shooting a spec

[jamessilverman@hotmail.com]

i am shooting a spec commercial which involves a number of stunts and football moves. I have never done this.

 

-how does one prepare for angles depending on the moves

-how does one design a sequence ?

-how does one calculate the fps for the actors to perform the motions slower than real life. ramping, and persistance of motion (making it look "up to speed")

(shooting on bolex/beaulieu r-16)

 

I will also be shooting with the panasonic 24p....how can one manipulate speed in post?

 

Also, the most important question...how do i cover my ass?

 

-we dont have the money to test---thats why i am here. anyhelp or guidance would be much appreciated.

 

thank you thank you thank you.

 

cheers.

james

[Eric Steelberg ASC]

James,

Those are a lot of important questions. The problem is that your're asking how to be a DP and if you need to ask, you're probably in over your head. That being said, there are a few pointers I can offer that might ease your stress level.

 

1. storyboard. I have shot many successful specs (which have gotten directors signed and me my 1st agent) and there is not substitute for them. It ensures everyone is one the same page and know what still needs to be shot. It's an incredible previsulazation and organizational tool. They don't have to be professional either. Stick figures are the norm. And if you're still having trouble preparing the angles, use a DV camera with the director to 'practice' and previsualizenwhat you want to shoot beforehand.

 

2. designing a sequence? see above.

 

3. fps is an easy concept. 24fps is real time. so 48fps, which is twice as fast, is HALF SPEED, when played back at 24fps. So 96fps would be QUARTER SPEED, when played back at 24fps.

12fps would play back TWICE AS FAST at 24fps. And so on and so forth. You won't be able to ramp in camera but what you might try is to shoot in slow motion (above 24fps) and in the computer this allows you to ramp from real time (because they will speed up your slow mo to make it real time) to slow mo. But basically you are going to be limited to whatever the R-16 can do (64fps?)

 

4. the interesting thing about the panasonic is that it records at 30fps so there are ways you can so slow mo, but I'm not sure about the technical way of doing it. Phil Rhodes might be able to help you on that. He's one of the video gurus floating around these forums.

 

5. cover your ass by having 100% confidence on set that you know what you are doing. Don't give anyone any reason to doubt your ability or choices. And kust know that what ever you shoot it will work out some way. The best I can say is trust your light meter (and eye) and previsualize as much as possible with storyboards or a DV camera.

 

Good luck. You'll do fine.

 

PS- The ASC Manual might be a good investment for you. It is the standard technical reference for the kinds of questions you are asking.

[Michael Nash]

You design action sequences by rehearsing the moves at 1/2 or 1/4 speed with the performers. Go through it multiple times, and look for interesting angles and important events that you want to highlight. Write down or storyboard these shots until you have a clear image in your mind (and on paper) of the entire sequence. It's important to go through the sequence with all the crew and performers so that everyone understands what's needed for each shot.

 

For bigger sequences invloving greater distances and moving objects (cars, explosions and such), you would use models and drawings as well so that everyone understands the flow of events through 3-d space.

 

You cover your ass the way all commercial directors do, by OVERshooting ;) If you're not 100% sure of how it will be cut together, at least make sure you have wide shots of the entire event, medium shots of almost everything, and close shots of details you think are important. When you get right down to it, that's all the coverage you ever use -- wide, medium, and tight. Other gimmicky shots are just a variations or combinations of those three basic storytelling shots.

[Alvin Pingol]

I will also be shooting with the panasonic 24p....how can one manipulate speed in post?

You didn't mention which model so I'll assume it's the insanely popular DVX100. In addition, you say 24P, so I'll also assume NTSC (as 24P is replaced with 25P in PAL territories).

 

Manipulating speed with video is always tricky since all of your footage is at a locked framerate. First off I would recommend that you do not shoot in any progressive mode (i.e. 24P or 30P). Stay with 60i, and then once you dump that footage onto the system, bob-deinterlace up to 60fps. This way, whichever method you choose to do your speed manipulation, you will be starting out with as much motion information possible.

 

Actually getting speed ramps is a different matter that I am not that familiar with, so I'll leave it to someone else to explain. I'll simply recommend that you start with the bobbed footage (60fps) before you start playing with any motion effects.