First 16mm shoot

[Jason Williams]

Hey all,

 

Just completed my first 16mm shoot and I really enjoyed it, just a shame virtually all the time shot was around 2am!! Most of the shots were done running, don juan and I found it a serious challenge trying to keep the sled level while running and not watching the monitor - virtually all the locations were hills!!!

 

It was one of the best shoots I've been on, the only grumble was the times - I wasn't aware they were night shoots, and on the first day, the first 8 hours was spent doing nothing, now I know the meaning of boring!

 

I have to say that the Director made the shoot very challenging, mainly for the terrain, I've never know such a hilly town! (Knaresborough, near Leeds) The only other shot I was really worried about was an actor stepping off a train, and follow him to the exit - sounds simple, but we had to wait for an in-use train to pull up, have him in shot as the train pulls up, a bit tricky as there was a lot of confusion about which door he would exit from, then to be able to keep to his pace, as I wasn't able to do a proper practice shot, but it worked regardless.

 

I'm happy now I've managed to complete this one, it was a very enjoyable shoot and hope to do many more 16mm shoots!

 

Thanks

 

Jason

 

PS - any tips on running don juan to keep the sled nice and stable?

[Thomas English]

yeah... u should be watching the monitor

 

I have heard of people rotating the top of the sled right round to point the camera backwards... not tried it but i reckon it would take practise.

 

Some people make their sleds more bottom heavy.

 

practise... but i don t recomend running nearly top speed and remember stopping has to be done slowly.

 

I am sure other people have some better tips though

[Jason Williams]

yeah... u should be watching the monitor

 

I have heard of people rotating the top of the sled right round to point the camera backwards... not tried it but i reckon it would take practise.

 

It was quite a steep incline so I was really worried about losing my footing or smashing the arm and rig into the wall so I thought I'd concentrate on not killing myself or the rig!

 

I've tried turning the monitor/camera around before and it confused the hell outta me!! It's hard trying to figure out which way to turn as the monitor is pointing in the right direction and the camera isn't!

 

It's something I will definately practice with though, thanks for your advice Thomas.

 

Jason

[mattmarek]

with experience you will learn to trust that you have the camera pointed in the right direction this will enable you to monitor your monitor as well as keep your eyes on the terrain in front of you. practice turning your head and not moving your gimbal hand even the slightest. this can be done around the house with a full glass of water. when you turn your head, and you feel some water spill onto your fingers, this means that the act of turning your head is creating force on your gimbal, thus leading to major horizon and or framining issues.

 

it's heartening to know, that in rough terrains and near running shots, the frame will never always be perfect. but it's your job to make it as perfect as it can be. if you have a dv camera, practice framing on objects without your monitor turned on. 'zen it' i was once given a bum arri3 w/video tap and shot the entire steadicam sequence with no monintor. :angry: granted we were on really wide lenses, but knowing my space really saved the day there.

 

oh and to counter thomas' advice about making the sled more bottom heavy, think of the control issues and fighting you will have to do when there is an error. i tend to keep my drop time as usual or slightly more neutral and really relax on the gimbal.

(thomas, how you been man? chiang mai work out ok for you and the girlfriend? we're finishing up the doc in the next month or so and i'll have some stuff online at that time. cheers mate!)