"Raines" technique

[LukeJ]

I ended up watching "Raines" (Jeff Goldblum) the other night on my friend's 62" Sony. Normally I wouldn't throw away a good hour of my life like that but since it was the premier episode, I figured they'd really do it up, and I'd just watch it from a cinematographers standpoint, and my dog ate my homework etc, etc.
So I noticed they do this thing when they're shooting someone from the waste up, outside, during times of tension or maybe just during times of plot revealment or whatever. It's as if the camera moves up and down a little, at times cutting off Jeff's head, then putting it back into the picture. It's subtle, so subtle that it makes me doubt that it's actually on a steadicam. So how is it done? Is it on a tripod or is shot with a steadicam? Thanks.

 

[Billy Pilgrim]

I think you're referring to a hand-held shot. Is it kind of shakey?

 

[LukeJ]

Raines.

Raines.

You probably right but it seems alwful steady and controlled, almost like he's on a slow rocking boat. Like it's got a rythm to it. Have you ever heard of someone just leaving the camera on the pod and slowly moving it up and down?

 

[Billy Pilgrim]

I've never seen the show, so I really have no idea what it looks like.

 

[mikkowilson]

Some intetesting reading about shooting the Pilot of "Raines" from Steadicam Operator and DVXuser member Charles Papert S.O.C here: http://www.steadicamforum.com/forums/index.php?s=&showtopic=5360&view=findpost&p=25366

- Mikko

 

[CharlesPapert]

Luke:

Better late than never on this one, I guess. I don't check this site much.

We shot certain scenes on "Raines" with Steadicam for just the effect you described, although other scenes were shot with the camera on a short jib (manually controlled) which had a similar floating effect. We also built in little zooms here and there.

If you continued to watch the show you may have noticed that the style changed completely after the pilot (first) episode and the zooms and floating look went away to be replaced by a more conventional long-lens TV look.

 

[MagicCat]

Hello
Ive noticed the very same thing in a fairly recent commercial. The national spot is for Lipitor and the spokesman is guy who invented the Jarvic heart. It is a beutifully shot spot by the way. There is a scene at the end, (if anyone takes notice, it is the scene of the guy and his dog, standing there drinking a cup of coffe on a bluff or rocky beach) where the camera is slowly bouncing. Almost as if it is actually on a Tripod. It really caught my attention because of this particular effect. Coincidentally, I found myself thinking the very same thing as LukeJ here, it looks intentionally done, almost as if it is a synthetic handheld or shouldered shot. But it is smoot, very smooth.

I should mention, I really like the current trend in Com spots and TV in general. For those of us not blessed with the motionless hands of a surgeon, I find I can get away with murder when using handheld shots. Shots I would have NEVER allowed to go beyond the cutting room floor only 7 or 8 years ago. Thanks "24" or maybe it should be credited to reality TV for proliferating the use of shakey cam shots, and making them into an Artform and trend.

MagicCat