2009Steadi-Newbies forum
Operating a Steadicam on a rotating ring set for a music video shot with RED camera
17 years old. Gear and prices may have changed since.
What the thread found
- A rotating platform built by the production team was operated by crew members running around it while the camera operator tracked alongside and through the structure during performance capture.
- The director restricted lens choices to 50mm and 100mm focal lengths to maintain a specific visual aesthetic.
- A planned shot where the camera would pass through a gap in the ring during a musical breakdown required timing the movement with the rotating platform but did not execute as intended during principal photography.
- The camera operator was later given time to experiment with additional shots after the main production schedule was completed.
- Working with constrained focal lengths and a dynamic moving set presented technical challenges for a first professional operating assignment.
Depends on
- This was the operator's first professional gig, so experience level may have affected execution.
- The director's specific creative constraints around focal length limited the range of shot possibilities.
- A two-day shoot schedule at a single location compressed the available time for experimentation.
- Post-production editing choices affected how camera movement translated to the final cut.
- Some planned technical shots were not fully realized during filming.