Shooting inside the car

justinisfilming

justinisfilming

I have some scenes in my film where the characters would have a conversation inside a car. I don't have money to buy them fancy car rigs so I have to improvise. Any tips? And just to let you guys know, I don't trust suction cups or anything that has to do with my camera being outside the car. :)

Also, will it be impossible to record decent audio inside a moving car? If you guys have successfully recorded audio inside, was the sound guy inside the car as well? How did you guys do it? 'Cause I'm thinking of just ADR'ing the dialog in the car scene (which I think would be horrendous for the actors but I don't think I have any choice).
 
Sort by date Sort by votes
The secret to good sound in a car is the same as good sound anywhere - get really close. This is one of those rare situations where I recommend using lavs; they can even be used as plant mics up in the visors, headrests, etc. Using a hypercardioid is also recommended mostly because it's shorter than a shotgun, can be pistol-gripped and can also be planted.
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0 Downvote
Or shoot an establishing shot of them driving, then when you shift to the actual dialog, shoot from outside the car, but frame the ground out (low angle shot) and shift the camera back and forth so the sky moves in relation to the car... then have folks shake the car's bumper. Add engine and traffic sounds and you're golden!
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
It depends what coverage you want to get and how big your car is. For a S16 film we shot last year, we found a piece of private road that we could shoot on. For the front view of the car driving, we were in the back of one of the gear vans with the actor driving the car keeping a steady distance between us and them. Thn I jumped inside the car, and got MCUs of each person from the back seat. I then jumped into the passenger seat and got cu of the driver. Couldn't do the reverse as obviously I couldn't drive and shoot at the same time.

For audio, we miced them with wireless lavs. Worked a treat. We were also using an old car that was really loud and you could hardly hear the sound of the car at all. Our sound guy is great.

We weren't travelling very fast so you'd still need good sound design to sell it properly.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Put your car on a flat bed trailer and tow it behind a pickup. You can shoot through the front windshield handheld or mounted from the truck bed. You can also shoot inside the car, of course It'll look far more realistic and any fake greenscreen think and there is zero chance of the car getting in a wreck.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Cracker Funk said:
Duct tape will not let you down. You can duct tape your camera to your side-view mirror. No, really. I bought a sticky-pod. I tried it. I ended up liking duct tape better.
Click to expand...

You were using a GoPro, right?

The last two cameras I used for car stuff was an Arri Alexa and an Arriflex SR3. I don't think gaffer's tape would've done the trick there... ;)

That said, you could use a suction mount to mount a DSLR to one of the side windows on the interior. Set up right, it could give you decent visual results. Sound, again I'd go with wireless lavs. Visor mics are good, but it depends on the mics you're using, how far away the visors are, how loud the car is... In a pinch, rig a hyper between the person's legs. As long as you're not too wide that would also give decent results.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
knightly said:
Or shoot an establishing shot of them driving, then when you shift to the actual dialog, shoot from outside the car, but frame the ground out (low angle shot) and shift the camera back and forth so the sky moves in relation to the car... then have folks shake the car's bumper. Add engine and traffic sounds and you're golden!
Click to expand...

Hmmm... Interesting. Have you done this before? Any test footage? I gotta try this out.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
One of my first stupid little improv videos (lost to time -- too bad) used this surprisingly well... but I revisited it in "The Stream, The Cave, Jim and Dave" for the Indietalk Script to Screen competition a while back @ 1:06, I use it as an external view, the rest was shot from the back seat like all good indie films ;) :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KjJtmnfW3rI
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
jax_rox said:
You were using a GoPro, right?
Click to expand...

Surely, you jest. Sony VX2100 and Canon T2i.

jax_rox said:
The last two cameras I used for car stuff was an Arri Alexa and an Arriflex SR3. I don't think gaffer's tape would've done the trick there... ;)
Click to expand...

I don't see why not. Except I said duct tape, not gaffers tape. Big difference. Thing is, though, if you've got those cameras, I don't think the question of how to mount is a big issue (because you should have the budget to do it right).

I was using the low-budget version of the sticky pod. It's too shaky. Duct tape is better.

If I'd had more money, I imagine the more expensive sticky pod would've done the job quite nicely.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Just so you know. If real driving is involved (rather than being dragged around on a trailer) dialogue is usually ADR'ed in commercial features. Wireless lavs are used to record a guide track for later replacement.

G
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
There's a thing that my DP used with rubber mounts for the window. It was cheap under $100, and it holds up to 11lbs.

With this particular mount, he put it on the inside, and the window was only half open, so he could adjust the camera. It worked great. We were worried that outside if the camera falls, it's gone. On the inside, it'd land on the actor's lap.

We took his mic and put it between the two actors and even with the window open it's crystal clear. The only thing to think about is anything on the floor, or rattling.

Also, if you've never done it. If they're really driving, they have to go slow or else the scenery speeds by. They were doing 20 and by the scenery you'd think they were doing 60.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
Cracker Funk said:
Surely, you jest. Sony VX2100 and Canon T2i.
Click to expand...
Haha we've used DSLRs as 'crash cams' because.. well they're cheaper to replace than an Alexa or an SR3. But we secure them with proper mounts, never secured it with tape, especially duct tape. To the outside mirror... Sounds like you would've got some cool shots, but to me it sounds like it's one speed bump away from completely destroying either or both cameras.

In terms of the suction mounts, it really depends where you mount and what type of car, where you're driving etc. It's easier to use a low-loader, though they're generally heinously expensive to hire, plus you need to hire a police escort if you're driving on public roads..

You can get mounts that have three 'suction legs' that you suction to three different areas to give you more stability and more holding power. This might be an option.
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
I recommend shooting wild dialog tracks (sound only) inside the car directly after getting the shots. Shoot several takes of each actor with them sitting in the correct position. Use a shotgun on a pistol grip or short boom. Position the mic 12" or so from your actor pointed down at the upper chest. If possible you should do this in a garage so there is less outside noise.

Kurt Kroh
NoiseNinja
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
jax_rox said:
Haha we've used DSLRs as 'crash cams' because.. well they're cheaper to replace than an Alexa or an SR3. But we secure them with proper mounts, never secured it with tape, especially duct tape. To the outside mirror... Sounds like you would've got some cool shots, but to me it sounds like it's one speed bump away from completely destroying either or both cameras.
Click to expand...

Actually, shot composition is the greatest downside to the duct tape mount, because you have no choice as to where you're going to put the camera. The side-view mirror is really the only place you can put it. Believe it or not, it's very sturdy. I used A LOT of tape, and had absolutely no worry of it falling off. I figure if duct tape is good enough to get the Apollo 13 back to Earth, it's good enough for my camera. :)

76238976.jpg


36276260.jpg


You mentioned the three-footed suction-mount, and if my budgets weren't so limited, that is definitely what I'd use. But I was stuck with the single-footed suction-mount, and I just was not at all happy with it's performance.

NoiseNinja said:
I recommend shooting wild dialog tracks (sound only) inside the car directly after getting the shots. Shoot several takes of each actor with them sitting in the correct position. Use a shotgun on a pistol grip or short boom. Position the mic 12" or so from your actor pointed down at the upper chest. If possible you should do this in a garage so there is less outside noise.
Click to expand...

Sounds like a great plan! In retrospect, shooting wilds seems like such a common sense idea to me, I can't believe I never thought of it. I plan on using them OFTEN, on my next feature (though that doesn't mean that I won't still try to get the best regular production audio).
 
Upvote 0 Downvote
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top