Tracking shot conundrums...

[Dave Draper]

Here's a puzzle for you...

How would you perform a linear, long take, tracking shot, that needs to last around 3 minutes, and cover approximately 12 feet in distance, with NO budget?

 

[ericyoung]

That's pretty slow - sounds like a timelapse rig or a very good grip on dolly and track. If the surface is really smooth, you could try pulling a tripod or cameramount on a blanket.

 

[David Baumber]

How about a suspended scaffolding pole sat on lighting stands or ladders 12 feet apart. A rope and pulley wheel over the pole with camera hung underneath. You can steal those things easily Not that I endorse such activity. Good luck.

 

[paulherrin]

it depends on what you've got... some tripods have wheels, you can use a rolling chair, you can put together a skateboard dolly or for that matter have someone pushing you on a skate deck, otherwise go handheld or with an ez-rig or a steadicam or just make something or other out of pvc pipe (or other kinds)

 

[Eric M Hurt]

http://www.instructables.com/tag/type-id/?sort=none&q=building+things+out+of+trash

Always works within no budget.

 

[David W. Jones]

I thought you owned a Steadicam Dave, why not use it?

 

[Dave Draper]

Thanks for the replies so far, everyone.

I thought you owned a Steadicam Dave, why not use it?

We used to own a Glidecam, but sold it. However, I'm not convinced that even a camera stabilizer would work for this scene, due to how slowly the camera needs to be moving.

The budget only covers three takes, due to the content, and without the budget for something like a motorized linear tracking system, I don't -- realistically -- see how this could be pulled off without looking really bad.

 

[Brian F Kobylarz]

What are you tracking?

Straight move or on an arc?

Camera orientation?

Any movement of the camera?
(To stay on a point during the move)

Is there a specific focal length you want to use?

 

[Dave Draper]

What are you tracking?

Straight move or on an arc?

Camera orientation?

Any movement of the camera?
(To stay on a point during the move)

Is there a specific focal length you want to use?

Tracking a single person, center frame.

Tracking straight backwards.

We open on the camera panning to the left and tilting down to the center of the scene, pointing forward, then locked off for the remainder of the take.

The lens needs to be 24mm, due to the size of the studio, and where the scene finishes.

 

[Randy Kessler]

Here's a puzzle for you...

How would you perform a linear, long take, tracking shot, that needs to last around 3 minutes, and cover approximately 12 feet in distance, with NO budget?

Strap the camera to a Turtle?!?

 

[Dave Draper]

Strap the camera to a Turtle?!?

Great suggestion, except for two things... The budget won't cover the turtle, or the strap.

 

[Brendan H. Banks]

I did post production on a piece where they couldn't achieve everything by dolly moves so they used a combo of dolly and pulling zoom...my biggest job in post was re-framing to smooth every single in/out to feel flawless. Took a whole lot of keyframing but we were able to achieve a really smooth look. Might be one of those times where, if you can, you invest time in post to help with some constraints. Not saying "fix it in post!" but I'm guessing the production will be fighting an uphill battle on this one.

For how slow it is...are you taking sound? Could you use a motorized winch? Never know who has one on their jeep or maybe a friend or family member who has one in their garage. Or for that matter, you could get a hand-crank winch and wind it like the old-time cinema cameras!

 

[Brendan H. Banks]

I'm also just speaking to the super slow movement as I feel thats the hardest part of this. You can definitely make a slider out of many, many things. I think it's just picking your DIY flavor and then figuring out how to make it move soooooooo slowly.

 

[Brian F Kobylarz]

Tracking a single person, center frame.

Tracking straight backwards.

We open on the camera panning to the left and tilting down to the center of the scene, pointing forward, then locked off for the remainder of the take.

The lens needs to be 24mm, due to the size of the studio, and where the scene finishes.

First thoughts - a 12' tracking move straight backwards with a 24mm lens would likely expose any support (such as track or overhead rails) in the frame by the time the move is completed.
So you need your rigging out to the sides versus the center.

In this case, assuming no $$ means no moco, so...

You might consider starting with a gimbal suspended under a long piece of speedrail.
End of that speedrail fitted with skateboard wheels.

Two pieces of speedrail - perpendicular on each side supported with stands / junior receivers with opened Big Ben Clamps.

Camera move is accomplished manually with an operator.

Since there would not be the $ for motors, if you can get crank handles with pulleys, you could rig a slow move to pull the center rail backwards.
Think of the earliest movie cameras - the crank move was the easiest way for the cameraman to keep a constant speed.
With a bit of practice, two people could work out the timing of say "one rotation every 15 seconds" to achieve your timing requirements... And have a decent chance of keeping it smooth.

Good luck!

 

[Brian F Kobylarz]

Great suggestion, except for two things... The budget won't cover the turtle, or the strap.

Get a big enough turtle and it could be dinner for the crew!
Thats another expense covered.

 

[Christopher Mills]

Evil Dead style... a plank under the camera, and two grips slowly moving backward, pacing the actor.

 

[Jeffery Anderson]

they have a bunch of PVC Pipe slider builds on Youtube another one

Speedrail is probably a little more reliable and strong, but more expensive... all of these DIY Sliders/Dollys are real shitty

 

[Peter Strietmann]

Wheelchair and a shoulder mount.

 

[Daniel Reed]

I was thinking the same thing, but they want a tilt down

Wheelchair and a shoulder mount.

Sorry for the long note below, I don't have time to write a shorter one.

I'm thinking this is for narrative.

Honestly, this is a money shot.
Unless it moves the story, I suggest re-inventing the sequence based on what you have.

Another perspective if this sequence is insisted upon.
You may just have to say, I can't do this w/out a budget.
Then suggest what you can do with what you have.

This shot should be pretty easy to do on a peewee dolly,
but those usually require a 25K deposit (or enough liability insurance to cover)

The shot itself sounds like it may be a good fit for a suspended cable track and remote gimbal
http://photoshipone.com/flyline-cable-cam-system/
http://cheesycam.com/varavon-wirecam-cable-cam-system-with-dji-ronin-m-gimbal/


Undercarriage/under slung speed rail should also work, but may be really tricky to setup, but is probably easier to find for rent.


Maybe a 12 foot crane on speed rail might work and be the cheapest/fastest setup, it won't be perfect


And i guess another option is use a drone indoors.


Maybe you can do a "trade-your-time-and-gear" with someone else who has what you need to make this work.


Best of Luck

 

[Robert Hart]

If you are after backyarder slow manual motion-control, then if you are really cheap, a pair of double awning pulleys and a length of non-stretching rope or thin sashcord set up as a two-stage pulley system, drawn by a small hand wound boat winch or even carefully drawn by hand might do it for you. If your camera and tripod are on wheels, then introduce damping friction by towing a car battery or some other compact mass inside of a bag or blanket attached to the dolly or sliding board on a smooth surface.

A separate dragging weight behind a sliding board on blanket or carpet scrap will also tend to stop weaving as the sliding board is drawn forward. Tie it off long otherwise it will tend to lift on the towing rope and hop, which will jerk the motion. A solid head and tail of say about three feet overhang on front and the rear, ( plank nailed across a pallet ) fixed to the sliding board as both a front drawbar and as a rear towbar for the battery or whatever will also help even more to keep the forward motion from weaving.

If you set up a motor winch, be aware that the increase in diameter of rthe rope wound onto the winch drum will increase the draw speed relative to constant motor speed. You can defeat this by winding about three or four turns of rope around the winch drum with a free end like a net winch on a fishing boat, then manually pulling the outfeeding rope so that the winch becomes moree of a speed governer than a hauler. So long as the motor speed remains constant, then the rope speed should remain constant. Manual tension will be required on the outfeeding rope otherwise the coils will loosen and slip.