How does one shoot a falling leaf?

stephen_nugent

stephen_nugent

Well-known member
Anyone dealt with shooting something uncontrollable like a falling leaf -as close as one can get-? Shooting a poetry film soon and was wondering if any of you got any advice, taking advantage of the HVX's variable frame rates. Got access to a jib arm but no accessories like a brevis. Thanks.
 
drop it multiple times until you get the shot, adjusting framing if you need to.

If you use the jib Arm it shouldn't be too hard if you control the camera from the actual position where the camera is mounted (just don't start too high, so it is within reach).

You could also go handheld if you can do that well (some people can, some people can't).

If it is SD, you could shoot in HD and then crop it with no loss for the SD output.
 
Any DOF adapter will make the shot even more difficult -- focus becomes super-critical, and since you can't control the path the leaf will take, it might not be a good idea.
 
true THoff, havent got one anyway. Just thought that keeping the background well out of focus might somehow cheat the shot. Now its another story how to keep the leaf within the foreground focus range and not look like its hooked onto something. just loud thinking.
 
shoot it 1080p, then crop it down and stablize in AE. at least it gives you some leeway.

but then again, I'm assuming you want the leaf falling in slow motion, it is slow poetry all.
 
yeah, sounds like too much effort for a shot that may well end up being corny. script's of a kid stumbling around a forest with his imagination set loose.
 
The feather in Forrest Gump was a CG element. Perhaps the same could be done here with Lightwave or similar?

Or shoot it against green screen. Attach the leaf to a green wand and motivate it by hand. Then composite it into the shot.
 
nudge said:
yeah, sounds like too much effort for a shot that may well end up being corny. script's of a kid stumbling around a forest with his imagination set loose.
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Are you kidding? This is an easy shot. Some people make way too much of it. Honestly, you can get a perfectly good looking shot of this in auto-focus and handheld if you do it correctly. It doesn't have to be the elaborate setup that it potentially could be.

Just take your camera out to your yard right now, drop a leaf, and record it. Play around with it. Do you like what you see? What could you change? etc.
 
Set the Marker "On" and aim with it. Focus is a problem though. I would try to get f8 to have some chance. If you try shallow DOF you will not get the shot without an assistant.
 
If your on a mac, and have shake, the smoothcam node would make you shot look sweet and allow the viewer to concentrate more on the leaf falling and the shot will look very fluid-like. I recently started using shake and end up usually running every handheld shot, and some tripod shots thru it.
 
Try gluing a leaf at its center of gravity to a piece of monofilament - the lightest you can find. Suspend it at tripod height.

A box fan laying flat (on cinder blocks to allow it to draw) a few feet below it will blow it around a bit, but it will stay centered within the dead spot at the center of the fan wind pattern. For a twist, try attaching the leaf to the filament by its edge will allow the leaf to roll as it falls to the ground. All you have to do in this instance is get your camera oriented sideways.

Shoot the leaf at 720PN / 48 or 60fps - you can even let the leaf move around in the frame. The focus won't change much. If you can, do this shot in front of a process background (green or blue or black). It is possible to accomplish a perspective-shift with your jib, going from below the leaf to above it.

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Separately, shoot a background plate looking up or tilting down. This shot should be complimentary to the leaf shot. You may be able to pull it off without matchmove work, thought having a bit of control here might make it more convincing.

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- or - take overland films rig and attach it to the camera itself and gib down (or handheld) using something slightly flexible (like springy wire attached to monofilament attached, in turn, to the leaf) - should help hold it in focus too. Try to have the wire terminate a couple of inches off the top of frame (keeping the monofilament not too long - to stop it moving around too much for focus)

the wire itself is flexible to allow the leaf to play through frame (think like a cats "baiting" playtoy which gently metronomes from left to right. The left should play around in frame a little and not look too locked to the lens. (hence the flexibility of the wire rig).
 
Why restrict yourself to just one leaf? Over cranking a bunch of hand-picked leaves would be cool. Or dissolving multiple shots of one leaf, since you'll never get a long,perfect sustainable take .

what dean sensui said - Forrest Gump
 
i think his question was merely the start of the poem...

"how does one shoot a falling leaf" sounds like a great so far! very introspective.


but seriously... just do it. if you mess up, no worries. you won't even waste any tape because you have an HVX! Rinse and repeat as necessary...
 
monkeyking said:
Or dissolving multiple shots of one leaf, since you'll never get a long,perfect sustainable take .
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I like this idea. A slow-mo leaf falling slowly fading into a different slow-mo leaf a few times could look really good.
 
These are all such great ideas it makes me want to go shoot the shot just for the heck of it! Try them all just for fun! haha. Overlandfilms I like that idea. Actually if done right, with a little time and effort, that could be a great shot, if you started on a blank background, then the leaf comes into frame, and you follow it up to the actor... but now its getting elaborate (but so what?? its fun, right?)
 
I've heard about the feather being CG, but I think I remember it being done analog on the cookie stage at Kerner. Yeah, the feather was analog with a little rotoscope move at the end to his shoe.

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I've heard about the feather being CG, but I think I remember it being done analog on the cookie stage at Kerner. Yeah, the feather was analog with a little rotoscope move at the end to his shoe.
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I've been watching this scene in a workshop over and over again - we thought we had spotted a hidden cut but couldn't quite agree why this would be necessary in a cg animated scene... now that could be the explanation to it, lol

btw. did they fire the continuity guy because of the scene right after the feather (it goes from wide, to close, then wide again where in the first wide shot there's no direct sunlight and someone in a white jacket in the background, in the second wide there's direct sunlight and someone wearing a dark jacket in the background - or the other way round, I can't remember...)
 
hey all,

much appreciate the feedback and especially the diagrams (!) very interesting. seems like it wasnt all that simple afterall but doable. Anyway, will try all these if i get the luxury of time and certainly post results. This looks to be an interesting project, was handed 8 poems and chose 8 different characters/mini-documentaries to suit each poem, got me places where i dont usually hang out and thats the beauty of this business..
 
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