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Two tracking shots


Vishal

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Hi,

I was wondering if someone can advise me on this.

I have a short coming up and we're shooting on a Canon C100 with atomos Ninja 2 and Rokinon cine primes.

At the beginning of the film there is this tracking shot we have, where it starts tracking outside into a closed garage door and then continue the shot inside.

Is there anyway we can achieve this?

I was thinking that if we track into completely into the door and then move the slider inside but leaving it in the same position after closing the door and then continuing the shot, will this work?

It's basically trying to have 2 tracking shots to make it look like one big tacking shot. We'll be doing the tracking shot on a small Konova slider

If there are any examples of these shots please feel free to share them

Thanks

Edited by Vishal
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Your theory of splitting the shot into two parts is sound. However, do you have a rough idea of how long of a move you actually need? Because if you're starting on a wide shot of the garage and tracking into the door, I imagine you'll actually need to track in 18'-30' depending on the focal length of your lens. At that point, you would need a Steadicam, Movi, or crane. Or handheld with a wide lens if you don't mind some unstable movement. Ideally a crane armed forward on a dolly to avoid seeing the track would probably be best. I don't see how you can make that shot with a slider.

 

The other thing to consider is how you want to make the transition. Usually these types of shots work better when you can match a visual element from shot 1 to shot 2. So for example, if you were to track through a glass window then the end of shot 1 would match very closely to start of shot 2 and make the transition more seamless. At that point you could do a quick dissolve like 'Citizen Kane', a morph effect, or a more complicated CG effect of passing through rippled glass the way Fincher likes to do.

 

If on the other hand you track from a bright day exterior of a white sun-lit garage door and cut to a dark interior garage, the cut will be more jarring and you'll have to do more VFX work to make the transition seamless. Probably you would add some sort of visual effect of passing through wood grain of the door itself, easing the transition from light to dark.

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Here is what I'd do...

 

I'd lay down dolly track and put the split between the track pieces right at the door. The camera will need to be locked down on sticks and carefully monitored so it never changes position.

 

I'd shoot the door closed

 

I'd shoot the identical shot door open with the inside garage track now connected

 

You would then have a seamless shot from outside the garage to inside the garage

 

All you'd have to do is simply dissolve between them

 

You probably can't use the slider because it will shift too much. It will require more post work to make it seamless.

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Here is what I'd do...

 

I'd lay down dolly track and put the split between the track pieces right at the door. The camera will need to be locked down on sticks and carefully monitored so it never changes position.

 

I'd shoot the door closed

 

I'd shoot the identical shot door open with the inside garage track now connected

 

You would then have a seamless shot from outside the garage to inside the garage

 

All you'd have to do is simply dissolve between them

 

You probably can't use the slider because it will shift too much. It will require more post work to make it seamless.

How would you avoid seeing the track for the 2nd shot? Also, what would you do about the large amount of ambient light you will be introducing into the garage interior by shooting with the door open? Or are you saying that you would just start the 2nd shot just far enough back to overlap with the 1st shot, in which case the garage door could be tented? Just curious how this would work.

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Short section of track inside the garage, nothing that would be seen by the camera unless using a wide lens.

 

I didn't think of the lighting, but that's easy to achieve.

 

Yes, I'd start the shot close to the door for sure, so the overlap would still be a solid second if possible so the editor can make it works.

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