ASK & DISCUSS
INDEXIdeas for jib shot alternatives
1 year, 8 months ago - Louis Mateu
Hi everyone,
We're filming a short film in a couple of weeks and have a shot we're having difficulty planning out. We are shooting on an Arri Alexa Mini and are looking to achieve an overhead shot slowly tracking away from the actor lying on a bed.
We don't have a jib or any extra equipment that we could use to achieve this shot, but we do have a head and legs. I was wondering if anyone had any creative ideas that would be helpful for achieving this, without dropping the camera on our actor!
Many thanks!
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1 year, 8 months ago - François Evans
1. Would suspending the camera from the ceiling using a block-and-tackle work?:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Block_and_tackle
Weight the camera if it's too light.
2. How about having the bed up against the wall vertically, with the actor standing tightly in front of it, then dolly back?
3. Alternatively, there might be a way to animate the effect using stop-motion with the camera suspended at different heights. - This would not make for a smooth effect though, but might be acceptable and more dramatic/unusual.
4. Home-made camera crane?:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gsinzp-pPyo
...or build a simple see-saw with the camera attached under one side.
5. Use a large (light plastic) mirror set at 45º above the bed, and film into that. Ensure mirror is safe and fully secured!
I checked FilmRiot's YouTube channel for this effect, but can't find it explained there:
https://www.youtube.com/@filmriot/videos
Bon courage!
François.
1 year, 8 months ago - Louis Mateu
Hi François,
These are all great ideas and I love the idea of having the bed upright and the actor standing in front of it, I think we'll use that!
Thank you so much for your response!
Thanks, Louis