Hardest shot?

[Bodysnatcher]

Just thought I would throw this out there as a future 'problem solver' but what has been the hardest shot anyone has had to capture and how did you finally get it?

[UFProductions]

Birds Eye views; I love em', and the higher, the better. I've shot at various times from the tops of tall stuff I probably shouldn't be in with expensive camera equipment. Mostly tree's and houses. I find good results can be achieved from attaching the camera to the fully extended tripod, them shoothing with two of the legs braced against your thighs as you sit or stand on a tall object, with the camera pointed down.

[Bodysnatcher]

wow! high and in a dangerous place! love it! But did you get the shot you wanted?

[UFProductions]

Oh yeah, I just hed to raise and lower the camera to my crew befor I climbed the tree using a long bit of rope.

[Bodysnatcher]

lol! god bless the crew!

[OutcastJiob]

Nothing near so impressive as UFP, but balancing on a sort of half-wall (except it's eight or nine feet tall and about two feet across the top; I call them plant shelves but I have no idea if that's the right name or not), over an L shape in the wall, balancing with a foot and hand on one side of the L and a foot on the other side and the camera in my other hand. All to get an overhead shot of someone in a little gun fight.

I nearly fell, and felt quite distinctly like Gollum in that particular position, but the shot turned out well, so it was worth it!

[Bodysnatcher]

I dont know what sounds worse? at leist UFP had his hands free to film! lol As long as the shot is worth it in the end?

[2nd_Recon]

A shot directly over the head of my actors, only about one foot higher, where the actor had to move through the area I (would have) been standing if I had held the camera. I ended up wedging the tripod into a low branch on a convenient tree, and tying a string around the handle for the tripod to keep the angle right. The first few takes, the tripod almost came of and landed on my actor, untill I stood on the other side of the tree and holding two of the legs of the tripod, with the third jabbing into my stomach

[Bodysnatcher]

It seems that tripoids are the answer to all our woes when it comes to filming haredr shots. any others?

[foxwood]

The hardist shot I had to do was a ring of fire smoke effect. It only involved the actor siting in a ring of fire looking around then walking out of frame with lots of smoke. But we were shooting it as a high shot in a garage, and the set up was, rags soaked in ibpropal alchohol, and 4th of July smoke bombs on the corners, and the cammera on the top of a latter. I layed the cam down, turned it on and started recording, then jumped down lit the ring and smoke bombs. Ran back up got the angle and called action, then when the shot was over jumped back down and opend the garage door before we sufficated in all the colored smoke, which we almost did.

[FabianJansen]

No terribly hard shots came up yet... although the project we're starting in the easter holidays has a fight in a river ( waist/knee deep ) with up to 5 people in the same shot. So lots of water splashing about and we don't want all the shots to be from the banks so we'll have to grab a waterproof case for our cameras!

And one upcoming shot in there as well in an abandoned railway tunnel, about 300m long, 10m high, 20m wide and pitch black. Getting enough light in there for decent shots is gonna be hard hard hard...

[Bodysnatcher]

And one upcoming shot in there as well in an abandoned railway tunnel, about 300m long, 10m high, 20m wide and pitch black. Getting enough light in there for decent shots is gonna be hard hard hard...

tell me about it! lighting in awkward places! a nightmare1 I have many raw footage moments where after several hours of filming has resulted in a complete reshoot due to bad or under lighting. extension leads a lamp stands and even car inspection lamps running from cigar lighters have now been employed!

[Bodysnatcher]

The hardist shot I had to do was a ring of fire smoke effect. It only involved the actor siting in a ring of fire looking around then walking out of frame with lots of smoke. But we were shooting it as a high shot in a garage, and the set up was, rags soaked in ibpropal alchohol, and 4th of July smoke bombs on the corners, and the cammera on the top of a latter. I layed the cam down, turned it on and started recording, then jumped down lit the ring and smoke bombs. Ran back up got the angle and called action, then when the shot was over jumped back down and opend the garage door before we sufficated in all the colored smoke, which we almost did.

Lucky no fire brigade phonecalls! lol did you get the shot though? or did you have to (horror of horrors!) re-shoot?