Filming in a Bus

Shashank P Walia · June 15, 2023

Hello,

Greetings to all.

I am going to shoot a few long sequences for a narrative feature soon which is to be shot in a moving bus. The is to be shot in India where the roads are a mixed bag, some part is quite smooth and some a bit rough. Also we will be filming in an old bus whose shockers would not be in great condition.

So it would be great to get few ideas around the ways in which we can accomplish some dialogue sequences in a moving bus with the best stability.

Scenario 1 : A good tripod head supported by few sand bags but there will be some sensor roll off that might come in case of bumps. Is vibration isolator a good idea?

Scenario 2 : Gimbal handheld or supported further by an easy rig. This seems the best option for me to try .

Scenario 3: Steadycam seems like an ideal option but could be an issue when it comes to budgets etc.

We would be filming this on a Red Helium with Ultra Prime lenses with a clip on matte box with some ND's.

Importantly, to put the bus on a big trailer is not an option and also pulling the bus with a rope with the help another bus would be very tedious but could be considered.

All suggestion on the best ways to accomplish this would be welcome. Any thoughts on help with the sync-sound would also be great.

Warm regards,

Shashank