer is revealed, the chase is on!
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