Camera Sequence Help Needed

[camjac251]

Advanced Single Shot Sequence - 4 minutes without a cut

I am writing my first film and the very first scene calls for this advanced long camera sequence and I wanted to get someone's opinion since I'm new to this business.

Basically the setting is night time, on the side walk of a busy street. The character is running from the police and will get into a car and drive away.

The shot starts off with a Snorricam (http://youtu.be/w5dbQ7beEO8?t=46s) mounted the same height as the shoulders so you can see him running and the cops behind him as well. As he turns the corner, the snorricam becomes disconnected into a smoothly moving shot swivelling around his left and revealing a car in front, you see him get on his phone to take over the car and as he opens the door and gets in, the camera swivels back to show his face as he gets in. He takes off (camera still in car with him, in the center, below the rear view mirror), camera might defocus the actor and focus on the cops when they stop running and start panting. camera would focus right back to the actor. He turns on the radio, the camera pans to the radio as he turns the dial, then the camera moves back to show him. He get's on his phone, camera moves back to show the radio and the phone too. He activates a police broadcaster from his phone to the radio, then he switches the channels again on the radio until he finds the police radar. He puts away his phone.

"Anybody got a visual" the police dispatch would say.

2 cop car lights appear behind him, the camera is just below the rear mirror and the actor looks at the mirror as we see the cop cars chasing after him.
The camera then pulls out of the driver side and stops, because it was moving before inside the car, then the cop car picks it right back up again. Then the cop says their line. (End of Shot)


I have considered using a Movi for this but It may not be ideal as I need to be able to move it smoothly in and out of the 2 cars. Also the whole transition from a snorricam to steadicam is challenging.

Hope you guys can help me out. Thanks

 

[laughingcrow]

Forget cameras and camera movements. All of that is for the Director and\or the DP to worry about. Besides; if you put all of that in a script, it would be a thousand pages long and nobody would EVER read it. If you plan on directing it yourself, make all the notes you want, just keep them separate from the script.

Your job as the writer is to describe the action and tell the story as quickly and uncluttered as possible. Maybe 1st you should find some good scripts online and start reading. You'll never see one word about camera direction.

Your script might look something like this:

It's a cold, dark night. A DARK FIGURE in a long heavy coat is sprinting down the sidewalk of a bustling city street with little regard for others or oncoming traffic.

TWO COPS on foot are giving chase, but the much younger and more nimble assailant is just too fast for them. He darts around a corner and into a car, and is off and away before the cops get a good look.

Etc ....

 

[camjac251]

I was hoping someone could suggest some gear to help make this shot possible.

 

[Caidh Mor]

1) If you're writing the story, you're putting the cart miles in front of the horse. Get the script done first, worry about this stuff when you're making it.

2) Even in some of the most famous follow shots in history they cut. They just disguise their cuts.

3) Is it really that important to have this shot all in one?

4) Why would you be planning for a shot which you have no idea whether or not would even be possible without a talented crew, a budget, or even a written script?