Cinematography-Theory-And-Practice

Figure 11.35. A suicide rig built andoperated by Mark Weingartner. Kids,don’t try this at home. (Photo courtesyof Mark Weingartner.)Underwater HousingsFor actual underwater work, a fully waterproof housing is necessary.These are specially constructed rigs which have exterior controls forthe on/off switch and focus. In most cases, they are specially built forparticular types of cameras. Underwater housings generally have tobe made for the particular type of camera being used and are seldominterchangeable. Be sure to check what depth in the water, the particularhousing is built for and check the seals carefully before takingthe camera under.MOTION CONTROL(The following is courtesy of Mark Roberts Motion Control.)What is motion control? Some filming special effects techniquesneed highly accurate control of the motion of the film camera, sothat the same move can be repeated many times, with each camerapass being identical to previous passes (Figure 11.34).Where the movement of the camera is controlled by hand, it isvirtually impossible to get an exact duplication of a previous pass.Traditionally, this problem has been solved by holding the camerain a fixed position (known as “locking off ” the camera), and thenlayering the resultant takes to produce the composite image. But tolook really natural, and to produce some stunning visual effects, thecamera can be made to move during the pass.Aside from the obvious benefits of multiple camera passes, this alsoprovides a major advantage when combining live action with computergenerated images (CGI). And with the latest pre-visualisationsoftware, the director can even plan the camera move or movesbeforehand, and know that the rig will be able to physically performthe move before he even gets into a studio. So, what then is motioncontrol? It is an essential production tool in the toolbox of filmingtechniques, which allows that extra depth of reality in many specialeffects shots. (© Mark Roberts Motion Control Ltd.)cinematography226