Dog POV

T

trashcandan

Active member
Just curious how would you shoot the POV of a mid sized dog? walking, running, jumping, sniffing crotches, etc...

the camera would be either be RED or HVX.

interested to hear how all you talented people would handle this.
 
a really really short camera operator with a steadycam?

seriously, a modified steadycam rig, lowering the camera to the required height (and somehow compensating for lowering the centre of gravity and balance) would probably be the way to go
 
A wide lens will cover lots of handheld shake, and will probably help sell the POV bit. Coincidentally, I just did a dog vision shot last week on the HVX200. I used a .7x adapter handheld and my biggest issue was trying to keep my feet out of the shot! A little shake might actually help. Overcranking can help take the edge off if it seems too jerky but you still don't want the steadicam look.

Running around with the RED that way would probably have tired me out pretty fast, though.
 
these are all really good ideas. I definitely think wide angle would be the way to go. Im really interested into doing it with a modified steadicam and intentionally adding vertical bumps to simulate footsteps and strolling.

ProfessorU - did you do any mobile light setups to control the lighting while the camera was moving?
 
No, I picked a wooded area that had pretty reliable shade. In the dappled spots, I tried to keep the sun behind the subject. I was pretty happy with it.

For the shot reverses, may I suggest casting an 18% gray dog? :) Our director picked a black one that made things a little more complicated.
 
not too difficult

not too difficult

I agree with the previous posts, and i don't think you need to do much to get a good dog POV--use a wide angle lens, or if you don't want to rent something just pull out as much as you can with the original lens. During the shot, hold the cam by the handle on the top and lean forward, that way you'll hold it in front of your feet, it will be at the right height, and it will have a natural bob that will make it more realistic. forget the steady cam, dogs don't move that smoothly. -j
 
the doggicam looks like the way to go. There's an ad for taco bell, shot with that unit and it has a few POV shots that im going for. Thanks guys for all your help!
 
Why is everyone suggesting wide angles? Dogs have a fairly narrow field of view. Somebody also mentioned the dogs bobbing a little, and they are correct. Watch a dog walk sometime, and you'll notice a little bounce with each step, as well as the way he looks from side to side (Again, because of the narrow field of vision).
 
I did this years ago with 16mm by mounting the camera on a monopod and shooting upside down. I rotated it back in post. It's pretty easy to run and hold it steady. But as other's have said, shoot wide.
 
Capt Quirk said:
Why is everyone suggesting wide angles? Dogs have a fairly narrow field of view. Somebody also mentioned the dogs bobbing a little, and they are correct. Watch a dog walk sometime, and you'll notice a little bounce with each step, as well as the way he looks from side to side (Again, because of the narrow field of vision).
Click to expand...

Wide angles have the effect of smoothing motion, which is one benefit, especially when paired with the handheld or other primitive camera stablization techniques.

Wide angles can also be an excellent visual cue that we are getting a non-traditional perspective or POV. They also amplify space, which will make the dog seem "lower" and make the position of the camera more evident to the audience.

It might be cool to do some radial blurring or some other vignette effect in post to amplify the sense of POV and that would have the added benefit of being truer to a dog's vision.
 
So we shot the "doggy" footage this past monday, Everything turned out great! We used the RED and a steadicam setup. The operator underslung the camera so it was upside down and about the right height of a dog's POV. This setup worked very well, we were able to move fast when needed and actually jump into to truck beds and move through cars.

The only hiccup we encountered was that the RED did not like to be upside-down for very long, especially outside, and in arizona heat. The fans couldn't circulate and it would power down every other hour or so.

I'll post some footage once the final product is done. Thanks again for all your help and suggestions!
 
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Thanks guys! Haven't done anything like this before so appreciate the support. As far as airing it on your College station I would have to check with the label since they have the rights to it.
 
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