How do they move the background?

Randy Brown wrote on 6/6/2004, 10:12 AM
Not like the matrix where several still cameras are used but you know, where the camera is trucking left to right and then suddenly becomes a still and the background is independently moved around the subject or an effect put on it. Before I try it I just want to see if I'm on the right track:
Shoot the track as described above and then again without the subject. At the point of the freeze frame, mask the background of the subject (say using the Bezier mask in V5) so that the track without the subject comes through and is still moving....?
TIA,
Randy

Comments

kameronj wrote on 6/6/2004, 11:39 AM
Sure, that is one way to do it.

Another is to shoot the background alone and shoot the foreground on bluescreen (if an actor or something you can get in front of a blue screen).

Run the two on diffent levels and do what you please to either.
Spot|DSE wrote on 6/6/2004, 3:01 PM
Sometimes this is also done by putting the actor on a stand that also holds the camera, and the camera track with dolly extension is pulled, creating the fast pull on the background with normal framing in the fore. Imagine a plank stiking out of the back of a truck bed, with camera mounted on the roof of the truck, actor on the plank/stage doing their gig. Truck drives off, actor is in same frame but background is moving away. Another twist to this is to zoom on actor while background is moving away.
Randy Brown wrote on 6/6/2004, 7:26 PM
Thanks guys, this is for a police recruitment video. They want "edgy"; Fortunately they'll be staging swat team stuff, K9 traning and obstacle course training (I get to ride in the back seat ...woo-hoo! : )
However I have to shoot what will probably be some pretty boring interviews and would like to have some (tasteful, not cliche and not overdone) eye candy. I just thought it might be kinda cool to end one of them with the above mentioned effect. I think I'll let the camera roll and shoot some of the background after the subject walks off the set and play around with the Bezier masking feature in V5. Wish me luck!
Thanks again guys,
Randy