A good practice is to prepare your route. These will add to the story being told on screen. There is still the shot composition, angles and lighting that need to be taken into account. While the tip above is a solid practice of all professional camera operators, that does not mean that they leave the camera down and passively let it roll. Predict your composition ahead of your actions It all depends on the choice of the director and DOP, but a stunt cameraman needs to be ready for both situations. When the camera is too unsteady, it can hinder the audience’s ability to see and appreciate the action. However, there are a lot of viewers that don’t like this sort of style. Instead, they favour shaky cameras and hyperkinetic editing. Many modern fight scenes don’t share that philosophy nowadays. With some scenes or requirements, you will need to equip yourself with a pro-level gimbal that will absorb the walking, running and jumping. Imagine running down the stairs with a cup of tea without spilling, just like that! Practise holding your camera rig as steady as possible while you are moving. Holding the camera still is key, but for stunt cameramen, this is sometimes impossible mainly due to the nature of their filming. Here are four helpful tips that all camera operators can use to improve their work and build their skills up. Pro tips for becoming an action cameramanĮverything takes practice. This is why professionalism, skill, and experience always at the forefront of everything the action cameraman does. Sometimes even many of the shots used in the official versions of movies, commercials, and promotional videos were ones that happened by accident or were spontaneously caught by the stunt cameraman rolling. The action cameraman frequently has to go with the flow and try to make the most out of any situation, even those that went wrong. Of course, what I described is the ideal situation, and things are sometimes far from the ideal. It’s crucial that they are patient and able to maintain focus over long programme shoots and stay calm in any situation. Good communication is critical as they need to communicate with the director and work as part of the team with other crew. Action cameraman have to adapt to the specific requirements of different shoots, watch, listen, think quickly and solve problems on the go. They need the technical knowledge of cameras and an in-depth understanding of the latest motion picture equipment, cameras, lenses, monitors, and lights.Īs a bonus, they need to be able to multitask in order to recognize when the best shot is happening and where the real action is, all while carrying out complex technical tasks. Like all camera operators, the action cameramen have to be versatile in different gear. A stunt cameraman can specialise in specific genres if they want, but the work requires that they adapt to different shooting styles often. They also have to possess a good eye for photography and an understanding of composition, light, colour, focus, and framing. They are always “ equipped for versatility” without using all the unnecessary cable rigs and equipment often brought in to do the job. Their goal is to be able to capture the “hard to get” moments that other camera operators cannot. The action cameraman is never limited by a location or a single set of equipment. Others have a camera strapped to them for when they need to film a moving action and follow the actors every step of the way. Some action cameramen have cameras mounted on mobile pedestals, which they can move around the studio, rotate, and adjust the height, all while filming. They are in charge of capturing all the details of the shot from different angles. Time is money, getting the perfect shot in a minimal amount of time is idealĮver thought about how camera operators in movies get the crazy shots?Īction cameramen are operators that are the closest to the action.Both the cameraman and the performer work in sync to get the best possible shots.The more takes you need, the more risks arise Stunts can be tiring for the performers.It’s best to minimise the amount of takes as much as possible! Stunts can be dangerous to do multiple times.Reasons for why this is so important is because: However, there are many types of camera operators, and here we will review the ones that do the most exciting filmmaking, the action cameraman.Īn action cameraman needs to understand the talent that’s in front of the camera, so they know how to approach and what they have to take in order the create the best shots. Whether that’s a studio programme or documentary, or a movie, the cameraman will know which cameras to use in which conditions and consider the composition, framing, and movement of a shot. Camera operators are the people responsible for capturing the action in front of the camera.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |