cheap pans...

[dtgs1980]

just finished the storyboards for my first short, everything seems okay, but theres a problem... i've got a few shots which need pans... but i've no money, or space (it's all being shot in a house) for dollies... what can i do?
also...
what's the best editing software for dv?
thanks...
dan
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"some of you are going to die, but its a sacrifice i'm willing to make"

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dan

[FutureFilmMan]

Yep...... you've got a problem! but one question the whole film is set in the HOUSE? Excuse me,(no offence, but) WHAT THE FUCK?

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[eddie]

do you have a tripod?
shooting inside a house neednt be a problem,
you might need to improvise shooting in through open windows and the like.
But obviously if there isnt room to do the shot you want, then either get a bigger house, or re-write your story boards.
There is no alternative.
You may find using a very small camera, or rigging up pulleys and cradles, improvising your camera set ups, so it isnt just on a tripod pretty useful.

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[The Woddler]

er- I think you mean tracking rather than panning- use the infamous 'bag cam':

take an ordinary plastic shopping bag, place camera in bag and cut a small hole out of it where the lens is- and voila! Fairly stable/smooth and especially good for low-angle shots.

W

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[The Woddler]

just to emphasise- that's cut a small hole out of the bag, NOT the camera...

W

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[Red House Painter]

If you just want a simple traching shot and your floor is flat enough then stick your camera on a skateboard.

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If you can't stand the heat, get out of the frying pan!

[Yammeryammeryammer]

Improvise. Anything with wheels you can grease. Duct tape your tripod to it and WHAM you have a dolly. I used an old Tonka truck once, worked like a charm.

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"Before you criticize a man, walk a mile in his shoes. Then, when you do start to criticize him, you're already a mile away, and you have his shoes." -CEO of Stebner Getting Hit By a Car Productions Ltd.

[steven_craig]

use a wheelchair - oh yeh like someone said, i think you mean tracking... heres a rundown of the different shots

(1) pan - camera rotates left to right or right to left on a vertcal axis from a stationary point

(2) tilt - camera rotates up and down on a horizontal axis from a stationary point

(3) tracking (dollying or trucking) - camera moves forward, backward, diagonally, circularly or side to side.

(4) crane shot - camera leaves the ground and moves forward and back, up down, in and out (helecopter and plane versions too)

(5) handheld shots - bumpy jiggling image which implies camera not on tripod

(6) Stedicam - Smooth shot in difficult terrain, not on tripod or dolly but supported with stedicam

(7) Bullet time - total freedom of camera in relation to space and time


[This message has been edited by steven_craig (edited February 14, 2002).]

[Yammeryammeryammer]

Sweet. Nice run down.

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"Before you criticize a man, walk a mile in his shoes. Then, when you do start to criticize him, you're already a mile away, and you have his shoes." -CEO of Stebner Getting Hit By a Car Productions Ltd.

[E. Flask]

In his recent book, "If Chins Could Kill: Confessions of a B-Movie Actor," Bruce Campbell revealed the method that he and Sam Raimi devised for tracking and movement shots for "Evil Dead." They called it the Vas-O-Cam. They attached the camera to a "lipped" piece of wood that fit snugly over two long boards that were placed over two sawhorses. They covered the boards with gaffers tape and then covered them with Vaseline, so that the piece the camera was attached to moved along the track very smoothly. It sounds bizarre, but it made some really pro-grade shots, and all in the confines of a small cabin. That book is worth owning just for the story behind that movie.

"The elevator to the top is broken. You'll have to take the stairs." -- Joe Girard



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