Ninja vs Penguin

Penguin August 21st, 2008

Tuesday was our first day of shooting Red String Theory. It was weird just being the camera operator. I did my best to just follow instructions and give suggestions as necessary, but I didn’t want to be a backseat director. This was Jesse’s shoot.

We started the shoot half an hour behind schedule but still managed to make our day early. I’m used to barely making my day or running a little over. But then again, I usually only have about 2 hrs to shoot.

There were plenty of shots I wish I had either a jib or a dolly. After watching a lot of great films, I realized one of the big things that sets cinema apart from amateur films is the camera movement. They just LOOK expensive.

Our second shoot is Friday, and hopefully, we’ll be able to wrap it.

-Penguin

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Tags: Camera movement, Production, Red String Theory

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Penguin July 1st, 2008

If you have a great tripod with a great head, then you have the potential for great pans and tilts. But sometimes the equipment is great, but your hand is not that steady. Rubber band to the rescue!

Strap a think rubber band to the handle and pull it in the direction you wan it to move. The rubber band acts like a shock absorber, dispensing energy as necessary.

No more jerky pans or tilts.

-Penguin

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Penguin May 19th, 2008

Great little trick to get some nice looking “dolly” shots. The trick is to retract the front leg of the tripod, forming a bipod. You can then pull and push the camera for a subtle dolly effect.

-Penguin

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Tags: Camera movement, Dolly, Filmmaking, Hacks

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