Big Sun CU/heatwaves effect

[warner brown]

hi all,

I saw the other big sun thread a couple pages back, but I have this very specific shot I need.

 

A giant sun at dawn just meeting the ground, a big sun closeup with the heatwave effect prominent.

 

Like the moneyshot you'd see in a national geographic doc..I don't think I could shoot this myself. I'd maybe just buy a dvd from discovery and use a shot that I can manipulate for the context I'm going for? but that's not public domain, and I don't want to pay a paycheck for a shot of the sun either.

:unsure:

 

Maybe I can shoot it myself from a beach with a jvc-hd100, but getting the natural/closeup heatwave effect is important, you couldn't replicate it with CGI, though I will be blending a CG element into the heatwave (a ship).

 

I've seen this sun visual before, I think I might have to go stock footage with it somehow.

I know this is specific, but any ideas or helpful links, much appreciated!

Edited December 30, 2007 by warner brown

[Michael Nash]

You can create heat ripples with a long lens quite easily by placing a small heater in front of the lens, below frame. Open cans of Sterno and camping lanterns are often used for this.

 

Getting a large sunball to fill up the frame will require a longer lens than what you probably have on your JVC though.

[Luke Prendergast]

I had something of an Archimedean Eureka! moment yesterday, though I was washing dishes at the time, not bathing. A bubble of detergent across the mouth of a glass formed a lovely swirling shimmering portal and brought to mind the frequent call for a heat-wave effect. Haven't tried it in front of a lens yet. I didn't run naked into the street either.

[David Mullen ASC]

You need at least a 1000mm lens in 35mm (so I guess a 200mm lens on a 1/3" camera) to get a big sunball in the frame. Once you do that, usually there is enough heat distortion anyway -- except in winter (oh well...)

 

Trouble with Sterno or other heat right under the lens is that at 1000mm, you just get these giant pulses of heat that throw the image in and out of focus, not the rippling effect. But it seems like it would be a simple digital effect to add.

[warner brown]

You can create heat ripples with a long lens quite easily by placing a small heater in front of the lens, below frame. Open cans of Sterno and camping lanterns are often used for this.

 

Getting a large sunball to fill up the frame will require a longer lens than what you probably have on your JVC though.

 

Thanks, I didn't think of that. With the jvc I'm (going to be using) the redrock M2 adapter with a wide 2.8 nikkor lens. I'm not sure though if that could pull it off, but thanks for the info.

[warner brown]

I had something of an Archimedean Eureka! moment yesterday, though I was washing dishes at the time, not bathing. A bubble of detergent across the mouth of a glass formed a lovely swirling shimmering portal and brought to mind the frequent call for a heat-wave effect. Haven't tried it in front of a lens yet. I didn't run naked into the street either.

 

hahaha

[warner brown]

You need at least a 1000mm lens in 35mm (so I guess a 200mm lens on a 1/3" camera) to get a big sunball in the frame. Once you do that, usually there is enough heat distortion anyway -- except in winter (oh well...)

 

Trouble with Sterno or other heat right under the lens is that at 1000mm, you just get these giant pulses of heat that throw the image in and out of focus, not the rippling effect. But it seems like it would be a simple digital effect to add.

 

David,

That's what I figured in the back of my mind. Thanks for the info. I could put a digital effect in with aftereffects, or maya, but it's hard to replicate that realistic, natural heat. I have to get some new lenses, then experiment in shooting it around summer-time. Thanks for the info