heli shots from hpx170 last monday.

ok . one gyro would be mounted horizontally and the other would be in line with the lens, shoulder mount with enough space for you prime lens adapter. upside down monitor might be a better way to go. wind is a factor. i rent my ks8 as well . camera hvx200?
 
So gyros help to smooth out the moves on steady cam shots. I am not saying it is fun to carry them around, but they do add to the feel of the steady footage. I guess we should say "modify" instead of "add". It is more work to get it going and to stop, same deal but different slower smoother feel.

There certainly is an application for it, I mean why would people use gyros on steadys in big budget projects?

You really got me thinking about this one now, I left a message with a friend of mine to get his take on this to add to the conversation. Though I don't want to veer this thread too much off topic, unless you are game for it.
 
jetaddiction@mac.com said:
ok . one gyro would be mounted horizontally and the other would be in line with the lens, shoulder mount with enough space for you prime lens adapter. upside down monitor might be a better way to go. wind is a factor. i rent my ks8 as well . camera hvx200?
Click to expand...

Yea, but I mean where would you screw them onto?

The camera will be a 170 or a 200a, SGblade, and big bulky heavy primes. The monitor a Carrion but I was thinking about mounting it off the rig on the dash of the heli somewhere if that worked out.
 
most big budgets don,t use both at the same time. only certain times using both work well. mostly not. the lighter the better , a hpx 170 has a flip so that is the best . 2 x ks8 should be plenty for that set up. you just need a shoulder mount to bolt everything to. like mine ( that is for rent) like my hpx170(thats for rent) and my upgraded flip hard mounted redrock m2 (also for rent) all my nikor primes ,28mm,35mm,55mm, 85mm,135mm . as well as my ks8 gyro for rent. i won,t be under sold!!!!64 gb of p2 as well. i am also for rent!!
 
your shot close in on a man falling through ice then reveal his aloneness. i would shoot with a 1.6 or 2x tel and max tele .frameas steady and as close as you can . when he is through the ice and fighting have the heli pull straight up and at 50ft or so zoom back med speed. (use the top zoom controler). set up the shot again and take off the same again with out the tele. start to zoom back at 100 ft. (use top controller) .witha little edit split and reframing in edit. you might get a way faster smother reveal of how srcewed this guy is. the heilcopter along will take to long ,and just speeding it up will look fake , just a idea. the combo of shallow depth of field because of the tele and shooting at or max irus (nd 4x4 filter down) to get everything with out the adapter. to get even cooler start on a ladder with adapter shooting down / matched to same frame to heli,s first frame . blend it all togeather and whalla!!!
 
Yea, that is a great is a, but I hate zooming cause of how much bad movies have used zooming and how much people will tend to associate it with yours being like those, subliminally. Especially at the start of a movie. You made a great point though... speed... might want to shoot it at 22fps and ask him to struggle a tad slower. We will have a 20-something ft. crane available, so I imagine the 18mm at closest focal distance craned up and away will do just fine. No need to speed that up though... in fact might want to go for the opposite to give it a smoother feeling, larger than life feeling. After all this is honestly less of a horror and more of a psychological thriller meets reunion spring-break meets horror... I have had a hard time figuring out what to tag it... but for all distribution purposes I will sell it as a horror and see where that takes me. At least for now till I meet with my producer that knows more about that aspect.
Don't get me wrong... I would love to have a zoom if I was making a straight up horror flick... cause imo if that's what you are doing then you will end up getting associated with classic old horrors that used zooming and that is not a bad thing... maybe not with the younger people cause they never saw those, but still... as you point out, a slow servo zoom set to slow or possibly medium will be great, imo the fast speed would be too cliche, though it would be cool to make it desaturate at the same time ending upin B&W as a tribute... :)

lol... you are getting me to think about things I wasn't going to think about... that always helps you find the voice for the project. :thumbsup:


About the steady+Gyro, yea, most never gyro their steadys... but most have killer steady ops :) I am not saying that I am sold on it, but I am exited to hear more about it, and more than anything test it out myself cause I will likely be doing a lot of theady myself if I don't find a kid with experiece out there. We are hiring only a few experienced pros, 1st AD, DP, Gaffer, Key Grip, Boom Op, and then we are working with a film school and paying their students much less, they will also get credit. My Gaffer will operate camera, DP will pull focus... I might have to operate steady but we'll see about that. I know that for a few scenes it will help move fast so long as I get a great 1st AD to keep me and the set organized. Chances are I'll find a steady Op... let's hope I do.
So because of this my incstint is to want to cheat... for the steady, yea, I totally agree that one KS-8 will be plenty (which, btw, I'd love to rent from you if you can give me a better rate!!!).
I love that you think that for cars it will work well... so how do you think that the gyro on the steady will behave that makes you say no? Please be specific, I couldn't understand what you were saying.
 
the combo of the heli and the top handle mechanical rate of zoom out slow .should just give the effect of the heli lifting off way faster. thats why you would wait till 100 ft be for the zoom back. wind from the heli might blow your actor about . another reason to use tele . further away less down wash.
 
jetaddiction@mac.com said:
the combo of the heli and the top handle mechanical rate of zoom out slow .should just give the effect of the heli lifting off way faster. thats why you would wait till 100 ft be for the zoom back. wind from the heli might blow your actor about . another reason to use tele . further away less down wash.
Click to expand...

I was thinking about the same thing but keep forgetting... we'll need to be far away for wind... we can't see it. I wonder if the 85 would be enough or if we'll need to get a longer lens like the Nikon 80-200mm which seems to be such an awesome lens anyway. 200mm should be plenty and color correcting to match will be a breeze... then again going bare might work fine if the SGblade's new GG which is supposed to be grainless... it shouldn't be as big of a difference as it would if we were using their original GG.

You basically sold the zoom out, the slowest one probably... but now I am worried about the initial jerk when you begin the zoom which will liekly be the same as on the 200... it is quite imperceptible, but that shot really depends on being smooth. At least that's how I see it in my non-DoP head.


jetaddiction@mac.com said:
will be shooting whistler and other snow capped peaks as soon as the weather agrees.
Click to expand...

Yea baby!! Can't wait! Show me some snow!
:Drogar-Love(DBG):
 
one thing to add might be a slow rotate as you pull back ,easier blend ,easier to frame ,if shooting almost straight down. just another way to make the reveal cool. what do you think? might fill the timing better.
 
I think I see what you are saying... if it were stationary you would notice the imperfections while with a gentle rotation they wouldn't be as evident. Is that what you mean?

Also it would feel as if we, the audience, are also walking away, stepping away from him...

I wouldn't mind it at all man. Good idea! :thumbsup:
 
ya a really,really, slow rotation to a still end wide shot. your editor will love it. easier to transitions betteen different frames with your guy in a ice hole always in the center.
 
I know he will love it... (it is me!) lol

BTW, I wrote it into the shooting script. :)
 
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