Directions: TV DRAMA 1

BETTER CALL SAUL

As part of my research for the directions unit I have decided to look at Better Call Saul (2015). My main reason for choosing it is that, because it is a spinoff of Breaking Bad (2008), it is very similar in terms of writing, directing & editing. This means it influences my own choices quite a lot.

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A bit of background info...

Better Call Saul is an American drama spinoff of the AMC drama series Breaking Bad. It was created by Peter Gould and Vince Gilligan, who also created Breaking Bad. The show is set in 2002, and follows James "Jimmy" McGill, six years before he appeared in Breaking Bad under the name Saul Goodman. Saul Goodman is played by Bob Odenkirk who played him in the Breaking Bad series. So far the show has had one series, premiering on February 8th 2015, however since then a second season has been commissioned, due to start on February 15th 2016.

Bob, Peter and Vince on the set of Better Call Saul

Each episode in the first season was directed by a different person, with the premiere directed by Vince Gilligan, and the finale directed by Peter Gould, the shows creators. Breaking Bad regular Michelle MacLaren directed episode two. The cinematographer for the entire first season was Arthur Albert, who helped Mike Slovis direct the final two episodes of Breaking Bad.

How does Better Call Saul influence me?

To start with, it influences mostly in the same way Breaking Bad does, because the shows are so similar, and yet they're shot very differently. The style of Better Call Saul is very unique, and this is on purpose. The shows cinematographer, Arthur Albert, said he wanted to honor the looking of Breaking Bad without it feeling like the same show. Vince and Peter have both also said that they didn't want the show to look like anything else on TV.

Unlike Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul scrapped the fully handheld look. Albert wanted only wanted the camera to move if it needed to, which was very different from Breaking Bad, which was shot almost entirely hand held. Albert lists his influences for the shows cinematography as film noir and Stanley Kubrick's wide framing and vanishing-point perspective.

Example of Film Noir in Better Call Saul

Also Better Call Saul is shot on Digital using a RED Dragon camera, whereas Breaking Bad was shot entirely on film, and was one of the last TV shows to be shot that way. Better Call Saul uses a two camera set up, something which I did consider for my own project to help me get more coverage in a short space of time.

One Breaking Bad trademark is putting cameras in unusual places, like below a table surface or on the end of a gun, and Better Call Saul uses this trademark too. To do this difficult shots, Albert used the Panasonic Lumix DMC-GH4. A very compact camera, perfect for those kinds of shots.

Similar to Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul also uses a lot of POV, extreme long shots, extreme close ups and birds eye view shots.

In terms of sound design, Better Call Saul and Breaking Bad both use very natural sound. The show has a very 'real' feel to it and this natural sound adds to it and helps build the world these characters live in. This therefore helps pull the viewers into the world as well.

And finally in terms of colour, Better Call Saul is very green and yellow, a lot like Breaking Bad. This colour choice works really well, and is very unique, so I need to use it in my work too, to really give it that Breaking Bad vibe.

I find this video highlights the similarities, in terms of visuals, between the two shows quite well:

So to answer the question, this is how Better Call Saul influences my work:

- Although I'm shooting handheld, like Breaking Bad, I will think carefully about my camera movements and only add specific movement to the camera if there is a reason to, not just because it looks good. And this is because Albert only wanted the camera to move if it needed to.

- I will think about where I can place the camera that is unusual, maybe under a car, or in a tree. But I will only do this if I need to, and if it adds to the story and tension.
- I will try and capture as much natural sound as possible on location, recording my own sound effects after the shoot.

- I will colour correct my footage in a similar way to how Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul are corrected, using a similar colour scheme.
- I will think about how I can pay homage to Breaking Bad & Better Call Saul by using some classic Breaking Bad/Better Call Saul style shots, whilst still retaining my own directorial vision.
- I will try and work a classic Stanley Kubrick tracking shot or extreme camera angle into the film.

- And finally, I will consider using two cameras. If I did this they would be two different cameras, a Canon 7D and a Canon EOS M. Although the cameras are different, their footage is quite similar as they have the same image sensor. Also because the EOS M is smaller, I can use it for the unusual shots. This will help me get more coverage in a short space of time. I will test both cameras together to see if there is a noticeable difference between them, in terms of quality.