Why do ENG guys keep their cameras so high?

roxics

roxics

Veteran
I noticed every time I'm at a press event the guys from local news channels always have their cameras up high and are looking up into their EVFs. Is there any reason for this?
At first I thought it was to get over everyone's heads, but I'm shooting right next to them and usually looking straight into my EVF and getting a good shot. Then again I'm also 6'1" so there is that.
 
Probably a just in case thing. what if some tall jerk that wasnt there at the beginning walks in front of you when youre already rolling and cant move? Better safe than sorry. Better a weird high angle shot than an unusable shot.
 
^ this
Even tho I am not a ENG guy, but when I film some press event I always put the camera as high as possible.
 
It's because so many damn reporters shoot video with their ipads and phones which they always thrust into the shot. ENG is like 10% of my income, but shooting scrum is always a pain in the ass due to these journalists. Always fun when I watch their screen say they have no hard drive space left, but they are ignoring their device.
 
I once saw a cameraman for a local news station have his camera on a tripod at shoulder height. There was no arm on the tripod's head. He was standing next to the tripod, looking through the camera's viewfinder and holding the camera as though it was on his shoulder. Not at a maximum height but I thought it was an interesting way to shoot with an ENG camera.
 
nutmegger said:
I once saw a cameraman for a local news station have his camera on a tripod at shoulder height. There was no arm on the tripod's head. He was standing next to the tripod, looking through the camera's viewfinder and holding the camera as though it was on his shoulder. Not at a maximum height but I thought it was an interesting way to shoot with an ENG camera.
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Old trick I used to do all the time. When you know you’re not going anywhere like a reporter stand up at a crime scene.
 
roxics said:
I noticed every time I'm at a press event the guys from local news channels always have their cameras up high and are looking up into their EVFs. Is there any reason for this?
At first I thought it was to get over everyone's heads, but I'm shooting right next to them and usually looking straight into my EVF and getting a good shot. Then again I'm also 6'1" so there is that.
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If you want a direct eye line down the center of the lens with most ENG cameras the camera has to be at a reasonable height and the fact that the viewfinder is mounted higher than the lens exacerbates this VF high position. Also you can cut out any unnecessary sky and fussy background. Plus when using handheld mics with talent the top of the mic is not blocking the talent's mouth from the camera lens POV. Finally a high position allows the right arm to go around the tripod head to enable easy use of the servo zoom on the lens barrel while the left arm and hand positions nicely to control focus and iris. To which your height at 6'1" would help. I used to work with a 6'6" tall CNN presenter and I had to have the camera so high that I could hardly reach the viewfinder with my eye. Felt like I needed to carry a milk crate around with me. Often used a Peli case for longish PTCs.

Chris Young
 
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I think it's a combo of factors. When shooting red carpets, you never know who is going to step in front of your lens next and you want the camera to be at least at eye level with them. And on the ladies, looking down a little is often a more flattering angle to hide necks and jowls, etc. The worst is when you end up shooting a very tall person in an interview and the camera is too low and you're looking up their nose. The worst and you can't adjust camera height on sticks in the middle of a red carpet interview.
 
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cyvideo said:
If you want a direct eye line down the center of the lens with most ENG cameras the camera has to be at a reasonable height and the fact that the viewfinder is mounted higher than the lens exacerbates this VF high position. Also you can cut out any unnecessary sky and fussy background. Plus when using handheld mics with talent the top of the mic is not blocking the talent's mouth from the camera lens POV. Finally a high position allows the right arm to go around the tripod head to enable easy use of the servo zoom on the lens barrel while the left arm and hand positions nicely to control focus and iris. To which your height at 6'1" would help. I used to work with a 6'6" tall CNN presenter and I had to have the camera so high that I could hardly reach the viewfinder with my eye. Felt like I needed to carry a milk crate around with me. Often used a Peli case for longish PTCs.

Chris Young
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One of the talent I used to shoot with is a former NBA player and I actually could not get my stix(Speedlocks) up high enough to be level with his eyes. Even fully extended and with the spreader collapsed in to its tightest position, I was still always shooting slightly up at him. And what a pain when we had like 20 seconds to rotate talent out from a normal sized reporter to him during live shows. I wish I could post a picture of one of our reporters who put his jacket on one day. It literally looked like a little girl who put her daddy’s jacket on. On the flip side of that, though, when shooting tall people in sit-down situations, especially a lot of athletes, they slouch down and are sometimes at a lower level than where a normally sized person would be.

And yes, most of the time it’s just so you can shoot over people's heads. Being sorta short(5’7”), I never like to put the camera up higher than I absolutely have to. But sometimes, you just grab a case, stand on it and get the camera up as high as you can.
 
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I'll never forget the time I shot a weigh-in before a big boxing match where I had a prime spot up front, right in front of the scale. I was all set, I thought, with the best position of maybe 20 other camera ops there. The instant it kicked off, I suddenly had a half dozen knuckleheads standing directly in front of my lens. Luckily, I was using some wacky tripod with a central telescoping column, that went up to maybe 7 or 8 feet. Since then, I generally go for height at events.
 
For events, I usually set my tripod between 6.5' - 7' to prevent ignoramuses from ruining my shot. I don't run into people over 6.5' very often, so that seems to be the sweet spot for my area in Iowa. A step stool comes in handy when your camera is that high, even if you're 6'.
 
Trust me, you've never seen oblivious people walk in front of cameras until you've done press interviews at an NAB trade show booth.
 
Mitch Gross said:
Trust me, you've never seen oblivious people walk in front of cameras until you've done press interviews at an NAB trade show booth.
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Yes I have. While shooting interviews at car shows, I've had people stop, look at me, then walk in front of the camera and say "sorry".
 
Thanks for the feedback everyone. I've shot a few press events, but it's not typically what I do and they weren't that crazy. So I was curious what the deal was. I thought maybe it was an aesthetic thing. Like someone mentioned, shooting women from higher up. Guess it is just people walking in front. Makes sense. I'm usually shooting more controlled stuff so it's not something I'm used to.
 
puredrifting said:
. And on the ladies, looking down a little is often a more flattering angle to hide necks and jowls, etc.
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Shooting down on the 'the ladies' is a position of dominance.. very Harvey Weinstein, very cheap po_rn, very 1985. I avoid where possible.

(Not possible in the ENG press bundle)
 
morgan_moore said:
Shooting down on the 'the ladies' is a position of dominance.. very Harvey Weinstein, very cheap po_rn, very 1985. I avoid where possible.

(Not possible in the ENG press bundle)
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You can also say that it lends angularity to the cheekbones, hides the underside of the jaw and any sense of a double-chin, makes the eyes appear larger, and lends an overall more youthful appearance. It may be playing to various sexist tropes, but it is making them appear more physically attractive. For decades top cinematographers and photographers had their careers defined in large part by how they photographed famous women. You can tell me it's sexist to light a female in soft frontal light and a male in hard cross light, but if it makes them look good I'm gonna do it.
 
As it is off topic Ill (basically) agree to disagree. Your whole quote renders all sexual stereotypes. Maybe women want to look rugged and tough. Maybe men want to look soft and approachable.

Of course director wants those 'normal' roles of the woman being soft etc, we deliver. You have indeed noted the methods of delivering that set of ideals.
 
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