CAMERA/MOVEMENT (fall 2018)

BUCKNELL UNIVERSITY • ENFS-340 • FALL 2018

The Ultimate Stabilization System from ARRI

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Want to combine the benefits of a gimbal, Steadicam, and crane in a single package that can handle a heavy cinema camera?  Check out the ARRI Trinity and Maxima system – it’s a bargain at $60,700.

More on Long Takes

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Can’t get enough long takes?  Check out Cinefix’s list of the top twelve best, StudioBinder’s three strategies of utilizing them, and Aputure’s four-minute tutorial on how to create them yourself.

Gimbal or Slider?

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Gimbals allow filmmakers to capture a variety of moves, including variations on dolly and slider shots.  However, that doesn’t mean that sliders are unnecessary.  Here are a few videos comparing the two pieces of gear.

Lesson 12.2: The Long Take

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A long take or “oner” is when an entire scene is captured in a single, unbroken take.  These are technically difficult shots that require a lot of planning and coordination.  The history of cinema is full of incredible long takes; some frequently-cited examples are in Touch of Evil, Goodfellas, Boogie Nights, Children of Men, and Gravity, but there are many more.

Lesson 12.1: God’s Eye View

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We’ve spent some time discussing “impossible” camera moves already – Steadicam and gimbal shots that give the impression of the camera floating smoothly through an environment.  This week, we’ll be looking at another impossible move: the epic, bird’s-eye crane shot.

Frances Ha, Unmotivated

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Need a refresher on motivated and unmotivated camera movement?  Check out this great video essay, which focuses on a small, but impactful moment in the film Frances Ha.

Final Project Details: Lost/Found

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We’ll continue to work on some in-class projects over the next few weeks, but it’s time to discuss the final project for this class, Lost/Found.  This will be a collaborative project, so we’ll all be contributing to the finished piece.

More on Spielberg

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Here are a couple more videos on Spielberg: his “point of thought” shooting style and his use of long takes.

Project Details: Shock/Awe

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Let’s continue to recreate some famous camera moves!  We’ll start out with Michael Bay’s epic slow motion spin; then we’ll try an epic crane shot, as seen in the The Shawshank Redemption.

The Haunted Camera of Hill House

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Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House is a spooky show with high production values.  One standout episode of the first season was “Two Storms,” which was almost entirely comprised of very long takes filmed on a Steadicam.

Lesson 11.2: Choosing a Camera

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At this point in the semester, we’ve gone over several different cameras and several different kinds of cameras. As a quick recap, let’s review what equipment is ideally suited to different filming situations.

Lesson 11.1: Sony FS5

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In terms of functionality, the FS5 is the most well-equipped camera in the Film/Media Studies collection.  It has all the benefits of a dedicated video camera – unlimited recording time, long battery life, dual media slots, built-in ND filters, robust audio options, tons of external controls – along with the features present on our newer hybrid cameras, such as 4K recording and slow motion options.

Camera Tips from StudioBinder

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StudioBinder makes preproduction software, but they also have an impressive collection of tutorial videos online.  Check out their videos on movement, blocking, and long takes below.

Lesson 10.2: Gimbals

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We actually have several gimbals in our collection – each with different strengths and weaknesses.  Here’s what we have and how to best use each one.

Lesson 10.1: Impossible Moves

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After decades of cinematography involving cameras on tripods, dollies, sliders, and cranes, the camera went mobile.  Cinematographer Garrett Brown invented the Steadicam in the mid-1970s and it was popularized by two horror movies of the era: John Carpenter’s Halloween in 1978 and Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining in 1980.