Acceleration vs. constant movement

[Janice Arthur]

Ian;

 

Personally, not having read every response but most, you have our best answers which is we really don't or can't quantify what you want to quantify that way.

 

I would actually think you'd be better talking to animators because they really do have an awesome ability to know exactly how movement, scope and storytelling works in a very exact way.

 

If you want to take those exact numerical points you could and make some algorithm from them

 

The trick is getting them to give those numbers to you

 

Whatever your deal good luck

 

Janice

[Jerry Holway]

While I agree that operating all comes down to storytelling, there are some basic concepts about and typical approaches to framing, headroom, movement, composition, etc.

 

Sometimes examining our images using those concepts - such as seeing how images that seem right in some way use or do not use the rule of thirds or the golden triangle - can be hugely illuminating, and these insights can guide us when the old intuition fails, or when we are new to operating, under pressure, etc.

 

Too often these "rules" become grotesque and have too much sway, overwhelming the needs of the story, but that doesn't mean exploring them in some way can't yield some insight, some clue that might get some operator over the hump on a difficult shot.

 

For instance, showing the floor when tracking through a complex space helps the viewer organize that space. This "fact" can be used creatively to either organize that space for the viewer, or, in another situation, add to the viewer's confusion. A simple experiment can show that, ignoring all the other artistic considerations.

 

I don't see why, if Ian wants to experiment or has a question, that he can't or shouldn't. It might not matter to me at all what he might discover, but what's the harm if it helps him? We all have different approaches to this business of operating - thank goodness!

 

Jerry

[Ian Collishaw]

... maybe I'm not making myself clearly understood, which is my fault.

 

Let me try again:

 

1) When does this phenomenon occur?

2) What limits are there to this phenomenon? Does it approach as a percentage? Is it an "On/Off" dichotomy?

3) What factors of an environment would contribute to this phenomenon? What factors will take away from this phenomenon?

4) How does framing of the subject effect this phenomenon?

5) How does the angle of view to the subject effect this phenomenon?

 

 

I'm not asking about operating a steadicam. I'm asking about this phenomenon. When I know facts about this phenomenon (facts hopefully derived from multiple observed tests) I can THEN use those facts to assist in my steadicam operating.

 

I do apologize, though. In my previous posts I kept asking "Will this phenomena work here?" and I think you guys thought I was asking "Would it be a good idea to employ this phenomenon at this time?" which obviously depends on the shot.

 

What I should have asked is "Will this phenomenon occur here?"

 

And for that, I apologize.

 

TL;DR- I came to this thread to talk about this phenomenon, not steadicam. This might be anathema to this forum, sorry.

 

 

EDIT: To Janice, specifically:

 

This might be where I would want to take my line of questioning. My only worry would be that, for whatever reason, none of the things I learn from animators crosses over to the real world.

 

I was thinking about how I would even begin to devise this test in the real world and it ended up needing one of those programmable robotic arms that builds cars in factories, with a camera with hit-scan detection going at like, 1000 or more times per second, so that it can keep up with the subject.

 

Maybe I could put the subject on another robotic arm? That would eliminate the "human mistakes" element from it entirely.

 

Too bad I don't have half a million dollars necessary to do this, lol.

Edited February 13, 2014 by Ian Collishaw

[Jens Piotrowski SOC]

Here's some simple science, whatever the Director and DP wants me to do and makes them happy is what I do.