Need advice on shooting tennis matches

J

JFReyes

Member
Hi all:

As the title says, I'd appreciate any and all advice specific to effectively shooting tennis matches on a budget (I'm no ESPN :-)

I have already found out that I need at least 3 cameras (ouch!) with wide angle adapters. How do I synchronize them?

The environment varies from daylight to nighttime and of course at night I have a real issue between shutter speed (need to see that ball clearly) and available light (as I'm not allowed to bring in my own other than handheld). Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance,
 
well there is a synchronizing plugin for Premiere. but I am affraid I don't remember it's name, but it is about 40000 HUF
 
Consider syncing their times and running freerun timecode. (Good and bad points here)
Try to run them for the full length at a time rather than starting and stopping each.
See if you can have someone clap (between action) in a position that's visible to all cameras or that the camera's can be panned to.

Consider camera placement that make the ball stand out (dark bg for light colored ball)
 
wire sport finders on all cameras

wire sport finders on all cameras

JFReyes said:
Hi all:

As the title says, I'd appreciate any and all advice specific to effectively shooting tennis matches on a budget (I'm no ESPN :-)

I have already found out that I need at least 3 cameras (ouch!) with wide angle adapters. How do I synchronize them?

The environment varies from daylight to nighttime and of course at night I have a real issue between shutter speed (need to see that ball clearly) and available light (as I'm not allowed to bring in my own other than handheld). Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance,
Click to expand...
the screen of the dvx is nice and large BUT
that does not mean the SUN will not reflect in your finders and blot out your image at the critical moment
SO
Several years ago I shot ground to air footage with arri 2c
the finders were useless except for rectifying the adjustment to an outboard
SPORT FINDER
Picture a wire square up at the lens end the picture
a gunsight type finder nearest your eyes for the second one .
rectify this object(sight ) alignment with what you see in your outboard left side dvx viewfinder or what ever you use ...
In the case where i learned to use these sportfinders
we had no time to do anything but rig black tape finders along the edge of the old camera viewing tube .AND THEY WORKED !!!

The subjects were fast moving jets and ww2 fighters ..coming at us and (much harder ) going right to left and left right .
the tripod head had to be kept lose and we had to rig
SPORT FINDERS....out of black tape .
in ideal cases
these are wire or plastic sights most likely two sights per camera which are used like gunsights
Never try to do this on the morning of the shot , as we did , with seven b 25 bombers coming at us !!!!!!
we got the shots but ..
why take years off your life .???
I was later confirmed in this medthod by abc sports camera men who use gunsights rigged on the old video cameras for when they have to follow a golf ball .
I know most tennis shots are static set ups with slight moves but once in a while if you have prepared a sport finder /....
YOU CAN FOLLOW THAT BALL or
NOT GET BLINDED BY THE SUN
so the sportfinder keeps both eyes ( free to see )Moves PERIPHREAL to the frame ..like
AN INCOMING Tennis Ball before it invades your frame so you can pick up the pace of the pan or the tilt .or whatever ...
Practice and Good LUck
Bruce
P S

the adjustment of these sportview finders on any camera is a personal issue and I am sure someone already or will have a great aftermarket item
:beer:
 
Thank you all for your tips...

Scottdvx:
The show will be taped and edited (i.e. not a live broadcast) so not every play will be recorded. Freerun TC and good communication between camera operators seem like it would work; I'll try it. At night the ball stands out alright, but in daytime I can only count on the green windbreakers on the fences; I was more concerned about blurred motion at night.

Bruce:
Great idea! I would never have thought of it. Of course I will try it out...

Thanks again and keep the tips coming... :)
 
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