My Sh*& Don't Stink and Yours Doesn't Either. What's the best shot you've done and why?

[Dave Chameides]

OK, here's a thought. Since there seems to be a lot of people upset about all the destructive comments on this forum, how about a thread where we each post a shot we are really proud of and some info on why. Or just post it. Or don't. Brag and show something you think is just the bees knees. If you are a newbie, please still post up something and feel free to add how long you've been at it. If you want criticism, ask for it. If it's not asked for, don't offer it. I'm thinking we just hit and it and feel ok with saying "Yeah, I think that shot rocked and here's why" and not feel like everyone is going to kick us in the nether regions for tooting our own horns.

(Ron, since your monitor has no nits you can post a pic of your Hummer and we'll understand...it's cool).

I'm gonna start off with this which after all is said and done, is my favorite shot to date. It wasn't the most physically challenging (although my knees didn't like the stairs) but i like the fact that i was able to transition from frenetic energy to a smooth finish in one quick move. Also, the look on Michaels face is phenomenal in that closeup (nothing to do with me but I love his acting) and finally, my AC Lutovic KICKED ASS on the end of the shot. Wish I held the tilt down at the end a bit better but what can ya do. (I don't have a video of just the one but it's the first piece I'm talking about).

 

Most importantly though, don't feel intimidated about what you have. Be proud. There are certainly problems with the shot below, but I like it. I'm sure everyone else has shots they are psyched about so let's all get our groove on, sing koombaya, and celebrate a cool career choice where we get to do fun stuff.

 

 

 

 

Who's next?

 

Dave

[Janice Arthur]

Dave

 

That was amazing footage. Great thread. You set the bar way over eye level on the first go round.

 

Janice.

 

Have a good day whereever.

[Dave Chameides]

Thanks but oh please. Post something up that you like.

[Jessica Lopez]

I'll join in the fun. Thanks for posting first Dave. Love your work.

 

Here is a little commercial I worked on a couple months back. It was my first time flying the pro arm. I shot the Venice beach and Australia portions. Not much but I thought the shots were beautiful. And the video was put together well.

 

http://player.vimeo.com/video/77212885

 

 

And here some newbie love, feel free to rip this a part. It's the first oner I ever did. Not my best but hey it was a student project. Room for error I guess? no?

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cIr-wXuwpT4

[JobScholtze]

SJEESHHH, i hope that running stuff was on a segway or something :-)

 

I did a oner for a feature here 2 days ago. Started on a crane, step off, inside a building following several people, going upstairs, and as soon as the actor did go back downstairs i stepped up a small forklift to go down with him. The whole scene was almost 4 minuts. It took me 5 takes to nailed it. Mostly to get the actors in a good timing. I got stuck twice becose the gap between the stairs and the floor was so little that i had a clearance of a few centimeters. I have a small example on my phone, i just can't put it on the net though, the movie has to go public first.

[Lawrence Karman]

I'll join in now that I have figured out the challenges of compression and uploading (I think). Dave, that's an awesome shot. My knees hurt just watching it. Say hi to Ludo for me if you see him again.

 

I'm going to share a couple of shots from way, way back. I include these because they both come with good stories, not because they are my best shots. The first is from ER and is in honor of Dave who, along with Guy Bee, led the way for the rest of us

and defined the high quality that was that show. And I think you all might appreciate the humor that it took to get it. I like this shot for the drama the actors bring to it, my new found ability to pass through solid walls, and the absurdity of the day on ER. Please excuse the wretched look. Video compression/codecs are a mystery to me.

I was brought in for the day to fill in. Introduced to the "high strung" DP all he said was "You, get those practicals in the shot" and he was gone till we rolled, maybe after. I remember everyone being really loud. The director, Jonathan Kaplan, screamed out loudly to the DP "Tony, shut up, I can't hear myself scream! We did a couple of shorter Steadicam shots and then this longer one. Since I had to walk backwards and never had been on this set before I looked for one of the grips to lead me through the turns and doorways. The grip crew was pretty close to retirement age, so I picked the youngest looking one and nicely asked if he would do it. The key grip said 'No, that's Lazslo's job, the dolly grip. He'll do it". After the first take Laszlo says "My knees are killing me, you'll have to go it alone" Ha! His knees! Toby, the fine focus puller said he would try to help me. The next take he gave me a flat tire and my shoe went flying into the frame. I think it hit one of the actors. Cut! Another take I think I hit a doorway and finally this:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4z_4J76J_o&feature=youtu.be

 

This was my first Steadicam shot, or collection of shots and it leads off my reel. It was on the movie Mystery Men. Steve Burum was the DP. I showed up with lots of brand new white cases. The crusty 1st AC took one look at me and my new cases and said: "Steve's not going to like anything you do. He's used to Larry McConkey. How's that for a confidence builder. Thanks, I said. And go fuck yourself! Note to newbies: slap some shipping stickers on those new cases and scuff 'em up before heading out. The whole scene was done Steadicam except one shot over the pool with a Supertechno (which I wanted to ride). Low mode all day which went great till take 2 of the last shot. To get the shot of the bowling ball going down the slide, I ran down a steep ramp that they made for me. Take one, perfect. Insurance take, not so perfect. When I hit the bottom of the ramp the rig got too far out in front of me and I did a face plant into the back yard. The camera preceded me and tore the video tap off the top. I was laying on my belly like an upside down turtle trying to turn over. Highly embarrassing on your first day. Not recommended. Bungeed the tap back on the camera and did one more take. My career has withstood the indignity of that first day.

 

 

https://vimeo.com/79576259

 

And Jessica, nice work too!

[Dave Chameides]

Jessica,

Thanks for posting up the links. The commercial is really sweet your right. And the oner, yeah, like you said, early on but hey, it's a 6 minute oner early in your career and you got through it (several times I'm guessing too). That's something for sure. I personally think you should have gotten a title card at the end but they that's me. Those are tough shots to pull off especially when so much of it is essentially lock offs.

 

Job, I was on an electric cart. No way could i move that quickly even for 30 seconds. Sounds like a cool shot. Got anything you can share in the meantime? And where is everyone else?

[Dave Chameides]

Doc,

AWESOME! I love the ER story. Totally takes me back and I can hear JK screaming as you wrote that. Tony was an odd duck so i can hear that too and the grip story rocks.

 

Love, love, love the Mystery Men story and shot too. So great. "Steve's not going to like anything you do." I love it. Classic.

 

As far as codecs, meh, who knows. My mac does all that crap for me. Not sure why your stuff didn't embed. I just pasted my link and the video showed up. Weird.

 

Great stuff and thanks for posting.

[Dave Chameides]

I'm posting this up on behalf of Charles (Chaz back then) Papert. It's one of my favorite things ever and he did the steadicam (I believe) and shot this. It's awesome in almost every way and I fear that i will never do anything as superbly excellent as this.

 

[James Davis]

I was quite proud of this music promo I did a while ago, starts of with a little 40 second "Oner" which was a bit tricky, had to hit my marks really precisely for that, at the end of the shot I transition from a fast walk to a run as I travel past the artist, I know there was a small bump in the tilt back which annoys me to this day, we did another take which was solid for me but didn't work for other reasons outside of my control, the take they used was number 4 of 5.

Also pretty pleased with the running stuff on tight lenses, lots of running shots and then the little pullback at the end was fun, I think we were on a 130mm lens or something silly, so I really had to focus to keep that one precise.

No Rickshaws or tracking vehicles were used, just me and my two feet, which were pretty tired at the end of that day.

I did develop some vibration in some shots annoyingly, I found out the cause and resolved it after the job.

 

Anyway, here it is:

 

[Alec Jarnagin SOC]

Ahhhh!!!!! I remember this Dave!!! It was circa 1992 (1993?). I may have been the Key Grip on it, but I was sooo drunk I could have been a PA with grandiose ideas! Indeed, Charles was the operator (and no, there was no "Chaz" then - "Chuck" or "Charles" but either way, serious quality work).

 

Somewhere (on Hi-8) I have behind the scenes from this….

[Alec Jarnagin SOC]

Actually, Charles was the DP/Steadicam Operator, Rob Massey was the Camera operator, Steve Kaye was the Gaffer, I was the Key Grip/Dolly Grip. Now, I ask, Charles…. did you direct it too????

[Dave Chameides]

Alec! I can't believe you were on that video. How much does that rock! Wish i had known ya ll then.

 

Post up something of yours that you like.

 

Cool stuff James. Odd video but cool stuff. i like that opening piece and the running stuff makes me want to grab another doughnut.

[JobScholtze]

Dave,

 

I wish i could show it, i am very happy that we pulled that 4 minutes oner off. Great way to start a movie. Anyway, i need to wait it out. I did the second day today, dresses up becose its a well known day here. Something like santa arriving, so we shot our scene's between 15000 people.

 

I am terrible with getting rushes from things i did. I have some stuff on youtube, like the crane thing. I think many people have seen that one already, but just in case:

 

There are some more vids on my channel. Some 3d work. ( Wich i didn't get the rushes yet, running shot in the mud )

 

http://www.youtube.com/user/jobschol/videos

 

I hope to air that soon.

[Charles Papert]

Dave, Alec...can't believe we are discussing "Whiskey in me Tea" here (because I don't think there is anything in there that should be celebrated on a Steadicam level)...of all the...

 

Anyway yeah, I did direct it and shoot it and do Steadicam on it because that seemed perfectly normal to me twenty years ago. Ah the energy of youth. That Youtube version is so shitty (don't know who put it up), I should post a clean one. That was a crazy shoot. We timed the final part to be shot just when the club next door let out so we would have the largest crowd possible. All of the extras in the bar had been drinking all day, so cumulatively that was a mob of drunk freaks that we were trying to corral. Somehow it worked out.

 

Alec, I have your behind the scenes stuff on VHS, watched it a few years ago, so glad to have that.