Boom and Tilt?

Krishna · Oct 31, 2005

Hello,

Is there any special equipment other than a crane or gib to help me with a low boom and tilt camera move?

I need to boom an arriflex 16mm from about head height to calf height (just above ankles) while tilting progressively upwards from a horizontal position. Being a 16mm cam with no video assist I need to be able to look through the cam at all times while accomplishing this move.

Any suggestions?

Will Vincent · Oct 31, 2005

The easiest way to achieve this (if you have $ to rent from an equipment house) is something called a TRAVATO JIB (the correct spelling is 'jib' / not 'gib'). This is a simple balancing bar that is counter-weighted on one end with benchpress style barbell plates, and the camera is on a tilt head on the opposite end. I've worked with a DP who used the very camera you want to achieve this shot with. The last component to the jib is a sturdy tripod, preferably one with Gitzo legs. The head for the tripod is not so important because the jib arm is essentially the head that attaches to the sticks (tripod). This all adds to the cost, but it's worth it. The DP I know had the jib mounted on a 15' high scaffolding tower to jib into a 2nd story window and up to the actor's eye for an extreme closeup. They didn't have a video assist either, so to make sure they'd get the shot and just crop out any unnecessary flack in the frame in post, they used an 8mm fixed prime lens.

And that's how you could get this shot without video assist.

Happy shooting!

Krishna · Oct 31, 2005

Thanks Will, thats great. Yet you'd have to do the shot essentially blind?

Boz Uriel · Oct 31, 2005

Most peeps use a small TV to monitor what they shoot anyway. Just need to buy one of those long S-video cables to run down the jib. It's much better If you don't rely on the LCD display of your camera for color anyway.

Krishna · Oct 31, 2005

Boz, yeah but I'm using an olde 16mm Arriflex, with no video out, its a school camera (NYFA).

knightly · Oct 31, 2005

We just did a boom move with a tilt and I laid on my back peering through the viewfinder from the floor to verify framing while someone else operated the crane and performed the tilt...came out pretty well. I made my own crane for $30 at home depot...link if you ask, it's around here already somewhere.

Boz Uriel · Oct 31, 2005

I'm sorry Krishna, I get DV-itis sometimes thinking everybody must be shooting video these days, my bad.

Krishna · Nov 1, 2005

Boz Uriel,

thanks for that knightly, I'd love that link.

knightly · Nov 1, 2005

links 9, 10 & 11:

http://www.yafiunderground.com/AJ/media.html

It holds up an XL1s with no problem (~ 10 lbs.) You could add a cheap minidv camera pointed into the viewfinder with tape and a tube to block out the light and use the flip out lcd to frame with...then you could also get a lcd field monitor to run to the handle end of the aparatus.

Will Vincent · Nov 1, 2005

Krishna said:
Thanks Will, thats great. Yet you'd have to do the shot essentially blind?

Yes, essentially you would be doing it blind, but with a wide enough lens that you're sure to get everything in the shot you need, and a fixed focal length, so everything is in focus (kind of like those disposable 35mm still camera, point & shoot)