what shutter angle to use

[Christian Tanner]

hey guys!

 

i'm planing to use a narrow shutter angle for my next project.

i'm not able to shoot any tests - so i was wondering if you guys can point me into a certain direction - giving me examples of different shutter angles looks. something along the line of visual references like movies that you know of that have been shot on a certain shutter angle maybe?

 

i believe that saving privat ryan was shot on 90° - and i wouldn't wanna go more extrem than that. i was thinking maybe 120? or is that already too subtle?

 

hope that question isn't too abstract for you guys.

 

many thanx!

tanner

[David Mullen ASC]

Most of the obvious short shutter stuff in "Saving Private Ryan" and "Gladiator" used a 45 degree shutter angle. A 90 degree angle is more subtle, less obvious. If you are shooting video, it's easy to select a shutter speed and see the effect as you pan around - 1/100th, 1/200th, whatever.

[John Sprung]

120 is definitely way too subtle. The original Arriflex models I and II were 120, and for the vast majority of action, nobody could tell.

 

 

 

-- J.S.

[Marc Levy]

The effect of the narrow shutter also depends on what the action is and type of camera movement employed. If you have a static camera, with static subjects, the effect of any "narrow" shutter is much less apparent than if you have, for example, a hand-held camera running behind a person. I've shot hand-held stuff with a 45 degree shutter that looks like fast-motion when played back at normal speed. And then I've shot stuff at that same shutter angle that was not nearly as recognizable because the subject and camera were stationary.

 

But, like David says, if you're shooting video, you can play around with it on set.

[Christian Tanner]

i'm shooting super 16.

 

thanx for the help guys. that notion on saving privat ryan was exactly what i was hoping for.

will go with 90° then.

 

tanner