Communicating between two videographers

CClub wrote on 7/30/2007, 3:15 PM

When I tape interviews using two cameras, I'd love to be able to let my 2nd videographer know when I'm moving or to let me know when he's moving/zooming/panning so there's at least one stationary camera at all times. Does anyone have a successful method they use? I don't think headsets would be useful, as we're typically fairly close. And trying to signal with gestures when two people are concentrating never works well, and I hate to break the flow of the interviewee.

Is there any possibility of using something like an odd frequency sound-clicker that I could later remove without affecting the normal conversation frequencies? Sort of like a high (or low) pitched "beep"?

Comments

JackW wrote on 7/30/2007, 4:45 PM

I'm not sure whether this will help you, but when we shoot performance events using two cameras, we designate one camera the wide shot, the other the CU.

We run a video cable from the output of the wide shot camera to an LCD monitor mounted on or near the CU camera. This way the CU camera operator always knows what's being covered in the wide shot and can frame accordingly.

As a result, it's very unusual not to have the shots we need in the edit.

Jack

Chienworks wrote on 7/30/2007, 5:49 PM

I can't think of any reason why the headsets wouldn't be useful. Most of them are designed to allow whispers to be heard clearly. They should work just as well a couple feet* apart as they would a mile** away.

rmack350 wrote on 7/30/2007, 11:00 PM

It's the closeness to the talent that's the problem, probably. The standard solution here is to get a clearcom system and another operator. Then you go back to the monitors and call the shots out to both of them.

Jack's idea is good if you don't have a third person calling shots. It'd probably be good to make it clear who has the wide shot or you'll both be doing closeups before long.

Rob Mack