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Shooting fight scene (Camera Settings)

F

firefox

Hello Guys,

I would like to know the best camera settings for a fight scene, I have canon hf20. I'm trying to get this look like the videos below. I hope someone will share with me some knowledge. Also on the post production, what should the settings be knowing that I have Sony Vegas 9. Please write in details if you have to, I will read everything.

Thanks,


Few videos I thought were good
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLyy4YAl2Qk
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YEvmmVV7lA8
 
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What stands out most in those two videos is the brilliant choreography. The first, as Cracker points out, uses quite a bit of fast and slow motion - a higher shutter speed often makes slo-mo look more convincing, but I'm not sure if it's possible to control that with your camera.

The second seems to have been shot on a much higher quality camera, and has obviously had quite a few tweaks made to it with colour grading software. If you want that kind of flexibility, it's often best to use a "cine" mode (called cinegamma on some cameras). This will give you a flatter, less contrasty picture but allow you to make bigger alterations in post.

There's not really a common visual element between the two pieces, so I'm not quite sure what you're looking for, but the choreography, camera angles and editing are much more important than the settings you have on the camera.
 
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chilipie said:
There's not really a common visual element between the two pieces, so I'm not quite sure what you're looking for, but the choreography, camera angles and editing are much more important than the settings you have on the camera.
Click to expand...

I agree. Also, I wasn't just pointing out the obvious speeding-up and slowing-down in the first one. I'm pretty sure the 2nd one is sped up, as well. Otherwise, those guys are really really fast.
 
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I spent a long time on a fight scene last month, and I found something extremely helpful, was to really experiment with camera angles. Watching that first link, I saw 30 seconds in they did just that. Shots of their feet, slow motion, fast motion, weird shots that wouldn't work elsewhere. I also found getting a LOT of close up takes of each "attack", "move", whatever you want to call it, helped. You don't necessarily have to edit it with all close ups, that would look stupid, but adding a few adds to the effect.
 
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I know there is more to it than this, probably something with the shutter speed. I can of course speed it up on the post production, but I need to know the right settings for the camera first. I heard when the actors fight, they usually fight in normal speed, but the camera makes it look like everything is happening quickly.

Um, I wonder how they do it.
 
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It's not the camera that makes them look fast, it's the editing.

As has been said, a faster shutter speed will improve your slow-motion portions. But if you're not taking into account lighting and choreography, etc, then to get the sped-up footage, the only camera setting you need is 'ON.'
 
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In vegas there is an effect you can put in called color curves. When used correctly, it can really make any footage like cinematic. We bought this $4000 camera and the footage looked really really good. Then we used color curves and it looked even better, like an actual movie
 
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Yeah, i've seen footage on Youtube of the Vegas software, it makes even simple footage look amazing. Wish i could afford it, just blew all of my money on a Canon XM2. As for the fighters, it's a prime example of why you get proper fighters to do the scenes and not just untrained actors or your friends. The people in the first link made the fighting look real, with the right camera work that would have looked amazing.
 
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^^^ probably the most important part of an excellent fight scene is to use real fighters. You can do all the grading, editing, sound you want and will not get a good "kung fu" fight scene without good kung fu fighters or at least good kung fu actors. that said, if you're doing a western fight then editing and shot shot composition may do the trick. my 2 cents
 
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firefox said:
How do these people shoot their videos, where can I learn more about fight scene choreography ? I'm looking for a book or a DVD to watch, anything to get me started. The thing is, I have no experience in fighting.

http://www.youtube.com/user/RivenX3i
Click to expand...

Looks like a cross between The Matrix and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers.

On a serious note, though, those guys aren't filmmakers; they're martial artists. Well, they might also be filmmakers, but the answer to your question isn't in film school, it's in the dojo.
 
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Watched the first video. Choreography isn't all that tricky at all, but it did take a long time to shoot. Nothing in the video required extreme percision. I have been studying martial arts for a long time. Tea Kwon Do and have been a student of Capoeira for many many years.

Get real students. They will understand each other and you will spend less time recording the same shot over and over(if say you were using ppl that had no expierience) vs getting new variable footage.

If you lived around NYC I would of helped and can get as many students of different martial arts as you want.

Good Luck

Roman
 
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