roller blading & shooting

I've never done so myself but I've seen it done. Produces some really cool footage actually! Especially if you hold the camera a few inches above the ground as you go.

Granted, if you don't trust your rollerblading skills I wouldn't dare do it with a DVX :)
 
Yup I did it last summer. Call me crazy but I did it! Actually I wasnt going that fast but fast enough to practice some cool looking shots with the shutter speed bumped up. If your a person that crashes a lot on the blades I wouldnt even attempt it. I would get up a decent amount of speed then crouch down like I was taking a dump with the camera low to the ground ...the shots came out pretty cool. I just wanted to try it should I need to shoot some kind of action scene later on.
 
my plan is to be a human dolly and have my assistant spot and roll me, until I feel pretty good about my skating moves.

boy, I'm excited!
 
I have done this with my cheaper handheld camcorder, and if you are competent in your rollerblading ability, you can get rather smooth dolly movements as long as your ground is smooth enough.
 
having a spotter is key! Never try it with expensive equipment if you don't have someone esle controling the motion with firm feet and grip. works best if you have a streadicam device and great images in low mode.
 
when I'm not shooting stuff or at school, I'm blading. Shaw's right. You can get some really interesting stuff that way, and if you've got something smooth to roll on, they make a very good dolly! (as long as you can hold the cam steady). Dear lord, I love rollerblading. Too bad it likes to make me fall down really hard.
 
you can produce a much better result shooting from a skateboard with big wheels. It allows you many more possibilities in terms of follow angles. You can be ahead or behind or from either side of your subject with ease. if you aren't able to ride a skateboard, I suggest you learn. It's as fun as making movies.
 
It's just that with roller blades you don't have to balance on one foot and push (up,down,up down body motion). Skateboards inherently are much harder to balance on...before you even try to hold a camera and frame/follow/compose a moving shot.

Plus with rollerblades you can go forward, pivot backwards, slow down, speed up, turn 360's tightly and not lose speed while being totally quiet all in one take while never looking down.

But if it works for you...work that ****!
 
I rollerblade, like every day and do it, its fun but yet unstable, you dont get the ideal smooth you seem to predict because you do wobble. so it can be cool or uncool all depends on your SKILL!
 
If you watch aggro-inline skate videos a lot of that footage is some skater punk with a gl2.

Compared to a full-torque on a handrail rolling smooth with a camera is cake.

:engel017:
 
escozooz said:
If you watch aggro-inline skate videos a lot of that footage is some skater punk with a gl2.
Click to expand...

I find this hilarious as it's so true, but in my opinion shooting with a skateboard may be smoother as your more likely to find a lot softer wheels a lot easier than you would with rollerblades. I'm sure you could have someone give you a nice little push as you sit on it as well and you're less likely to break something this way as you'll just fall backwards onto your back. I've done this and have gotten some pretty nice shots, but I skateboard all the time so this may give me a slight edge over the rest of you :laugh:
 
Crazyczech,

That was some cool looking footage. Some of the shots looked like they were eye level. You werent looking through the viewfinder and blading right?! I am sure you got some weird looks as people drove pass you as you had the camera pointed back at you. There was a few shots I saw that were really smooth!! I am glad I can roller blade without falling.
 
Depends on your skill

Depends on your skill

I grew up playing hockey, and used to rollerblade in NYC traffic, so I love blades instead of a wheelchair; more portable/manouverable, and you can get into small spaces if necessary. You better be comfortable on them, as you'd probably leave them on for time, and so you still have to do everything else you do when not shooting, now on blades.

Thinking about vs. skateboards, you have to balance perfectly so you don't turn even with someone pulling/pushing you, while on blades you just keep your body and legs rigid and can focus on the shot and keeping the cam steady. Never tried it though.

I'm filming right now in the street with them, and if you hold the cam away from your body enough and squat like on the throne to absorb the minor bumps, it's just like hand held (not exaggerated hand held). You should watch your route to avoid drastic bumps, and have an edit plan should you get one of those bumps.

I usually have someone hold my belt loop and push/pull me around. I'm not worried about sound right now, but one time I used them and had to have the person pulling me take off their shoes because you could hear them walking (mike on cam).

I've also filmed carving skateboarders going down SF hills at night. I didn't then, but now I would wear a helmet and my motorcycle jacket, knee pads and gloves, so if I went down (I didn't), I would hug the cam and take the abuse on my partially padded body as opposed to my non-padded body. But I could get great shots at the same speed as the skateboarders, passing them, next to them, etc. But as I said, I've skateboarded up and down Manhattan in the street and played hockey all my life, so I am extremely comfortable on them.
 
use a skateboard, with wide trucks and big wheels. its definetly better than rollerblades. and its usually the setup filmers use when making skate videos, ive been skating for the last five years. i know these things, and plus rollerblades can put you on a level of gay that you may not be comfortable with in public. noone respects a guy on rollerblades.
 
Acually skateboard wheels are a good amount harder. Aside from that rollerblading isnt some nice dolly yes you loose the bounciness of walking but still your hands shake a good deal amount. I have done it many time for friends filming skate videos and it dosnt look that good. I would much rather have rollerblades + steadicam of some sorts rather than roughing it hand held.
 
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