Shooting Hockey

[Richard Lutz]

Hey guys. I'm new here.

 

I'm currently trying to shoot a short profile about a local hockey player in my hometown and I'm trying to figure out what format to shoot it on. I have a Canon 60D and a Panasonic HMC-150. I'm concerned that my Canon may not be the right format for the gig. Hockey is pretty fast and I'm worried about rolling shutter and trying to focus. I'm also a little concerned about getting the right angles and shots to tell the story effectively.

 

If you guys have any ideas let me know. Thanks!

[Travis Gray]

Depends on the shots you want to get. Plan those out and then think about format. I don't think rolling shutter would be too much of a problem if you keep the camera fairly steady, properly follow the subject, and have the right focal length.

 

As far as focusing goes, maybe get a hold of a cinema lens with a longer rotation and a follow focus.

 

Do some test shots though. Watch hockey games and see what angles they use for replays during broadcasts. See what they use to cover certain aspects and how that incorporates into your piece. You could definitely do it with either camera you have now.

 

Maybe if you have some specific shots you have questions about that may help a more specific answer. But I would mostly suggest study games and the game and you'll know how to follow what you want how you want. You'll know what to anticipate, etc etc. But, test. Do test shots.

 

 

And I haven't used it, but I know FCP X has a rolling shutter fix in it? I don't know how effective it is, but that may help mitigate any issues if you do have them.

The biggest times i see rolling shutter come into play if I'm shooting on a DSLR is if I bumped the camera at some point, something that creates a really quick movement, you'll see the jelliness. But standard following isn't an issue. Hockey's fast, but not that fast.

[Richard Lutz]

Thanks for the input. I'm trying to figure out how should I do this in a documentary. I know I want my cinematography to be more dynamic and not look like a news program.

[Rob Vogt]

I used to do this sort of thing for NBC and ESPN we did player profiles and headshots. What we would do is setup a room with a green screen have the player turn his head in several directions do a couple of takes with different panning tilting snap zooms ect. Give him a puck to play around with, play some music in the background to make him feel comfortable. Then for actual game play see if you can get him alone on the ice for some b-roll pickup stuff. If you can get your hands on a varicam for pretty cheap, or a fs700 for some off-speed stuff. Be weary of the ice and the lighting on the Ice its easy to blow out and to have a lack of separation. The real difference in terms of like a cinema/news(live) would be actual on ice angles. If you do an interview maybe something like on the bench. Have a couple of go pros in the net. Maybe a helmet cam (bullet HD) would be a cool look from a skater and/or a goalie.

[Richard Lutz]

Thanks Rob.

 

Why a varicam if you don't mind me asking?

[Rob Vogt]

That does off-speed stuff, its an older camera so it could be had for a reasonable price, and it has 2/3" lenses which is good for faster pace sports stuff b/c of the dof. And its one of the cameras we used.

[Richard Lutz]

Thanks for the input. Unfortunately, I don't have a budget on this project and will have to find a way to use my Panasonic and 60D in a creative way.

[Will Barber]

I shoot college hockey, and it's really hard to shoot without a lens with a motorized zoom like an ENG camera. However, I have shot soccer with a normal camcorder before, so it's possible, though autofocus really helps out. For the 60D, you're gonna want a zoom similar to the 70-200mm f/2.8. The f/4 version may even be enough depending on the lighting, but that's something you might wanna check out beforehand. Just shoot at the fastest ISO you can without any noise, which on the 60D should be 800 or maybe 1600 because it's not low light, and stop down to at least a 4 if not a 5.6. However, with no zoom or focus control outside the lens I can only see it being a problem. There are tools made for situations like these, and it's really hard to do the job without those specific tools.