Will this work?

A

airforceguy

Active member
I will be shooting a feature this summer and have a delimma with a possible solution. I have access to a 25' x 40' warehouse (in which I will build my own sets etc). Even with 40' to play with I can not get the DOF I need for 2 very important angle (I did a test earlier today).

With that said, I was thinking about shooting my actual background with an expensive still camera that will give me the DOP I need, get it blown up at a print shop to 6' x 6' then put it behind my characters while shooting the scene (s).

Has anyone done this? Will it work?
 
It would probably work, as long as your camera isn't moving and depending entirely upon what it is in those images.

But here's my question:

airforceguy said:
Even with 40' to play with I can not get the DOF I need for 2 very important angle (I did a test earlier today).
Click to expand...

What do you mean by "need," exactly? I'm assuming you're going for shallow depth of field, you want the background out of focus... but that doesn't sound like the highest priority in the world to me. Maybe you feel a deep artistic necessity, that it cannot be shot any other way? If that's the case I'd say you can probably rent a different camera or lens to give you that shallow depth of field for a day for about the cost that you'll put into those blowups.
 
airforceguy said:
I will be shooting a feature this summer and have a delimma with a possible solution. I have access to a 25' x 40' warehouse (in which I will build my own sets etc). Even with 40' to play with I can not get the DOF I need for 2 very important angle (I did a test earlier today).

With that said, I was thinking about shooting my actual background with an expensive still camera that will give me the DOP I need, get it blown up at a print shop to 6' x 6' then put it behind my characters while shooting the scene (s).

Has anyone done this? Will it work?
Click to expand...

I'd only do this for close-ups, where you could throw the background out of focus. They used to do this in old films, I notice it a lot more with the better resolution of DVD and HD. They would shoot wides on location, then grab background plates and do close ups on a soundstage with the image projected behind the actors. The biggest issue you may have is with the color temperature of your still picture not exactly matching the foreground.
 
Ugafan, I am not that confident in my greenscreen skills so that would be my last resort.

dougspice any relation to Doug E Fresh :) Yes, I am shooting for shallow DOF...yes its an artistic thing. Not a necessity, but would really love to get that look to take add vantage of the colors and to take the audience's attention away from that particular background...as for renting a camera those two angles (25 pages of script), will be needed for 4 or 5 days (can get quite expensive). Is there any other way you can think of or do I just shoot it straight video?

batutta, I never considered the color temperature issue.
 
airforceguy said:
Ugafan, I am not that confident in my greenscreen skills so that would be my last resort.

dougspice any relation to Doug E Fresh :) Yes, I am shooting for shallow DOF...yes its an artistic thing. Not a necessity, but would really love to get that look to take add vantage of the colors and to take the audience's attention away from that particular background...as for renting a camera those two angles (25 pages of script), will be needed for 4 or 5 days (can get quite expensive). Is there any other way you can think of or do I just shoot it straight video?

batutta, I never considered the color temperature issue.
Click to expand...

2 angles for 25 pages of script? They better be really interestingly composed, and the content of what's going on better be damn gripping.

As for your question, don't some filmmakers use some sort of large screen/filter behind the actors that helps blur out the background? Or am I imagining things?
 
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