Going handeld! Need advice...

June 11, 2008 12:51 PM

I'm going to be doing some live/handheld camera work for a church conference next week, i've got the camera experience and know how to focus, iris up, bump the gain, white balance on stationary cameras, but haven't done a lot of handheld work. This will be used during concert-like worship sets, and high-energy crowd particpation stuff. Do any mefites have any suggestions for things I should try, pay special attention to, figure out prior to showtime?
posted by TuxHeDoh to technology (7 comments total)

I don't mean to not answer the question, but is there a particular reason that this will be handheld camera work? I guess, by asking that question, I'm saying that you should plan ahead the sort of shots that you want to be capturing (and maybe there is no need for you to be handheld, risking all sorts of shakiness). I just say this because it might be worthwhile to just have the camera on a super-lightweight tripod that you can move around easily while still retaining some stability.

But if you find that it does need to be totally handheld, again, planning out the kinds of shots you are looking to capture is key. Practice getting comfortable with the camera and how you are going to hold it for extended periods of time and what the best ways are to move it around. Move with your whole body and not just your arms. Maybe you can go to a concert or something similar before the conference and practice shooting in that kind of environment?

Also make sure you have a plan for how you're going to be toting around/accessing your tapes/batteries/etc. beforehand so you don't fumble for those too much or weigh yourself down with too much stuff when you are trying to be fluid with the camera.

Finally, don't try to be too "artistic" with your shooting :) Make sure you get the key important moments before getting all Blair Witch or The Office (you know, that "this is real! so lots of zooming in and out and focus adjustments!"). The main thing is to have a steady camera that is capturing the action.
posted by stefnet at 1:28 PM on June 11, 2008

can you have a second camera on a tripod, with the whole room in frame? That way you always have something to cut away to if anything goes wrong with the handheld, or you miss something.

When filming something live with multiple cameras, i find it's a good idea to have some sound or something at the very beginning you can use to sync up the two. That way, you can just drop the footage from the two cameras right on top of each other in your editing program, and it becomes very easy to cut back and forth by just cutting and pasting segments directly up/down.

(this is all assuming you want to edit this, if not, disregard)
posted by drjimmy11 at 1:38 PM on June 11, 2008

DON"T USE THE ZOOM! Well, don't do it a lot. If you must zoom then stay with the shot for a long time, or until a natural break in the action allws you to zoom out. The idea is to make it less obvious. One idea is to pan and zoom at the same time. This way you go from one subject to the next as part of the action of the film.

You could also make a home made steadycam!
posted by Gungho at 1:39 PM on June 11, 2008

oh yeah and seconding stefnet, if this thing is longer than an hour (assuming you're on miniDV), you will need to change tapes, which will leave an awkward gap. Maybe try to time it so you can change tapes during a break or slow moment.

When you do take one tape out, click the little guard thingie over, so you don't pull the same tape out again in the heat of the moment and record over what you already shot. I learned that the hard way (although i caught it within 30 seconds)
posted by drjimmy11 at 1:41 PM on June 11, 2008

Literal handheld, or shoulder-held?

For either, keeping at as wide an angle as practical will maximize depth of field and minimize shakiness issues.

Don't fight against movement, but rather transfer it into smoother movement by using your elbow and shoulder (for handheld) or your knees (for shoulder-held) as a shock absorber.

I don't know if your roaming free or in a small area, but either way, anticipate reactions and plan accordingly. For example, at the climax of a song, you might zoom out to include the crowd, then pan over to get the crowd reaction between numbers. The movement should not be pokey, but should not be like a whip-pan that will draw attention to itself.

If you want to go from a tight shot of the singer to the drummer (for example) rather than just panning, look for opportunites to make it more natural; if the singer crosses in front of the drummer, for instance, you can then hold on the drummer and tighten up the framing. You can also widen from a tight one-shot to a two-shot, then ease back in on the other band member.

BUT: Avoid tons of movement back-to-back. There's nothing wrong, and everything right with some static shots. Avoid excessive zooming all together. Sneak in and out of focal lengths as subtly as you can without being on turtle-mode. If you find you have accidentally drifted your subject out of frame, frame back up subtly instead of in panic mode.

Along the same lines, your movements, pans, and zooms should suit the song. It's like a dance. Slower music calls for more static shots and slower movement; faster songs can accomodate more dynamic movement, but avoiding the afore-mentioned Blair Witch effect.

I agree with the "don't try to be artsy" sentiment, but do look for the unusual. Some of the subtle interplay between band members or audience members can show personality and bring the viewer in seeing the performers as real people, not just singers, ministers, or worship leaders.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 1:52 PM on June 11, 2008

Thanks for the info...To clarify, this is a live broadcast, to stream encoder, as well as DVD Recorder..... professionally switched, it will be one of 6 camera's and the only hand held, 2 others are robotic/remote cameras and 2 others are tripod mounted on the floor. MY normal spot is controlling the two robotic cameras. This time my camera, the handheld, will just be one for extra close ups.... audience shots, artistic shots... weird angles.

For those who are interested, here are the specs regarding our normal setup. It's supplemented for this event.
posted by TuxHeDoh at 6:38 PM on June 11, 2008

Thanks for the update Tux... That makes it a little less intimidating, since the director will only be taking your shots as needed. I'm assuming the director will also give you instructions for specific shots during event via a headset? ("Give me a closeup of the keyboard player...")

If that is indeed the case, then you can afford to try some things when your feed is not the take, in order to find some interesting shots. The key is to keep feeding shots that give a unique perspective. The director will probably be covering most of it with a couple main cameras; show him some good stuff on the monitor to cut to that adds intimacy; that usually what a hendheld is for.

Sounds like fun.
posted by Fuzzy Skinner at 4:49 AM on June 12, 2008