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a long single take(20-30seconds)

P

peter917

Ok so a short i am doing has the opening take starting on the street in-front of a house at night, jacko-lanterns light up the outside and the screen is taken off the front door with a bowl of candy sitting inside of it for trick or treaters(supposed to take place halloween night). I want the camera to go from the street into the house, make a right turn and then head down the basement steps and around the corner to the end of the basement, all in one long smooth shot. I am thinking of using a shoulder rig, but i feel like when i walk down the steps it'll have the look as if i'm walking downward instead of the camera just kind of floating through the house. any ideas?
 
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Assuming it's nighttime, you could certainly light with some consistency, but yes you would certainly need lights, probably quite a few.

If you're shellin out for a steadiop though, you've probably got some money for lights. If you don't have the money for a steadiop, then it's probably not going to look that great anyway..
 
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well i have 2 can lights and 1 500watt work light, the house has quite a few lamps and they dim orangeish so i was thinking to have those on on the inside of the house, i just want the lighting to look creepy but also consistent. if i were to draw a layout of the house and post a picture could anyone help with light placement?
 
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i mean i do have lights in the house and they are supposed to be on, so you get the feeling whatever happened was while the family was obviously not sleeping. and its just the camera POV going into the basement there is no actor i have to worry about lighting, because once it gets to the basement the long shot ends.
 
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lots of pools of light will be cool.. avoid ANY overhead normal house lights.. Lamps everywhere...but no cheesy overheads.. if you want them on in the shot, replace the bulbs with low wattage (15w) bulbs so they LOOK lit but aren't really doing anything.. Halloween themed string lights in the hall.. what will make this shot look great is the set dressing.. think Martha Stewart on crack. Also, you can give a LOT of information this way.. empty beer bottles? Is the floor messy with party favors? Is there a bible on the side table, or a bowl of condoms.. you get the idea..
 
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Shoulder rig can work for this.. if you have an stabilized wide kit lens (like my gh2 kit lens) then it might not be too hard.. Get a lot of WIGHT on your shoulder.. so a rig with lots of counter weights even add weight to the front. MASS=STABILITY

Now, doing this safely AND good is hard..you need to CONCENTRATE on the frame inside the camera not watching your feet.. if you can put on a climbing harness. or at the very least zip up a tight jacket, have a buddy grab you by the collar and follow behind you. He should resists your moment so you always know hes there. His job is to call out obstacles.. "steps coming up" or "go left to miss the cat" or "duck for the low pipe" Hes to look for trip hazards and keep your from falling of you do stumble.. practice this a few times, be sure to intentionally trip so you can feel confident that he will keep you from falling.. now is NOT the time to be shy about being touched by other men. Your buddy should feel its fine to grab you by your crotch IF it will keep you from dinging the camera lens on a light stand!
 
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Thanks wheat grinder! i am going to make a steadi-cam for the job, and what size wide angle lense would you suggest? i have a 18-55, 55-270, and 50mm. I can possibly rent a wide angle but no guarantees.
 
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