Moving from a tripod to handheld within a single scene?

[Mark K.]

Hi guys,

I've got a scene coming up next week that's the tipping point in a marriage, it starts off as chitchat and ends with one character asking for a divorce. I'm currently toying with the idea of starting the scene with the camera locked down on the tripod, everything nice and steady, and then switching to handheld as the situation in the scene deteriorates into an argument, and everything gets a lot tenser and more emotional.

However I haven't really mixed handheld and tripod coverage in a single scene before, especially not something as defined as all-tripod switching to all-handheld. So I'm wondering if anyone else has shot a scene in this way before, and whether it worked or not (or at least the pitfalls you need to watch out for).

I think if it could work, it would really add to the scene, but the last thing I want to do is create an overtly distracting camera change that takes people out of the emotion of the scene. So any thoughts on whether it can work, or why it can't, would be much appreciated.

Cheers,

Mark

 

[Steve Sherrick]

Here's a thought. In the film Death Sentence they built a rig that allowed them to do some handoffs during a chase scene in the parking garage. If you haven't seen the movie, here's a making of that scene. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_5sQoDsJGg

What if you built a similar rig and attached it to a stand of some sort at the beginning of your scene and then were able to smoothly detach it and move freely with it.

They show the rig in the video.

Otherwise going from tripod might be tough, but maybe someone has an idea.

 

[Ketch Rossi]

Mark,

I find that with the Red Quick release Pro system, with a flip of the lever you can remove in a snap the camera set up from the Tripod and move away form it on to hand held with ease, and even pop it in to a shoulder mount rig, to then move to your shoulder...

It takes practice, but it can be done, there will be no sliding movement, but there will be a slight bent to the right of the camera to click in and out of the QRP system, kinda of like a Dutch head minimal move would be, try it out and good luck...

 

[Simon Knight]

I do this in wedding shoots occasionally. Original plan was to cut the shot in post but now i'm more practised, I often don't need to..!
I slide the camera forward off the tripod mount and then go shoulder mount. You get a little tilting movement as Ketch suggests but its nothing Warp Stabalizer can't handle! Or just wait for the moment in the scene when you're cutting from a mid to a C/U and then pause (not cut) the scene for a second. Then remount the camera and "action"....

Good luck and practise,practise, practise..

SK

 

[Mark K.]

Thanks for the suggestions guys! The issue isn't really a technical one of moving from a tripod to handheld within the same shot, I'd simply be cutting from a locked down shot to a handheld one in the edit (most likely via some cutaways: hands fidgeting, shots of the set etc.).

What I'm worried about is making those cuts work and making sure the change in aesthetic, from stable locked down shot to shakier handheld footage isn't jarring or obvious, but flows with the intensity of the scene.

I'm just not sure how possible it is.

 

[Douglas Underdahl]

Mark -

I think you are quite perceptive in your concern about matching the intensity with camera movement. When the intensity changes from calm to fight, then I think your idea of going from tripod to hand held makes perfect sense and will work very well.

As to how possible it will be - test it. Just you and a camera, and two actors rehearsing the scene. There will be a moment of physicality - perhaps when one of the actors stands in anger - that the switch is best made, and in fact, seems necessary for proper coverage. In other words, the intensity will dictate the change.

 

[Jonathan Stevenson]

Mark, I do this all the time within scenes. It's no big deal. I would just pick your moment to transition to the handheld carefully, such as a dramatic outburst in the dialog or something. Another tip would be that your first shot in handheld mode is actually a wide angle shot, then you cut back into your close ups. It wont be as obvious that it's handheld at first when using a wide shot.

The funny thing I notice about people shooting handheld is that they want the "shaky-hand-held" look, so they hold the camera and deliberately shake it!!! It looks ridiculous. To get that nice, subtle handheld camera work, you actually want to try and hold the shot as steady as you can while shooting handheld. It gives it the perfect amount of handheld movement. If you do this, your transition from sticks to handheld will not be nearly as jarring.

There will be a moment of physicality - perhaps when one of the actors stands in anger - that the switch is best made, and in fact, seems necessary for proper coverage. In other words, the intensity will dictate the change.

Yes, exactly.

 

[Mark K.]

Thanks guys! I'm starting to think I might actually be able to get away with it. I'm going to go back over the script and find the right moment to make the transition.

And Jonathan, I couldn't agree with you more about the shakey-cam nonsense, the 2nd and 3rd Bourne films physically gave me headaches. It absolutely has to be well controlled.

 

[Timothy Eaton]

Hi Mark,

You can get away with a lot more than you might think at first. Remember that audiences are watching performances; they are theoretically into the scene. If they notice your camera techniques, then the scene is not very compelling to begin with.

Blocking will help you too. If your actors movements are matched to the intensity of the scene, then perhaps you want them to move more as the scene becomes more intense. As they become more animated, so does the camera. It will cut like butter.

One more note. Let focal length help you with camera movement. The longer the lens, the harder it is to hold steady, and the more intensity it brings to the shot. If you want more movement put on a lens that is beyond your ability to hold steady. You or your operator can probably hold an 18 with almost imperceptible movement. A 100 is a different story altogether in a confined space and becomes more intense.

Tim Eaton