Single Take Steadicam Feature to be Shot on RED

[Jörgen Persson]

and make sure you hire ANOTHER operator to try to follow you so we have a real-time, behind the scene "making of" movie.

Which would include the "action" and "cut" commands and thus break the record of the longest steadicam operated feature just seconds after the other one wraps...

[Brent J. Craig]

Let me be the first to ask WHY?

I have worked on many single-take music videos and commercials, and they always seem to compromise a great deal of quality, art, lighting, performance, sound, focus, and framing just to be able to say they shot it in a single take.

I suggest it will be very very difficult to produce good cinema when you are handcuffed by such a gimmick. And now that we are so used to seeing CGI effects and motion control, no one will believe it was a single take anyway.

I know it's not what your team probably wanted to hear, but you should really ask yourselves why.

[Jamie Havill]

Let me be the first to ask WHY?

Why not?

[Brent J. Craig]

Why not?

Because: " they always seem to compromise a great deal of quality, art, lighting, performance, sound, focus, and framing just to be able to say they shot it in a single take."

[dean merrill]

I'd love to see how this comes out. I am renting "the russian ark" tonight because of the this thread.

[thomas-english]

I' m not going to get into the why or why nots as its probably someone hiring you for the job and its what they want to do. As a steadicam Op your there to service their imagination and not get mouthy because you think you know better. Brent does however have a very valid point. Its not your job to put it across but the DoP's if he thinks its valid.

On the lit rehearsals I would rinse the whole sequence getting cutaways for insurance too. Just for a "laugh". You might save someones kneecaps later. (not your own, you'll have trained hard enough for them to be fine).

I understand Tilman Büttner earnt himself a groin strain on the end of the last take. Don't book any work the next day.

Yeah, lose the CF card unit.

[Tanner Stauss]

Let me be the first to ask WHY?

I have worked on many single-take music videos and commercials, and they always seem to compromise a great deal of quality, art, lighting, performance, sound, focus, and framing just to be able to say they shot it in a single take.

I suggest it will be very very difficult to produce good cinema when you are handcuffed by such a gimmick. And now that we are so used to seeing CGI effects and motion control, no one will believe it was a single take anyway.

I know it's not what your team probably wanted to hear, but you should really ask yourselves why.

Brent, I am not 100% on the motives behind the directors choice of doing this in one shot. But you made me think of an old quote from JFK, "We choose to go to the moon... not because it is easy, but because it is hard". It's kind of like that, also, I think there is a certain compelling aspect when a story can be told in such a manner.

And I agree, their is the risk of some things being compromised for the sake of the shot, but isn't it still worth? I think you're just playing devil's advocate on this and somebody had to ask. I asked myself in the beginning, but now I'm just looking forward to the feeling I get when the director calls cut after that shot.


And to everyone else, thanks for the suggestions so far, keep them coming.

[Tanner Stauss]

I remember a few years ago working with a German chap who worked on "Russian Ark" - he said they stripped the camera down to an almost unbelievable extent to save on weight...every ounce counts! I'm not sure how much you could strip back the Red, but for instance if you're recording to a vibration-isolated RedDrive you won't need the CF module, so off it comes!

That's a good idea. You think the camera would run ok without the module?

[Brent J. Craig]

OK. You have asked why, that's all I was going for. If I was involved with this project I would (of course) support the director's vision, but at the same time I would have the conversation before shooting about "If this gets too crazy and we are making too many compromises and shooting crap just to do a single take, let's find a smart way to break it up and just make it look like it was a single take."

Some things to consider:

-It may be a single take shoot, but there won't just be ONE take. You may ending up wearing the rig 10 hours per day for several days until the 'right' take happens.

-Can you work tethered? You should practice operating with several cables attached to your rig so on the shoot days you will be able to have someone follow you with the battery, hard drive, and whatever else you can take off of the camera.

-Are they recording sound on a separate system? You will want to minimize the number of cables and/or receivers attached to the camera.

-work out a way to lose the dovetail and baseplate underneath the camera.

-don't forget to remove unnecessary handles from the top

-Find and study Michel Gondry's video "Lucas with the lid off" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sY5zaDZq0sc

[Sean R.]

That's a good idea. You think the camera would run ok without the module?

The module is really light and I would say not worth the possible complications of removing it. RAM drive vs. RAID possibly secured on top of the camera behind one top mount with short Carbon X rods if that will accommodate your top end needs with the FIZ. Lightweight monitor will probably be clutch and of course a back brace