Very interesting shooting method
by Eric Holzapfel
on
Aug 25, 2008 at 3:15:59 pm
Hello Forum Members,
I searched around for a "cow" forum on this question. This forum seem to be the closest to my question.
I do not watch much TV, but I do watch with some regularity a British TV series on PBS. This particular show "Inspector Lindley" (as well as other British "for TV" shows that PBS shows) use a very interesting technique in shooting many of the scenes in this series, both for close-ups of actors as well as medium shots, etc. Somehow the camera person (or maybe in post?) manages to put a very slight motion in almost every scene. For example, if shooting a scene where two actors are having a conversation (usually serious), there will be one shot of the first actor's face while talking to the other, and the camera appears to be rotating and moving ever so slightly to the left (viewers left). Then when the scene switches to actor two, their conversation contiues, and again that very slight movement/motion continues, and in the same direction. They will do this for medium and long shots as well, and they will match the movement (in which ever direction) quite nicely from scene to scene.
If I was to guess, they perhaps have some sort of dolly, and it moves very slowly to the left (or right), and the camera seems to pan ever so slightly to the right (or left).
Re: Very interesting shooting method by Todd Terry on Aug 25, 2008 at 3:38:50 pm
Is there a sample anywhere that we can see?
I am not familiar with "Inspector Lindley" but did find a couple of clips from Inspector LYNLEY on YouTube... I didn't see anything at all unusual or more interesting than just the usual style of shooting for a drama of that type.
Maybe they just do whatever technique you are talking about some of the time, and it was not used in the clips I saw.
From your description it just sounds like dolly moves (or rather, tracking or arcing moves) to me.
T2
__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com
Re: Very interesting shooting method by Eric Holzapfel on Aug 26, 2008 at 5:27:43 pm
Hello Todd and others,
My memory and spelling is "off", Lynley it is. At least I was close.
Just watching the camera movement is very interesting, as I try to figure out how to do it myself! (no dolly yet, and a borrowed video cam tripod!).
Re: Very interesting shooting method by Todd Terry on Aug 26, 2008 at 6:11:45 pm
If you find a clip that has the effect you are looking for on it (and there seem to be a lot of clips from that show on YouTube), give us a link and make note of the time in the clip that the effect happens.
Should be easy to figure out what they are doing then...
T2
__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com
