Need help with a certain shot

Asker

Asker

Hey guys.

On Sunday I'll be making my second shortfilm. I've everything ready, but for my first shot, I wanted to do a shot like the "A Clockwork Orange" intro, where the camera tracks/zooms away from Alex.

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HI-mDTdeKR8

Just FYI, my shortfilm is about a good looking guy who's about to go on his dream date, when he realises he has grown a huge pimple. The first shot will be the intro shot, where the camera starts close to a loudspeaker, where the guy inserts his iPhone and plays a song (which will be film score), and slowly the camera tracks out while the guy is preparing himself (putting on clothes etc.). I'm thinking the shot should be about 30 seconds long.

But the problem is - I don't have a dolly. Are there any tricks to do this without a dolly? I'm thinking like a way to use your tripod/glidecam/steadycam, or maybe you guys know a really simple "build-your-own" tutorial for this?

Thanks in advance!
 
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sfoster said:
if it's inside on carpet you can put those furniture sliders underneath of the tripod and it will slide
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It is indeed inside on a carpet. But I haven't heard about those "furniture sliders". Could you please link me the product you're referring to, or maybe some kind of tutorial? Thank you btw!
 
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Hello new dude :cool:

What gear do you have?
Are there rental houses near you?
Budget?

One way is to order wheels for your tripod. I got this for my Ravelli AVTP:

http://www.amazon.com/Ravelli-ATD-P...B000YB862E/ref=pd_sim_p_1/180-8313599-1733029

Another way is to build a DIY dolly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qn9htcBCpJM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pa9qsy3i2Es
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jUlbgcYTQY

You can't get a super far dolly move with this technique, but it still is pretty neat.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ohpLsCq12Nw

Good luck!
 
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You can totally build a track and dolly in a single afternoon.

You could also use a wheelchair. Or something like that.

By the way, I think you're correct to call it a tracking/zoom shot. Looks to me like the shot starts with a zoom and finishes with a dolly. If you're going to repeat this, I think it's important to make the zoom VERRRRY slow.

Good luck!
 
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ChimpPhobiaFilms said:
I believe Rodriguez did that a few times. Film Riot also used a wheelchair in a few scenes from LOSSES.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t4l-ItVoS7o

But than again, they are working with a RED epic, which is a much heavier camera and the film has a handheld look.
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Well, in this pic, it is handheld. I was thinking Asker put it on a tripod on a wheelchair. Since it's a slow-moving dolly-out, I believe he could keep it looking very steady. :)
 
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sfoster said:
Here you go ;)
No problem, good luck with your shoot and I hope you post the results
here!

Welcome to the forum btw :)
Click to expand...

That looks great! Not perfecly smooth, but it's indeed enough for my needs. However, as mentioned, I'm going to shoot this on Sunday, and I live in Denmark. Therefore, it wont be possible to get those furniture sliders within my time limit. Is that like a common item in a certain shop I could go to?

ChimpPhobiaFilms said:
Hello new dude :cool:

What gear do you have?
Are there rental houses near you?
Budget?
Click to expand...
Thanks for the links, much appreciated!

I'm a broke, new dude. 19 years old, living by myself, parents in huge debt. Can barely afford to live by myself, hence I only have the very basic gear. I've a Canon 550D, Canon ef 50 mm f/1.8 lens, Velbon DF-60 tripod and some lighting equipment I've borrowed from my school (it will be the first time that I experiment with lighting).
I've a friend who has a Glidecam, which I can eventually borrow if necessary. Although I wish I had a wideangle lens and maybe a proper microphone, this gear allows me to do the basics.

Rental houses near me? I doubt it. May I ask, why? I'm going to shoot this at my parents' house.

Budget is 0. A friend of mine, who is a little bit into acting, will be the only actor, and he is obviously doing it for the fun and experience.

The wheelchair seems like a great method, but once again, I'm pretty broke and I'll be shooting this in three days, probably wont even receive the wheelchair in time.
____________________

Thanks for all the replies. Seems like a kind, open forum. A lot of interesting threads as well. Will definitely be spending more time here in the future.
 
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Asker said:
I've a friend who has a Glidecam, which I can eventually borrow if necessary. Although I wish I had a wideangle lens and maybe a proper microphone, this gear allows me to do the basics.
Click to expand...

Glide-cams can give you super smooth shots, if you can get one, I recommend using it.

If you cannot get a Glide-cam, you could make a DIY Dolly (videos in my first post).

Thanks for all the replies. Seems like a kind, open forum. A lot of interesting threads as well. Will definitely be spending more time here in the future.
Click to expand...

Yep, it's a cool place :cool:

harmonica44 said:
By rental house he means a business where you can rent camera equipment. It's an American term. You have just have to improvise with what you can then. What about a homemade steadicam:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=da4dTGk-G6g
Click to expand...

Nice explanation and link H44 :yes:
 
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ChimpPhobiaFilms said:
Glide-cams can give you super smooth shots, if you can get one, I recommend using it.

If you cannot get a Glide-cam, you could make a DIY Dolly (videos in my first post).



Yep, it's a cool place :cool:



Nice explanation and link H44 :yes:
Click to expand...

Yep thanks. If you are low on money a homemade steadicam is more versatile than a dolly, like if you want to go upstairs for example, but you would have to be able to use it well enough.
 
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