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Fast Handheld chase camera - rig set up?

M

Matthew Bennett

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Gang,

I've been futzing with a handheld chase-cam rig for a while now.

I'm looking to replicate the general speed of the handheld chase work in Point Break, during the famous foot chase scene through the alleys and backyards.

Here for reference:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VF7dPKXwag4

What sort of rig do you think these guys worked with?

My personal rig is a CCD cam with a general shoulder mount, balanced, 30mm lens, and handgrip rods positioned around the lens, about five inches out, for holding and stabilization. The rig is about 12 pounds total. I'm also using an EVF positioned at eye to monitor.

My problems are this: I'd like to have a nice speed and a frenetic up and down feel, where the level lines are still solid. IE, no tilting side to side, but only up and down.

I've found that the wider my hands are gripping around the lens area, the better I can keep the shot level. I've also found having my eye cupped into the EVF during a sprint basically just makes my head impact into it uncomfortably, and creating unwanted tilt. But how else to monitor for general framing? How do 35mm cam operators do it with an OVF?

---- Any idea what sort of setup most operators use for sprinting handheld chase work?

Thanks in advance for any insights at all!
 
I would say you want more or less the type of set up they used on a lot of the stuff on district nine. Body lens and handle on top. a 5" monitor if you want to frame. I hate cables and would use a light 4 ah batt on board, but you could do a battery belt/clip type deal.

Nick
 
Yeah - work the top handle, hang the rig from your arm and sprint...look down at monitor to generally watch frame.

Do you think balance was an issue?... as the side-side motion of the body would sort of rock the camera back and forth into tilting hell...

What about shoulder work, chasing after a subject?
 
I'd go with the ET Mantis, cf or SSD cards, 5" monitor on noga arm and belt clip for battery. You can turn the camera around and shoot with it facing backwards for a leading shot. Keep the camera stripped down no excessive weight.
 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNa4jbCG-zI

Been watching this - a couple of BTS views of the later Bourne film - a wide variety of rigs here, very small runners, top handle low-mode work, and a preponderance of shoulder cam with grips, and going between an LCD and OVF... from what I can tell

Man these guys really shake it up! Even when they're just standing there fairly stationery, the operator is shaking around like crazy....
 
Some of my favorite hh work is in "Romper Stomper". While it has been 20 years since it was released I think it still holds up. You don't want an OVF or EVF banging into your eye while your sprinting so a video tap to a small monitor if your shooting film is preferable. A couple of years ago I built this 19mm rig for extremely light hh shooting, very simple and lite but you need a pad on your shoulder and a 19mm base plate.
 

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get a small monitor to mount on there... it is actually possible to shoot without a viewfinder.

you're going to have to dance with the camera to get the motion you want.
 
if you plan to do this with an Epic light or any weight camera here is something that allows you to move around turn the camera 180 degrees, and have it on your shoulder, viewing from red lcd.
with the red one its kinda heavy, but with the epic lightweight set up, its going to be very light to run with, and also the back tail with the modules can be very short. There are various technics using the Machine to view back as you are running fwd with out having the tail in your framing. just watch the video.
The New Machine has a solid one piece front handle system, and a through hollow center base allowing the cables to go through and back and at the front to the monitor, so you can do rotations with out wires getting bugled up, with out problem.
have a view at the way you an move with this rig, and see how many combinations of moves you can perform. Its made for action . you can also do perfect 360 degree around your subjects with out having to twist your body just walk or run in circles and pan the camera to frame , allowing for extreme fast 360 you could only perform with a steadicam device. Also as the Machine a gimbal design, its much more solid in vibrations and horizon errors, as it follows your hands rather than the angle of your shoulder. If you need more info about the Machine contact me, I will be glad to help.
here is the clip showing the Machine , and a smaller model, the Gangster rig.
the Machine is one of its kind rig and its patented.AND THERE IS A MOTORIZED version coming soon..much smaller and modular for the small Epic and Scarlet..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOTLkY6X2yY
 
Matthew Bennett said:
I'm looking to replicate the general speed of the handheld chase work in Point Break, during the famous foot chase scene through the alleys and backyards.
Click to expand...

Hey Matthew! You should really take a look at Constantines rigs! I got both the HR-1D and the Machine now, and I think his rigs would fit perfect for the kind of handheld work your after. The beauty is that you can "sneak" around corners, before your body needs to move around it.. I think if they had a running rig for the Point Break sequence it would be even nicer :) Also switching from forward to backward motion without altering your own forward running motion is pretty awesome (While seeing everything in your LCD on the handles). :thumbsup:

Btw... I ordered another kind of beast from Constantine now :) I can't spill any designs yet, but it will be awesome :) Motioncontrol for everyone!

/Regards Peter K
 
Matthew,

Here is a hh rig I built up last year for a feature. For your shoot I would loose the LCD viewfinder adapter I made with a hoodman. The set up is so light you can shoot 12 hour days with no problem. I use the red brick primarily as a counter balance (no hands) but also as backup battery. It will power ex1 for a couple of days.
 

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Additionally.
we have this hand held stabilizer for light cameras up to 4 kgr you can run like hell full speed operating with one hand , you can jump over obstacles and generally perform very very fluid moves steadicam type but with out a vest and arm.
The limits are only set from your arm strength, but for these demanding high speed shots with an EX1-3 , Epic , Scarlet, cameras , you can have 3 minutes takes , running like hell, and also do amazingly big jumps while stability is very good,
the rig is under the HAND HELD stabilizers section and its called BRAINS.
thats is a far better choice for high speed action shots that a pogo cam, and you can go from very low, to very high mode shots in a few minutes set up, or just reverse the sled and go .
let me know if you are interested on this. I can make you a deal since this is a new product in the makings.
Very good quality xy stage, cheese plate, new design gimbal ( different technique), Carbon fiber post1.5 inch, very light construction,
If you are looking for shots like in POINT BREAK, there is no shoulder mount that you can work with, these are very high speed running shots and you just wont make it with a shoulder mount purelly because you cant run fast enough like this having 2 hands engaged, with the Brains its one hand operation .

Thanks
 
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