How do I do a shot like this?

[Cracker Funk]

Originally Posted by harmonica44

In the video if fast forward 24 seconds in:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hRlGb...feature=relmfu

The background behind the guy seems to move at a different speed than he does as he steps sideways. How do they make the background move like that? Thanks.

It's a pan. With a long lens. The background appears to be "moving" faster because the background is much further away from the camera than the subject. There is nothing tricky going on there.

[harmonica44]

Okay thanks. How long of a lens would I need. I've been trying it with my 18-55 and trying to get it to look the same.

[Cracker Funk]

Originally Posted by harmonica44

Okay thanks. How long of a lens would I need. I've been trying it with my 18-55 and trying to get it to look the same.

I would only be guessing, but it looks much longer than 55mm. Only one of our more DP-type people could take a better guess at the range.

[harmonica44]

Okay thanks. Now this type of pan that they did, will a simple steadicam be a good tool?

[knightly]

A Pan would be a tripod, simply rotating around the vertical axis of the camera.

[knightly]

But that particular shot looks like a shoulder mounted camera being walked to the right while the actor walks to the left (camera left). In the 70s, many shots were lensed with 200-400mm lenses to compress the background onto the actor and make it look more like a flat painting. This is somewhere in the realm of 80-150 but close enough to get a full frame close up of the actor.

[harmonica44]

Yeah I tripod pan probably wouldn't look right, and not be able to frame the actor the same way. I thought it might be on a dolly or something.

[knightly]

Ignore the actor. Watch the background bounce as the camera turns. Then watch the actor bounce as he moves...both the camera man and the actor are stepping to the side in this shot.