THE TYPES OF CAMERA RIGS

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THE TYPES OF CAMERA RIGS- CAMERA GEAR

1.  1. HANDHELD CAMERA RIG

First on our list of camera gear is the handheld camera righandheld camera rigs are often used when filming fight scenes. Handheld camera rigs can produce camera movement that takes a scene up a notch if used correctly

2.  CAMERA TRIPOD

The tripod is the perfect camera gear to shoot a static shot — a shot with no camera movement. A tripod is a type of camera stand with a fluid head to which the camera is mounted. If the camera does need to move, tripods can also pan or whip pan left and right and tilt up and down for smooth controlled movements.

Tripods are perfect for typical shot reverse shot coverage which is heavily used when shooting over the shoulder dialogue scenes.

The tripod serves the story in this scene by creating a separation between the two characters through separate, static frames. Other times tripods can create a sense of stability when it is mixed in with handheld shots. This scene from Se7en mixes both handheld shots and tripod shots to reflect the headspaces of the different characters. A tripod can serve a story in various ways depending on the context of the scene. 

3.  PEDESTAL

When filmmakers need to move the camera vertically in smaller movements, they opt for the pedestal. Pedestal shots are great for matching the movements of actors.

4.  FILM CRANE AND CAMERA JIB

Though the scale of the rig may differ, the terms "film crane" and "camera jib" can be used interchangeably. Both versions of this type of camera gear utilize a jib arm to extend a camera outward, enabling the camera to move up, down, left, or right in large movements.

Camera jibs and cranes are great for crane shots and camera boom movements. Camera booms are vertical movements that are often used in establishing shots to show off the world of a film.

 

5.  OVERHEAD CAMERA MOUNT

The overhead camera mount is perfect for shooting top down shots of action and spaces. They’re typically used for unique insert shots from a bird’s eye view perspective. One of the masters of the overhead camera setup is Wes Anderson. To get an idea of how the overshot can be used, here is a supercut of every Wes Anderson overhead shot.

Overhead camera mounts are great for establishing a more objective, omniscient point of view for the audience. It often diminishes characters in the right shot composition creating distance between the audience and them which can greatly serve a story. Overhead camera setups can be achieved various ways. Overhead camera mounts can be rigged to a studio’s grid. They can also be rigged to an overhead tripod.

6.  CAMERA DOLLY AND SLIDER RIG

A dolly is a wheeled apparatus to which a camera is mounted for smooth horizontal movements. There are different types of dollies such as the platform dolly. A platform dolly has a flat dolly surface that other rigs can be placed on such as a tripod. These dollies are typically cheaper.

Other, more expensive, dollies are more functional. They often have a fixed head or camera stand that the camera can be mounted to. Dollies are often combined with other camera gear to be more versatile such as the dolly crane or the dolly pedestal.

The dolly camera rig is used for small push ins, pull outs, and tracking shots. Dollies can also start or stop at a static frame which allows for precise compositions. The smooth movement of a dolly makes it a great tool for lateral tracking shots.

 

7.  CAMERA STABILIZER

Camera stabilizer

One of the most common rigs in the industry today are camera stabilizers. The most typical camera rig stabilizer on major productions is the Steadicam rig. A Steadicam rig combines the stability of a tripod, mobility of a handheld camera, and the movement capability of a dolly.

Steadicam rigs are the perfect rig for shooting long takes, complex movements, and dynamic blocking and staging. 

Steadicams can also be rather expensive, but gimbals are another type of camera rig stabilizer that utilizes battery power to stabilize a shot. There are a range of gimbals, many of which are more affordable for lower budget productions. There are even gimbals for iPhone camera rig setups that have been used for feature films.

 

8.  SNORRICAM

Snorricam

The Snorricam is a more specialized camera gear system that mounts a camera to an actor’s body, hinging to their movements. Also known as the bodycam, chestcam, body rig or camera body mount, the Snorricam is used to create vertigo, dizziness, or panic 

Snorricam shots can immerse an audience into the perspective and experience of a character in a film. 

9.  VEHICLE MOUNT

 

The most practical way to shoot any scenes in a vehicle is the vehicle mount. Car camera mounts can be used either on the exterior or in the interior of a vehicle. This is ideal for shooting dialogue scenes in a car, helicopter scenes, or as in Skyfall.

10. DRONE CAMERA

Aerial cinematography has really taken flight (no pun intended) since the invention of the drone. Prior to the drone, aerial cinematography was limited to the use of helicopters. But the size and maneuverability of the drone has resulted in some amazing drone footage that would have been impossible not too long ago.

Drones are great for shooting Expansive Landscapes, Chase Scenes, And Establishing Shots. 

 

11. CAMERA MOTION CONTROL

Motion control is a device that allows for the complete control and precise repetition of camera movements. Camera motion control systems are used for stop motion, time lapses, and most commonly visual effects.

However, filmmakers have found ways to use motion control to create unique shots that rely on the precise repetition of camera movements. This shot from The Rules of Attraction uses motion control to combine two different shots into one.

 

12. WATERPROOF HOUSING

Waterproof housing

Underwater camera housing is a completely waterproof housing that allows control of the camera while fully submerged underwater. Waterproof housing can be used when completely underwater to capture action happening in a pool or ocean.

This is important for films that focus around the action below the surface such as the film The Meg where waterproof housing was absolutely crucial.

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Components of film

 Three basic components of film: 

•  Image 
•  Camera Movement https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/4874643415262278560/8858688833421500986
•  Sound 

Framing is as important for still photography  for film, since it works with mise-en-scène to determine the overall composition of the image. 

Mise-en-scène and Framing 

The two main things to pay attention to in a filmic image are mise-en-scène and framing. Mise-en-scène is a French term meaning literally “put in the scene,” and it was originally adapted from the theater. It refers to everything that goes into a film before it is photographed, including set dressing or location, costumes, lighting, actors, blocking (actor locations and movement), and dialogue. 

Camera Movement

Film is a series of photographs shown in succession at a rate of 24 frames per second to create the illusion of movement. This section offers suggestions for how to talk about a moving image. There are two main types of movement in film: 

Continuous and Discontinuous.

Continuous movement involves characters and objects moving within the frame, either as a result of their movement or of the camera’s.  The Discontinuous movement is a result of editing, in which two discontinuous bits of film are joined together by cuts such as dissolves, wipes, etc.

 Sound 

Film sound is as important as pictures. We should pay as much attention to sound as we do to the images. Use sound to help show where and when the film is set, draw attention to important things, create an atmosphere or set a mood, depict a character. Get the sound levels right. Very loud sound can distort; very quiet sound can have ‘hiss’. Sound can be classifies as
Dialogue 
Sound effects 
Music 

 

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Film Editing

 EDITING

Film editing is a creative and technical part of the post-production process of film making.lmEditing is the art and craft of cutting and assembling finished film.

Editing is performed in the post-production process.  The editing procedure is like any creative job. The editing process is view, re-view, re-view, review, and view again.

 This work is done by a film editor who helps complete the director's vision of the movie. The creative choices of an editor are usually a combination of what they think is best for the film and what the director (and producers) want for the finished project. 

The history of film editing starts in the early cinema days of the 1890s, the purpose of editing in film was simply a matter of putting frames together to create scenes 

 The Soviet Montage movement emerged in the 1910s and ‘20s, with filmmaker Lev Kuleshov pioneering his famous Kuleshov Experiment.

What does a film editor do:

• Cuts, splices(join), (re)arranges raw footage to create shots, scenes, and more.
• Makes choices that affect the film’s pace, atmosphere, narrative, music, etc.
• Works with the director and producers to make a final cut.

• A  shot is defined as a short, continuous single run of the film. 
• A scene is composed of numerous shots  and they are joined together. 
• A sequence is a number of scenes joined together.

Editors select sounds and images from all the film that has been shot and arrange them to make the movie. 

The film editor shaped the scene into its final form.  The editor works closely with the director during different phases of the editing process. 

  The editor begins with all the film footage.  (Footage is the raw, unedited material as it was originally filmed by the movie camera or recorded by a video camera, which usually must be edited to create a motion picture.) 

 The Process

Editing film used to literally be a cut-and-paste process, involving splicing and glue by hand. Splicing was the way film editors made their edits, working with copies of negatives and creating workprints. Later on came what were known as “flatbed” machines that made cutting up and splicing film strips much easier, quicker, and precise.

Decades later, digital film editing technology helped make the editing process easier than ever, removing the need to touch the film at all. 

SHOOTING IN THE ROUND. 

A rough cut is the first edited version of a film, which make include unfinished visual effects and a temporary musical score. Rough edit and assembly cut are also terms that can be used to refer to this initial cut. 

The first cut of a film, called a "rough cut," takes up to three months to complete. The final cut may take another month to finish. Sometimes the editor works alone, sometimes with the director

All of the main pieces have been assembled in sequential order, but it may not contain all of the finer details, such as finished CGI.  Rough cuts, and especially assembly cuts, tend to be far longer than the finished film.

  

 The sound designer and music composer join them for the final cut, adding sound effects and the musical score. When the editing is complete and the director and producer have approved the final version of the film, this final cut is sent to a negative matcher.

 Cuts and Transitions

CUT

If the camera moves from one shot to another directly without fading out that technique is called cut.  Editing often begins as soon as film has been shot.    Today most editors use computers or nonlinear digital editing systems to compile a film.

A “cut” in editing refers the splicing of two shots together. This cut is made by the film editor at the editing stage of a film. If the camera moves from one shot to another directly without fading out that technique is called cut.

 FADE IN  AND FADE OUT

Fade in  and fade out are opposite effects. Fade in is a shot that begins in total darkness and gradually lightens to full brightness. This is a type of transition is similar to “dissolve,”

DISSOLVE

Dissolve is a transition between two shots during which the first image gradually disappears while the second image gradually appears. 

Dissolve was used for capture the time difference between this shot and the next shot. In dissolve one image fade out gradually and another takes its place. The execution of a dissolve naturally takes a little longer than a cut.

     CROSS-CUTTING

Cross-cutting is cutting a scene between different sets of action that can be occurring simultaneously or at different times. Cross-cutting is used to build suspense or to show the relationship between the different sets of action.

WIPE

The third type of transition is the wipe. A wipe is a type of film transition where one shot replaces another by travelling from one side of the frame to the other or with a special shape.

JUMP CUT

A jump cut, which is a term that viewers often hear, is a cut in film editing in which two sequential shots of the same subject are taken from camera positions that vary only slightly. This type of edit gives the effect of jumping forward in time.

 

CONTINUITY EDITING

Continuity editing is a system of cutting to maintain a continuous and clear narrative action. Continuity editing relies upon matching screen direction, position, and temporal relations from shot to shot. The film supports the viewer’s assumption that space and time are contiguous between successive shots.  Logical coherence is achieved through continuity editing. 

 

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