Best way to get moving car shots on no budget

J

jghenderson

Well-known member
Hey guys. I'll be making a music video in a month or so. I have a few shots I want to get that involve the camera moving down a road with a car, from in front and behind. Unfortunately this is mostly a resume boosting gig and will not have any real budget. I don't have any car mounts.

The one Idea I had was my DP has an SUV where the window in the back can be raised, so I was thinking of maybe putting a tripod in the back shooting out the open back window at the car coming towards us. I'm afraid, however, that this will create very shaky footage. Also this doesn't solve my problem of shooting the car from behind.

Any ideas on how to achieve this effect without a budget? I really don't want to have to settle for pans from the side of the road.

Thanks in advance!
 
Depends on the camera you're using.I've shot in a convertible car with a glidecam 4000 and an HVX on it with interesting results, but I don't recommend for safety. If you're using a CCD camera you can try to go handheld and then try image stabilization with software. With CMos cameras I don't recommend this route.

My suggestion is try to borrow or rent a Steadicam Merlin if you are using DSLR's. Its small and usable in your SUV situation.
 
SPZ said:
Depends on the camera you're using.I've shot in a convertible car with a glidecam 4000 and an HVX on it with interesting results, but I don't recommend for safety. If you're using a CCD camera you can try to go handheld and then try image stabilization with software. With CMos cameras I don't recommend this route.

My suggestion is try to borrow or rent a Steadicam Merlin if you are using DSLR's. Its small and usable in your SUV situation.
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Yeah the whole shoot will be on DSLR's.

How will the Steadicam Merlin hold up with long lenses?
 
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Shooting from a motor vehicle is one case where handheld (properly braced on the camera operator's shoulder) can actually give steadier results than a tripod - the camera operator's body acts as a shock absorber. A really flat smooth road helps a lot too. :)

Re shooting from behind, how about shooting while standing in the back of a small open-backed truck? That will let you shoot in any direction. Some kind of simple frame (e.g. wood with padding?) or safetye harness would be needed to keep the camera operator (and camera!) safe though, in case of unexpected sudden stops or jolts.
 
clang said:
Shooting from a motor vehicle is one case where handheld (properly braced on the camera operator's shoulder) can actually give steadier results than a tripod - the camera operator's body acts as a shock absorber. A really flat smooth road helps a lot too. :)

Re shooting from behind, how about shooting while standing in the back of a small open-backed truck? That will let you shoot in any direction. Some kind of simple frame (e.g. wood with padding?) or safetye harness would be needed to keep the camera operator (and camera!) safe though, in case of unexpected sudden stops or jolts.
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My DP does have a shoulder rig. Do you think that would give better results than the Steadicam Merlin in this case?
 
Steadycam > shoulder rig in this case. Ive seen setups like this where they mount the steadycam onto the vehicle frame, it keeps the weight off the operator. But If your attempting to shoot this with a very long lens, its going to look shaky either way.

Another way to reduce shake is to lower the tire pressure in the camera car. Bring a portable air tank so you can fill them back up though.
 
Probably not exactly what you're looking for, but film tools has a pretty secure suction cup car mount that is rated more than enough for DSLR on sale right now for $90. I just bought one.
 
gonzo_entertainment said:
Probably not exactly what you're looking for, but film tools has a pretty secure suction cup car mount that is rated more than enough for DSLR on sale right now for $90. I just bought one.
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I grabbed that.. I felt comfortable driving < 45mph.. a little over that and I got a little nervous about my camera strapped to the hood.. I'd recommend not having a battery grip on the camera when doing so as I think the little bit of 'space' enhances the vibrations and gives you shakier footage..
 
GoPro says they pulled dents out of a car door with their mount... and that they can handle up to 150 MPH...

The more I look at those cameras, the more I'm tempted to just go out and buy one to play with sometime... cool stuff...
 
I second for the open back truck suggestion. Steadicam should do better than shoulder rig. Speed and long lenses will bring shakiness to the footage like Andrew said.

I have Gopro cameras and they are nice for specific shots, but don't expect miracles in conventional car shots. Mounting a Go pro with the suction cup provides shakiness as well as any other camera . If you want Hollywood style smooth car scenes you need a proper car mount. The Go pro is great as a perspective camera, but there's a reason shows like 24 use DSLR's for their perspective and chase cam shots...
 
jghenderson said:
My DP does have a shoulder rig. Do you think that would give better results than the Steadicam Merlin in this case?
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Here's the deal - good Steadicam operating by a skilled operator would beat shoulder mounted operating any day. Steadicam out of a moving vehicle is common practice, and there are even custom-built ATVs and on-road carts that are exactly built for this purpose. However, that's in the hands of a skilled operator, which I'm assuming you don't have ready access to. Additionally, even with a good operator, things will still need to be done with regards to wind, and depending on how stable the shots need to be and how tight the lenses are, you might need gyros on the rig.

If your options are renting a Merlin that you'd have no experience with (which is admittedly a bit touchy, especially in wind), or going handheld and stabilizing in post, the latter is definitely your best option. You might want to do a test run with and without the shoulder mount - you may find that it's working against you, and that your arms and hands can take some of the burden of stabilizing the rig. You may end up having to limit how far you go in on the lens, unless you're going at quite slow speeds. Again, this might be a great test to do - try it out and see what focal lengths you're comfortable with.

In terms of the shots looking at the back of the car, do you have a vehicle with a sunroof? I can't really recommend a good technique, as I've never shot out the front of a car, but that seems like a viable option.

Also, make sure that whatever you do, you are safetied in with some form of harness. Even if the opening in the back isn't big enough for you to fall out of easily, you could still get thrashed around in the back. Be safe. It also might be wise to remember that you're riding in a car without a seatbelt, which is illegal almost everywhere. So be careful.

PLEASE NOTE: I'm giving you this advice purely theoretically, and if you put any of it into practice, you do it at your own risk.
 
Agreed, steadicam would probably be great, if you have an experienced operator with their own rig. Car suction mounts are also worth a try, if the road is smooth and flat.

Tom mentioned stabilizing in post, which is also worth investigating - some NLEs have such tools built in. But as with all "fix it in post" correction tools, they are not magic bullets.

You definitely need to do some test shots.
 
tomthemacman said:
In terms of the shots looking at the back of the car, do you have a vehicle with a sunroof? .
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I've taken rolling shots (1/10 - 1/50s, 17-100mm w/ IS) out the side window and out a sunroof, and the sunroof is pretty rough. Unless you have your whole torso out of the car, you'll be leaning on the roof, which will transfer bumps directly to you. Out the side window, I had my knee in the seat and left arm on the headrest, which absorbed lots of the shock, and had much better results.

I'm going to try a steadicam in the back of my friend's truck next. Standing up (well, probably crouching), with 4 harnesses, 1 from each corner, holding me centered. I've shot video sitting in the back of a truck before, hanging over the side, and it's pretty much impossible to stabilize yourself unless the driver's super gentle with the gas, brakes, and steering.
 
Well I was in a similar sport a few years back. We were shooting with HPX170, and Canon 7D on a documentary/narrative about a canyon road. We took a SVT Ford Focus, removed the rear seats, installled a harness system (for explosive stunts) and added weighted pillows for lateral support, about 20% of the footage was usable and you can see it here starting around the 13 minute mark. I am a professional driver and we had 2 pro riders.

http://vimeo.com/18316478
 
Get an open truck and ride in the bed o. With a nice fluid head tripod with sandbags placed at the legs. This will keep your tripod steady and allow fluid movements. Under your tripods legs by a couple of rubber mats so they can absorb the shocks, also hold down firmly on your camera while you are doing this. Not the most professional way, but when you are on a budget it works amazingly well.
 
I agree - a merlin can work - but you need probably three months fiddling with it, and it is suuuuuper touchy with long lenses

So unless you are at least a 'stedi newb' Shoulder mount and an IS lens is the best option

Really it depends on the shots go pro is a fisheye - wide lenses hide shake, longs show it

The main thing is to get a pile of coverage from different angles

Because you are only going to get 1 or 2 seconds of usable footage

any gear change pothole etc will ruin your shot

S
 
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