Single Take Steadicam Feature to be Shot on RED

[Jackson Yeung]

I too am really interested in this endeavour! keep us posted and Good luck!

 

[michael zaletel]

Behind the scenes footage (Rocky I style) of you training to get in the shape you'll need to be in to shoot 100 minutes straight with ANY Red One configuration may end up being the most compelling aspect of your film.

Please, Please, Please, consult a physician and preferably one that can check your feet and spine to make sure you are physiologically capable of handling something like this without permanent damage. There will probably be more than one take to get it right in one take and in that case you won't have much time to rest. Also, really think about the type of footwear you will wear and work really hard on your core the next 60 days.

-michael zaletel

 

[Jamie Havill]

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."

It's their art. Not mine, yours, or anyone elses. If they want to make a single steadicam shot film, that's their perogative. I'm pretty sure the director/writer has either written the film with this in mind, or concluded that this is the best way to tell the story.

I have a massive gripe with people on this forum telling people how to make films. It's wrong. Assist them with their vision, but don't tell them how it should be done.

 

[Roberto Lequeux]

Hehe... how about shooting it on a modified 7D with a cooling system, no auto sleep and through the HDMI? Hehehe... j/k, (but not completely).

A more realistic proposition: How about waiting for Epic?

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

A very enthusiastic +1!

 

[Brent J. Craig]

It's their art. Not mine, yours, or anyone elses.

Well, he did ask for advice. And he did say "WE" when speaking of the project, as if his involvement is more than Steadicam operator.

I have a massive gripe with people on this forum telling people how to make films.

Yes. God forbid someone should ask for help and actually receive it. It is just wrong to attempt to impart one's knowledge and experiences when someone asks for help. Discussion boards work much better when nobody actually discusses things.

I can't help but notice that your posts in this thread haven't contributed much to the conversation. Do you have anything specific to add other than "don't help people who ask for help"?

 

[Jamie Havill]

Well, he did ask for advice. And he did say "WE" when speaking of the project, as if his involvement is more than Steadicam operator.



Yes. God forbid someone should ask for help and actually receive it. It is just wrong to attempt to impart one's knowledge and experiences when someone asks for help. Discussion boards work much better when nobody actually discusses things.

I can't help but notice that your posts in this thread haven't contributed much to the conversation. Do you have anything specific to add other than "don't help people who ask for help"?

You completely misunderstand my gripe Brent. He asked for TECHNICAL assistance. He asked what the best way to achieve it was. He never once asked for opinion on the concept or asked if what he was doing was valid. He simply stated 'I'm doing this, I'm asking your help as to how'.

My problem lies when people start dishing 'advice' on what people are doing and why, and telling them how to make films.

And Brent, I've helped plenty of people and in turn asked for help that I have needed. I'm simply stating it is completely detrimental to the thread to start saying they shouldn't be attempting this.

Edit: And Tanner, best of luck to you friend. I hope you find what your seeking here, and would love to see the outcome if you could post it (or a trailer =])

 

[Alex Donkle]

Let me be the first to ask WHY?

As the op for the shot, you later get to say "Yeah, I did that. I dare you to even COMPARE anyone elses reel."

:biggrinjester:

 

[Nick Gardner]

You completely misunderstand my gripe Brent. He asked for TECHNICAL assistance. He asked what the best way to achieve it was. He never once asked for opinion on the concept or asked if what he was doing was valid. He simply stated 'I'm doing this, I'm asking your help as to how'.

My problem lies when people start dishing 'advice' on what people are doing and why, and telling them how to make films.

I couldn't agree more.

Nick

 

[Lewis-M Soucy]

Go for it, it might give amazing result!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpInpSt_aM0 (amazing timing)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWmrfgj0MZI (gorgeous)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwiuXevi9FE (that's a fake but so good)

 

[rod bradley]

I don't think Brent was trying to dis Tanner or anyone or put a damper on things by raising the question and gently reminding what does often happen when technical feat enthusiasm takes over -- I think it's a valid question and it would be interesting to know why -- even though the question was simply a technical one on how to achieve the "record" 100 minutes-- one that might not seem all that attractive if you've seen Russian Ark -- which incidentally did have a kind of practical reason for doing it that way as they were only allowed something like 24 hours in the hermitage altogether.

Making films to "break a record" might help motivate getting the budget up and getting it done --and we'll all hope that the style-content marriage makes it remarkable in some ways beyond the longest steadicam shot ever -- and doing it as a continuous take actually proves an effective way to tell the story or whatever it is the film intends. And we all get to see for ourselves a landmark film because it's great -- which incidentally will be a great feather in the Red cap.

Good luck, Tanner.

And, like others, I think maybe the making of will be as interesting as the movie itself. Very good idea to shoot it. And at least Tanner should have it for his personal feats museum.

By the way, there was another project that was supposed to be a single shot steadicam feature that was asking for advice on reduser a few months back -- don't think they gave an exact running time -- don't remember when they were scheduled to shoot. Maybe this is the one.

Hey, who keeps track of this stuff anyway? Guinness?

 

[Michael Brennan]

Have a power supply flylead made should your bats begin to go down you can at least cable the supply. This may also work for parts of the movie where it is possible to have a cable connected as a means of using a smaller onboard battery.

Consider ways of moving you around whilst you are seated.


Consider making a rig that would enable the arm to be swapped mid shot between two operators!, in my view this is the correct craft approach rather than expecting one operator to maintain a high level of performance for 100 minutes, or even longer if you need to abort a take half way through and start again.


best of luck


Mike Brennan

 

[Tanner Stauss]

I really just wanted to keep this geared towards the technical side of things. The "why" is really not up to me and I'm not too worried about that. All I know is that this is how they want to shoot it, and I am game for it. I didn't want to mean that it was being done to break a record. As I understand, this was an aesthetic desire and if we are going to do it in one take, we might as well break a record while we are at it.

Lightweight monitor will probably be clutch and of course a back brace :biggrin:

Are you just talking about a 5.6 RED LCD, or is there something else you had in mind? I was thinking if I could get one of the earlier plastic shelled RED LCD's that would be a few ounces lighter than the metal shelled ones.

Behind the scenes footage (Rocky I style) of you training to get in the shape you'll need to be in to shoot 100 minutes straight with ANY Red One configuration may end up being the most compelling aspect of your film.

Please, Please, Please, consult a physician and preferably one that can check your feet and spine to make sure you are physiologically capable of handling something like this without permanent damage. There will probably be more than one take to get it right in one take and in that case you won't have much time to rest. Also, really think about the type of footwear you will wear and work really hard on your core the next 60 days.

Michael, I completely agree, and thanks for this suggestion. I will certainly be doing that before I head over there.

Go for it, it might give amazing result!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BpInpSt_aM0 (amazing timing)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZWmrfgj0MZI (gorgeous)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwiuXevi9FE (that's a fake but so good)

Those are really good. I like the second one a lot. The third was said it was unavailable in my country though... I don't know.

-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.

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

I'm pretty sure that I won't have any cables going off camera. It would be ideal not to anyway.

And I remember watching that video all the time on MTV when I was a kid. That's an awesome video, thanks for pulling that one back up.

 

[Tanner Stauss]

Have a power supply flylead made should your bats begin to go down you can at least cable the supply. This may also work for parts of the movie where it is possible to have a cable connected as a means of using a smaller onboard battery.

Consider ways of moving you around whilst you are seated.


Consider making a rig that would enable the arm to be swapped mid shot between two operators!, in my view this is the correct craft approach rather than expecting one operator to maintain a high level of performance for 100 minutes, or even longer if you need to abort a take half way through and start again.


best of luck


Mike Brennan

I'm not sure how we could swap from battery power to cabled power without powering down the camera. Is that possible? Either way, the way the set and moves will be I don't think any cables would be a real option.

I believe that there are some parts where I will be moved around while on a dolly. So, that will help a little bit.

And, I like the idea of swapping operators, but I just can't think of anyway that that could be done smoothly or quickly. Hopefully murphy's law will stay the hell away for our shoot day and we will conquer that sucker first try.

 

[Tanner Stauss]

I just thought of something else too. Is there anything that could be done to better our chances of not getting some recording fault or something else fatal to the take? I haven't had many faults on the last two builds, but they do happen, and that's the main thing that's been worrying me.

 

[Roberto Lequeux]

One shot movies get the benefit of live performance, because they are. A good idea though might be to break up the movie into large chapters, or shoot it in three or four acts. That was you'd get the magic and simplify the process... however the build up wouldn't be the same as with one shot. I am all for it. And I am NOT kidding about the BTS steady, using an HV30 or little HPX170, whatever... you are still tha man for operating the heavier camera, and shooting the movie, but the BTS guy would have the record... maybe have the record as a team?

An other benefit of Epic would be the added sensitivity which would make it easier to use practicals and smaller production lights which would be easier to hide.

 

[Rudi Herbert]

I just thought of something else too. Is there anything that could be done to better our chances of not getting some recording fault or something else fatal to the take? I haven't had many faults on the last two builds, but they do happen, and that's the main thing that's been worrying me.

Of course, mount two cameras instead of one on the sled

 

[Roberto Lequeux]

Helium balloons???

 

[Brent J. Craig]

He asked for TECHNICAL assistance. He asked what the best way to achieve it was. He never once asked for opinion on the concept or asked if what he was doing was valid.

Filmmaking is an art. You cannot separate the technical from the theoretical. To effectively do something, it is important to understand the why as well as the how.

 

[thomas-english]

You don't need any top RED monitor. Its useless to you and will suck more power.

After messing about a little with my rig. I would do this shot with two PAG L95 s on the bottom. C-motion and drive on the camera. Its not a heavy setup.

You will be able to build something so you can dock in shot with no adverse effects.

 

[Tanner Stauss]

Helium balloons???

I'm really considering that.