What's up! This is Tim with Tactics Boardshop,
This time we're gonna go over some basic fisheye techniques to help you improve your follow filming.
This video focuses primarily on follow filming but it builds off of the stationary angle principals from Part 1,
so if you haven’t checked that video out yet, there’s a link in the description.
Follow-filming lines with a fisheye is one of the most difficult but rewarding ways to film skateboarding.
The close angle and limited visibility keeps the watchers guessing what’s coming up next
and makes the shot more exciting.
It takes a lot of practice to get good at follow-filming because there’s so much to juggle.
You need to be very comfortable with riding and maneuvering on your board
so you can focus primarily on the filming and keeping the camera steady, rather than riding your own board.
The first tip is, have a decent filming skateboard setup.
A filmer board is essentially the same thing as a cruiser board with soft wheels
which you can use to roll smoother and quieter with the skater
and be less susceptible to getting stopped by pebbles or sidewalk cracks.
The last thing you want is to hit a rock and get tossed while you’re holding expensive camera equipment.
You can sometimes get away with filming on hard wheels if you’re at a super smooth spot or a skatepark,
but if you’re at a rough spot with big cracks in the ground,
your hard wheels will be really loud in the clip, and you’ll have a tougher time keeping the camera steady.
Next is, plan your route for the line.
Take a couple seconds to discuss with the skater where the line is going to start and end,
and if they’re gonna do any tricks in the middle.
This will help you figure out the basic blueprint for the line
and inform you on where you should start, what side you should be on, how fast you need to go,
what obstacles to avoid, and where to end.
If you want to, you can do a couple dry runs
where you follow the skater through the line without them doing any of the tricks
so you can practice keeping in sync and getting the angles that you want.
Once you’ve got your basic plan for the line,
you need to figure out how you want to start the clip.
Depending on the set up of the spot and which tricks the skater wants to do,
there’s two different ways to start the clip.
You can either start from a stationary position and transition to following after the first trick,
or you can start the line already rolling with the skater.
If you want to start the clip already rolling,
get your speed up before hitting record so you’re not still pushing and shaking the camera at the beginning of the line.
If you’re starting from a stationary angle, you’ll need to figure out the transition onto your board.
A couple ways to do this are:
Have your front foot already set up on the board ready to push so you can keep up with them after the first trick.
Or you can set the board on the ground next to you so you can get a quick step onto it.
And if you need to go from Zero to 100,
have your board in your free hand ready to throw down so you can get a quick burst of speed.
Throughout the line from beginning to end,
try to stay in sync with the skater and film each trick from the most complementary angle.
For the most part you’ll use the default angle that we covered in Part 1:
low to the ground, tilted slightly upward, and close enough to have the skater fill the frame
but not too close to cut off the body.
A handle for your camera is going to be necessary for follow filming,
because it’s gonna be really hard to get a low enough angle without one.
You’ll want to stay in close proximity because, if you get too far away it makes every trick look smaller
and it makes it look like they’re rolling a lot slower.
Here’s a side by side comparison:
On the left the camera is too far away, and on the right the camera is in range.
You can see that when the camera is too far away, the clip looks a little underwhelming.
You don’t have to be attached to their hip the whole time,
it’s ok to drift away a little bit between obstacles, but be sure you’re synched up for each trick.
You’ll have to do a lot of speed monitoring to stay synched with the skater
especially since you’re rolling on soft wheels and they’re most likely on hard wheels.
The best way to monitor your speed is using your back foot to do little micro pushes or foot drags.
The traditional low camera angle will be your go to angle,
but there are some instances when you need to hold the camera up higher.
For example:
If the skater ollies up on top of a ledge to do another trick off the end,
then you should lift up the camera to the plane of the skateboard so you can see the board.
This next tip is from part one, but I’m reiterating it because it’s very important, especially for follow filming.
Since you’re so close to the skater the whole time,
your camera is right in the danger zone, and the board could fling towards you at any moment.
So you need to learn to do what I call blind filming while you’re following them.
Practice enough with your fisheye to the point where you know what’s in frame without having to look at the viewfinder.
This will allow you to keep an eye on the skater and give you a quicker reaction time
if something happens and the board comes flinging at your lens.
It will also help you to keep track of where you’re going
so you don’t run into any huge cracks or roll right into a ledge or something.
It’s nearly impossible to follow them properly, when your eyes are glued to an LCD screen,
so start practicing blind filming right away because it takes a while to get the hang of it.
This next one is pretty obvious but,
practice keeping the camera steady at all times, especially when you’re pushing or walking.
A little bit of shaking is inevitable,
but it’s fine as long as it’s not distracting from the footage or making the camera lose focus.
Cameras that have a little bit of weight to them are a little easier to keep steady,
so if you’re filming with a GoPro or a different lightweight camera,
you can attach some weight to your handle and make it a little less jerky.
And as a reminder from Part 1,
be sure to turn off any steady shot features if your camera has a vignette so it doesn’t drift around.
The next tip is, practice follow filming with both hands.
Sometimes the way a spot is set up, you’ll need to use your non-dominant hand to film so you don’t get all twisted up.
It’s not something you’ll have to use very often, but it’s a good skill to have when the situation pops up.
Next, try to avoid lingering on a direct butt shot whenever possible.
When you’re planning out your route for the line,
take into consideration which way the skater’s gonna be facing for each trick so you can avoid the butt shot.
The best angles are either from their front side, following just behind the tail, or leading them in front of the nose.
Here’s the same trick filmed from the front side and one from the butt angle.
It just looks better from their front side.
If the skater decides to do a 180 type trick in the middle of the line,
switch sides right after the trick so you’re not getting a direct butt shot.
Sometimes it’s not always possible depending on the spot and how the obstacles are set up,
but do your best to stay in the most complementary angles.
If you’re trailing right behind the skater, just be mindful of them pushing.
If you’re not careful the skater will push and end up kicking the camera,
so try to avoid being directly behind their pushing foot.
Also if you’re directly in front of them,
hold the camera towards the back end of your board so you don’t get your legs in the shot.
Now we’re to the point where you need to figure out how you want to end the clip.
You need to decide if you want to come to a stop after the last trick,
or keep on rolling with them in case they want some extra credit tricks at the end.
If you’re going to come to a stop at the end, find a good looking composition
and try to get the camera into that position after the skater rolls away.
It always looks good to have a little bit of the obstacle in the side of the frame as they roll away.
You will have to practice stopping at the end without jerking the camera too much
and without making a loud squeaking sound with your shoes.
A technique you can use to stop the squeak is to reach your leg back
and drag either the side or top of your shoe to slow down.
It can be really hard to come to a full stop if the skater is going really fast on the last trick.
For example:
If the last trick is a big gap where they need a ton of speed,
you’re gonna have to find a way to stop quickly without making a huge jerky motion.
It’s not easy but it’s doable.
An extra tip is:
Don’t cheer after they land the last trick.
If your friends are cheering in the background that’s fine,
but as the cameraman, keep your excitement contained for a few seconds after they roll away,
because since you're so close to the camera a loud yell could ruin the clip.
After getting comfortable with follow-filming,
experiment with different angles, paths, and crosses to make the clip pop.
Create transitions or cut points such as coming from behind a foreground object,
tilting up from the ground or sky, using whip pans.
There’s all sorts of different creative things you can do with your shots, so don’t be afraid to try out new stuff.
Be sure you give 100% into filming the line well, each time they try it.
It sucks when you’ve been trying to film a trick for a while and everything is looking good,
but then the one time you get lazy with the filming is the time they land it.
Follow filming can get pretty exhausting, and your back can start to hurt from hunching over,
but don’t lose focus even if they’re taking a long time go get the clip.
Which brings me to my final point.
Just Have Fun filming your friends.
Filming tricks doesn’t have to be a serious mission or a huge production.
The best times are just when you’re out with your friends,
everybody’s skating, you pull out your camera, and somebody gets a clip.
If you’re bummed about filming, it usually shows and it can be demotivating for the skater.
But if you’re enjoying filming, cheering everybody on, encouraging them to commit,
the whole process is more fun for everybody.
So keep your skater hyped and celebrate with everyone when you finally get the clip.
If you’ve got any tips of your own for follow filming, feel free to share them in the comments down below
and good luck filming your next video. Peace!