g was important. This was true, but not because anyone can tell whether the film is being shot in Austin, Texas or in some other suburb anywhere in the United States. Once again, being in this location added to the identification the actors were able to build with the story and their characters. By moving through an actual house, rather than a series of soundstages, and by going through a well-rehearsed piece in roughly the order in which the story was being told, Estevez managed to produce, with little money and limited time, a film that plays smoothly. The use of the location and chronological order, as well as the wide angle that was unusual for such a small domestic story, maximized the benefits of preparation. The cast could get the shots in fewer takes and a number of people could be seen in a single shot. Thus they played it more like a play even during the actual shooting. In plays everyone can see the whole stage and everyone on the stage has to be in part and reacting naturally to
...