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Slow Motion and Steadicam


Alessandro Ugo

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Alesandro;

 

I doubt you'd be doing the 240fps because it takes so long for the action takes to culminate. I also think at that frame rate a steadicam is kind of a tripod. You aren't as needed to move because your move is lost in the time it takes to see the action.

 

I think of those frame rates as water drops slowed or stopped but who knows what they have in mind.

 

All that being said if u end up at 30-150 fps you'll look like a genius at whatever u shoot because it all looks good.

 

Closeups of faces and med shots really show your skill well. Fill the frame too and you'll see great stuff. Full frame face and water splashing on the face is amazing. Particulates like dust show up well too, assuming they are lit.

 

Good luck.

 

Janice

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I've done stuff at 400 that worked well on steadicam. The faster the action and the faster the camera move, the better it works (helps to be further away for the super fast stuff). In general I say beyond 300 and you don't need steadi. However I just did some stuff at 1000fps that they plan to do speed ramps with, so there's a logic to some kinds of madness.

 

Like Janice said, you'll look like a hero because it will all look super smooth. The thing to look out for is your focus puller. Slow-mo make steadicam look good, it makes focus look bad. At 240fps if it's out of focus for 1 second, it's out of focus for 10 seconds during playback. You want marks and rehearsals for your focus puller. You want to stop and let your puller find focus before making another move, don't just go crazy all over the place. Etc...

 

have fun and enjoy playback!

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Having recently shot super high speed with the FS700, I would just warn you that it will all come out soft. The compression rate on the FS700 is horrible. We were shooting tests on sticks and literally nothing in frame would come up sharp. If you can get your hands on a on board recorder like the Odyssey 7Q I highly suggest it.

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I haven't had noticeable sharpness issues. I would be aware that the camera shoots 240fps in 8 or 9 second bursts. So, getting to the record button while on the Steadicam is something to work out. You can set an "end trigger" which can be very helpful if you can't time your action.

 

Good luck.

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I've just been told that a Ninja will be used.

 

I'm running some tests now and hopefully I'll be able to rehears with the performers and dancers.

 

The director told me I can be as much creative as I want...

 

@Janice, thank you for your advices! By the way, we are gonna have a performer lighting a sigarette with a match and blow the smoke out

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Ok, just run some tests and the results are much much better than what I thought.

 

The subject and the horizon stay very well aligned and the composition looks just great.

 

I wish the camera had a way to wirelessly command it so I wouldn't wast half second of slowmo (almost 10 seconds in normal speed) to press the record button.

 

Can't wait for the shoot!!!

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I worked on a PSA a few months back where I shot several setups @ 240fps in 2K with the FS700 and the R5 recorder. The finished product looked great. Although my shots looked like they could have been handheld or on a dolly/slider, we decided to stay with the Steadicam for faster set-up times and the ability to change angles quickly, as we had several locations over three days. Like Janice, I too doubted why Steadicam at the time, but my fast moves with the rig enhanced the slow-mo look and everyone was extremely happy.

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I am on a shoot right now for a resort chain, where we are always shooting high speed on an Epic. The producers like to still feel the motion of the camera and each shot lasts maybe 3-4 seconds in the finished spot. so I'm running, whipping the camera from side to side around models, and it looks ridiculous as I'm shooting it, but as soon as we play it back, it makes sense, and the clips have a nice camera move, fairly regular speed to them, when in the meanwhile the action within the frame is slow. Works great.

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