What lens would I need to get this shot.

harmonica44 · Apr 27, 2014

I want to do a scene where a car is coming towards someone and hits them. However, I want the person in the middle of the road, to be safe. So I want a long lens, that can zoom in far enough, that it makes the person look like they are right in your face in the camera as the car approaches, from the car's point of view.

But I would like it so that the car, in which the camera is hooked is far enough away, so that the person will not get hurt or get close to to the car. Or maybe I can use a steadicam to move foward towards the person, but that will not match all the other car point of view shots, movement wise, most likely.

So what long lens would be good enough, or is there a better way to do this entirely?

Thanks!

baoliun · Apr 28, 2014

harmonica44 · Apr 28, 2014

Well I tested with the 50mm, and that's not long enough. But that's the longest lens I have, so I cannot purchase more to do tests, until I know which one to get.

knightly · Apr 28, 2014

Zoom in as you approach to compress the space.

harmonica44 · Apr 29, 2014

Okay thanks, but should I put the camera on a dolly, to mimic the car movement? So far I tried steadicam as you can do that in the middle of the road, and no one will car as long as the road is clear and you are in a crosswalk. Setting up a dolly, the cops will have issues with. I cannot zoom with the camera hooked up to a car of course. I will keep expirementing...

wheatgrinder · Apr 29, 2014

not the only way... make it easier on your self and safer for everyone else.

Shoot it in reverse..

Have the guy standing in the road, car is close, the car then screeches AWAY in reverse!

see the last 10 seconds of this mash up from Raising Arizona. (sorry it was the only clip I could find online with that effect)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-SVKI-_fyBA

Caidh Mor · Apr 29, 2014

You're gonna have a hell of a time doing that shot even with a long lens anyways if you don't have a damn good 1st AC to pull focus for you...

There are other options, too.

1) Do it quickly in the cut
2) Do it off screen with sound and cut back in to the aftermath.
3) Composite it
4) Wheatgrinder's reverse photography method. (here's another example of that method on a short series that I lit. It happens about 2 minutes in.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWDt6mrB09U?t=2m
5) Some combination of some or all of the above
6) Some different method that you invent.

Sometimes you should consider boiling your questions down a bit in your head. If the essence of your question winds up starting with "I'd like to do something this specific way, but I'm unable to," perhaps it's better to just accept it and move on with another option.

brianluce · Apr 30, 2014

A recipe for disaster. Please don't do it. At a minimum, take Wheatgrinder's advice.

harmonica44 · May 21, 2014

Okay thanks. The pulling focus thing is going to be a problem. I will have to figure that one out, while doing the reverse effect. As for the reverse effect, I will have to get the actor to run backwards, then reverse to make it look like he or she is running forwards.

But how does an actor run backwards so convincingly, that it will actually look like natural forward running, when reversed? Running backwards, then reversing it, just looks off, and does not look natural, forward.