ASK & DISCUSS INDEX

12 years ago - Matt Choules

A steadicam Op and good friend of mine, Doug Walshe did some shots off the back of a camel.
We lovingly dubbed this Steadicamel.

http://www.dougwalshe.com/gallery/recall/image7.jpg

I can imagine a horse might be a slightly better choice though, as they don't seem to rock and sway quite so much...

12 years ago - Ivo Marloh

Hey Neil,
Derek is right, shooting handheld from another horse is a great option. The faster the horse canter, the smoother it gets. I'm not sure what you are planning, and how controlled the environment will be, but if you don't have a lot of dialogue during the scene, then I'd try that. And what's more, I can shoot that for you if you don't want to get on a horse :-)
Have a look at this trailer. All the fast bits I shot from horseback, handheld.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAW-AMOCLJc

12 years ago - Franz von Habsburg FBKS MSc

How they did it in old westerns: the horse runs in a huge circle: the camera is in the centre with a long lens, for a fairly tight shot, slowly panning, with a small DoF (which you get with a long lens anyway) and the audience just assumes both are travelling in a straight line...

12 years ago - Derek Hunter

It depends on the terrain and the speed and how smooth you want it to look. I've shot other riders hand-held from the back of a horse but it was horse I knew really well. Walk is OK, trot is too bumpy for words. Canter and gallop are a lot smoother.

The other alternative we tried was using a camera rigged to a wire. I've also used this technique for shooting mountain bikes but you have to shoot quite wide to keep them in shot. Again, depending on the terrain and the nature of the shot you can shoot on a wide circle with the camera at the centre. With an epic length boom you can get dialogue too. We linked the boom and the camera and with the boom just ahead and out of shot it was a useful guide for the riders.

Shooting from the front and rear is best done from a motorbike with a platform for the camera man. If you watch the Tour de France you can see how this works. It is much smoother than a quad bike and waay faster than a golf-buggy.

12 years ago - Joe Golby

Here's a still from a production I stunt coordinated in Morocco using several horses in open and confined spaces http://postimg.org/image/fqkg01f3f/. We used several techniques to get all our shots, I would be happy to consult or coordinate If required.

Best, Joe

www.joegolby.com joe@joegolby.com

12 years ago - Yen Rickeard

Loads of helpful advice above. You need to think this one through thoroughly before the shoot and , sorry, health and safety is paramount with this one. You need experience horse people (NO! Not centaurs - so hard to find these days) Even the most docile of horses can get spooked by - well anything really, but that man with a camera head, that swiveling black box, that other horse getting too close, those motorcycles, - you get the idea.
If you want to the camera to run with the horse, can you find the background you want with smooth turf next to some smooth straight tarmac? (Country roads, commons, race tracks, racing stables trial tracks etc.)
If you want those thundering hooves place the camera off to one side with zoom and ride the horse through the shot.
But in all of these, think safety. If shooting from horseback, the camera person can't be looking ahead and avoiding the low branch, ditch etc. and control of the horse may be compromised anyway. Your horse experts can help you sort out some of these how-tos, but the ultimate responsibility for safety lies with you. Hard hats all round????
I especially like Franz's circling horse technique, but it needs a big open space, and then enough hiding places for the rest of the crew/cast/catering/horseboxes etc. to hide out of shot.
Having said all that, don't be afraid, just work out exactly what and how before you get there

Good luck with it all
Yen Rickeard

12 years ago - Paddy Robinson-Griffin

Jib arm on a golf buggy? Steadicam op chained to another horse? Shoot really wide and uses bit of digital stabilisation?

12 years ago - ANDY LEWIS

For the tight shots, scrap the horse put the camera and the actor on a flatbed truck. You can get any speed up to a full gallop. Front and even side shots. Easily done Just health and safety issues. Every one on the truck should be harnessed. For the wides where you see the horse make sure you have proper film trained horses. They will stand still for ages and will move correctly for the lens. Cheers Andy