Skateboard video

grahamstanly · February 12, 2007

Ok I have seen a few skate films in my day and i have a general Idea of how to film this but in a month or so I will be filming a skateboarding video for a small team. It will be in Hd and the camera I am using has a top handle so I can get some low angle shot but what else should I throw in there. basically whats the best way to go about filming and editing a skate video? It seems simple enough but i would like your input on how to go about this.

Thanks!

Chris Keth · February 12, 2007

Ok I have seen a few skate films in my day and i have a general Idea of how to film this but in a month or so I will be filming a skateboarding video for a small team. It will be in Hd and the camera I am using has a top handle so I can get some low angle shot but what else should I throw in there. basically whats the best way to go about filming and editing a skate video? It seems simple enough but i would like your input on how to go about this.

Thanks!

From the skate videos I have seen, you're on par with everything else if you:

1. Find good skaters.

2. Shoot tons of footage. My guess would be 10 or 15 to 1 to make the video watchable.

3. Cut it together over music.

February 12, 2007

Ok I have seen a few skate films in my day and i have a general Idea of how to film this but in a month or so I will be filming a skateboarding video for a small team. It will be in Hd and the camera I am using has a top handle so I can get some low angle shot but what else should I throw in there. basically whats the best way to go about filming and editing a skate video? It seems simple enough but i would like your input on how to go about this.

Thanks!

I don't really watch skate videos, but I've seen footage from them and they always seem to be heavy on fish-eye adapters so maybe you wanna find a cheap one of those on ebay, though the stepdown in lens sizes might be too big to make it practical.

Andres Pardo aka Gral Treegan · February 12, 2007

I don't really watch skate videos, but I've seen footage from them and they always seem to be heavy on fish-eye adapters so maybe you wanna find a cheap one of those on ebay, though the stepdown in lens sizes might be too big to make it practical.

Hi!!

i shoot and cut some skater videos and im about to shoot one i some months in super 8.

wide angle lens is a must, but a full video with this kind of lens is bored, so you need good skaters so you can make the same flip over and over till you have the shoots you need to cut in a fast way.

think on the music the skaters hear. pennyways, amber pacific and emopunk like this, the have really fast tempos so you must have a lot of footage to cut it.

and maybe you need to know how to stand in a skatetable to follow the skaters.

in the videos i make i always have 3 cameras and dont bother if you see a camera in the view of the other.

hope it help.

bye!!

treegan

Jonathan Bowerbank · February 12, 2007

As a former skateboard video watching kid I would tweak the formula that so many other directors (Spike Jonze for instance) have stuck to for the past 15 years or so.

Find alternate angles, other than the low angle trucking along a rail slide. Play a bit more with depth of field, rather than using a fisheye that has terrible vignetting. If you can, get multiple cameras going so you can see multiple angles of some of the nicer tricks.

If you're shooting some night scenes, try to bring some of your own lights instead of using very low light sources such as street lights...all you'll end up with is a dark image with a lot of noise.

Luke Prendergast · February 12, 2007

It will help a lot if you can skate. Moving with the talent is far more interesting than just fast cuts and fly-bys. Blades are easier than a deck when you're riding a camera as well. If by HD you mean HDV, I suggest you test how the compression holds up with everything in frame moving so fast.

Chris Keth · February 12, 2007

It will help a lot if you can skate. Moving with the talent is far more interesting than just fast cuts and fly-bys. Blades are easier than a deck when you're riding a camera as well. If by HD you mean HDV, I suggest you test how the compression holds up with everything in frame moving so fast.

I would steer away from HDV. The compression just falls to pieces with anything even close to fast motion. Skating videos are HDV's worst nightmare!

Perhaps try changing it up from the wide angle and doing some really long lens stuff. You can make side-to-side and up-and-down motion look really fast this way and it could be really interesting. I have steered away from watching any skating videos because they all look the same, with extremely few exceptions. Try to be the exception and you will come out ahead.

You might also try a little lipstick camera on a boompole. It would let you get really close to people without the fear of tripping them up or getting in the way. You could also get under people well. Hell, with a small wireless transmitter (I don' knwo the options here, so maybe small wireless transmitter is an oxymoron), you could probably tape it to someone's board for some really wild stuff.

Chad Stockfleth · February 12, 2007

you didn't say which camera you are using, but if it's an hvx200, slow motion footage of the tricks would be nice. i know you can always slow down video, but the truer the slow motion, the better.

play with your shutter, both fast and slow.

plan out the tricks ahead of time, and think of the best possible placement of the camera. (sounds obvious, but....)

Chris Durham · February 12, 2007

There was an article somewhere - may have been in AC - about the techniques they used to film some of the skating shots in "Lords of Dogtown." Might be worth a read.

You'll distinguish yourself if you stay away from cliche. Find interesting angles and ways to move the camera. Improvise a jib if you can't afford one. Don't use a fisheye. Follow the action and make the audience feel like they're in it, not just observing.

I think Super8 is a great medium for skate videos - really classic. maybe shoot a couple carts of Super8 and intersperse.

grahamstanly · February 13, 2007

I guess I have some questions to answer. First The cameras I am looking at using are the cannon Xh-A1, or the Sony FX-7 both shoot HDV the cannon has some more features, but the sony has a sharper look. I have heard about problems filming HDV with skate video so I was thinking mabey I will go SD with 24 frames in magic bullet. but I dont know for sure. But I also forgot to mention this is actually a "lords of dog town" type of shoot. This team I am making the movie for doesnt ride new age boards, they are all ride old school. The cool thing is they do some crazy stuff you would never see in regular skate videos, like bombing hills, and sliding on their bellys under trucks and cars. These guys are wild I watched them train to get a better feel for how to film it. I kinda want to make it look aged. because thats their style, How would I go about an aged feel. I was thinking some different tints but I am not sure. I would love to have the audience feel like they are watching a skate video filmed in the 70's or 80's so any help on that would be great.

Also thanks for all of the posts!

Will Earl · February 13, 2007

Don't be scared to shoot with HDV, I've shot all kinds of action sports before and I've never had a problem with the compression messing with footage. If your looking for a vintage look then go with Super8 or even 16mm if the budget will allow for it.

This was shot on a Z1P.... (about 33MB)

http://www.earlyworm.co.nz/video/xair.html

grahamstanly · February 13, 2007

will Thanks for that footage It was good stuff. So if i choose HDV what would you recomend the cannon or the sony, because I can always make it to 24 frames in magic bullet. and saving the money would allow me to get some extra equipment. Also do you think geting a rod system and sholder mount is a good idea??? and because of time and budget I doubt this team will want me to do this project in film, so how can I get that older look on my HDV camera???

thanks again