shooting couple on a motorcycle

[yeahfilms]

I have a scene planned where a couple is sitting on a motorcycle. There is no audio/dialogue because it's being narrated. I can see shooting different angles of people on a motorcycle being an issue so im wondering it would be easier to shoot it in front of a greenscreen, what would i have to take into account while doing this??

Any suggestions appreciated, thanks!

 

[Marlon Ladd]

It depends on what kind of angles you want. You very well could do greenscreen, but depending on your budget, you should be able to get just about everything you want regardless. In one of my films we had a motorcycle shot. We just got a pickup truck and put two people in back, one with the camera (the other to make sure he didn't fall out) and shot away. The back of the truck is good for front close-ups. Another way we did it was to have the camera guy in the truck on the passenger's side filming away and this was good for side close-ups and wide shots.

If you greenscreen, you just have to make sure the motorcycle is far enough away from the background and lit properly. Since the motorcycle will not be moving in front of the greenscreen and the background will, you will have to make sure you have fans or something blowing on the couple as if they were moving and you will have to shoot the background in a way that matches them riding.

If you ask me, the easiest thing to do is to shoot it live-action. You can get so many different shots, especially if you have a good lens. You can get the tires, lights, everything you need.

 

[j]

I did a student film about a motorcycle road trip. plenty of two riders on on motorcycle shots.

First of all, find a stretch of private road you can shut down and have all day. Private ranches are best as you won't need a CHP (here, mountie there?). We found a 1 mile stretch of 6 lane highway that had been bypassed by a bridge and was blocked off on either end. Turns out the land was a state park and we only needed a $50 permit for the day.

We did lots of drive next to/ beside/behind/infront off/wide, etc shots. We got plenty. It took forever but we used every one of them. Expect to spend a dedicated day doing this.

We also used a process trailer (google if unfamiliar) to shoot the dialogue. Very helpful to get quiet-ish sound shots and to be able to let the actors act instead of holding on for dear life! It was also much easier to get good framing for closeups and 2 shots.

Best of luck and remember: Safety!