Jib shot

[Guest theyarethem]

i have a couple of cool shots to do with my "nifty" Jib, they will start around 10' in the air and slowly come down and while it's on my dolly track pull in towards my subject, they are both interior house shots.....any tips on how to keep my camera in focus on it's way down and forward? because it will be moving toward my subject and down at the same time, i'm afraid that the camera will go WAY out.

 

also, i thought i heard somewhere that if you use a wide angle lense, it helps keep your camera in focus? or something along those lines, is there any truth to that?

 

thanks for any input before hand, this is my first post ;)

 

i was afraid. LOL

[David Mullen ASC]

Wide-angle lenses tend to smooth out motion, make up & down, and forward & back, motions more dynamic because of the rapid change in perspective, and hide focusing problems better because most objects are smaller in the frame, especially in the background.

 

In professional production, you would use a remote-controlled follow-focus device attached to the lens to adjust it manually during the shot but with a consumer DV camera, you may have to reply on auto-focus -- or a pre-set focus that can be changed manually once the camera booms down within reach.

[Guest Daniel J. Ashley-Smith]

Besides that you get more depth of field with wide-angle so focusing is less tricky.

[drew_town]

Greetings,

 

I've done a few dv camera shots like that. On one I controlled the jib on its way down, I had someone dolly back (it was a dolly back even though we were moving toward the actor due to the angle we were shooting), and I had someone pull the focus which I had marked on the lens. The focus did shift during the move, but I liked the subtile shift so we went with it. A wide angle lens will probably help but won't solve your problem. Another thing that should help is to shoot at a higher aperture like f11 instead of say f1.6. It might take you a few times, but you can get it.

 

Good luck.

[DavidSloan]

I usually use a microforce zoom control. What you can try to do, as Drew said, is light to a stop that will give you the range you need without having to rack. Worse case scenario is to try to have someone walking down a step ladder, with the arm, and rack with it...but that might be awkward!

[Brad Grimmett]

I usually use a microforce zoom control. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

A microforce is for zoom, not focus. You probably meant to refer to a Preston FI+Z, which is used for focus, iris, and zoom (with the microforce).

[drew_town]

Worse case scenario is to try to have someone walking down a step ladder, with the arm, and rack with it...but that might be awkward!

One of the other setups I refered to earlier was like this. I didn't want to mention it because it WAS very awkward. The shot was everything like the other jib shot coupled with a tilt down from a tripod head mounted on the jib. I was still in school at the time and couldn't afford a remote head, so I walk up a ladder, tilted, and racked focus at the same time. It took me about nine or ten takes to pull it off. Sheesh. But in the end it looked good.