360 rigg track round a moving car

[Pontus Norberg]

Hello! 

Im shooting a shortfilm this summer were the director wants the camera to track round the car (360 degree). I think i have seen a music video doing this...cant remember the name. 

My first question: Anyone know what music video Im talking about? Its a hip hop video and the camera is almost floating around the car. 

the car is gonna drive in around 40km /h on a blocked road. 

The different ideas right now that i think about is:

- Bulding some kind of track around the car 

- Have the camera on a 4-wheeler / similar and have a stunt driver that could do circles around the car with a remote head

- drone 

its gonna be shot on 35mm. 

Im the dp not the grip, dont have a Grip yet on this Im just doing some reserch ?

Thanks!

 

 

[Pontus Norberg]

Just to be clear: 

[Abel Fotheringham]

maybe you should consider mounting a jib arm on the roof of the vehicle and paint it out if you see it? 

[Albion Hockney]

its going to be very expensive thats for sure.

 

the stabilized head on moving vehicle wont be very clean or consistent unless you did it as a slow move on a very long lens so the car can maintain a speed and circle the vehicle easily...you'd also need a huge road with open space left/right of it.  ...and even then that's just a super tough shot to operate. would need to be cineflex or shotover. and to do that safely too.... its basically a stunt in itself.

the jib makes the most sense to me. some Russian arms could shoot this shot on the car....but if you need to mount that sorta setup to a normal car....I donno

you could build track around the car and suspend it off the roof maybe with some sorta robotic dolly underslung.

to get a clean look for a shot like this is a very  large scale production...especially on 35.

 

Edited June 5, 2022 by Albion Hockney

[Abel Fotheringham]

Or instead of painting it out you could just tip down until the top of frame lines up with the roof of the car. I would try to get an aerojib or aeroecrane in jib mode and mount say a libra head to it. You should be able to get away with a Fisher centermount kit possibly bolted through a couple of layers of 3/4" plywood or a large aluminum cheese plate . Rest it on some high density foam on the actual roof or build a pipe rig to mount it to the roof rack. 

Backwind the cables a coupe of turns reverse of the action and direction desired and get somebody brave enough to stand on the roof and step over the jib or rotate with it as it makes it's turns. If the grip wears a harness and isn't a complete idiot, it should be fairly easy and safe. Bear in mind turns add inertia so he would need to brace/prepare for corners.

I personally would totally try it if you asked me to do it.