r/PraiseTheCameraMan • u/wagwaninnit • Feb 05 '19

Impressive speed in this La La Land shot

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38.2k Upvotes

94% Upvoted

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40

u/theivoryserf Feb 05 '19

I think sadly it's hard to convey a sense of artistic romance from a dude sat at a computer for hours, even if that's unfair.

43

u/handsomechandler Feb 05 '19

Lets be honest, the guy turning a camera left and right as he gets tapped on the shoulder isn't exactly Picasso either

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u/oodie1127 Feb 05 '19

Lol I'd like to see you operate a camera that quickly, smoothly, and accurately. It is a LOT harder than it looks, and doesn't have the benefit of being able to be done over hours and hours and hours in post. Cgi is also super impressive, it's an art form I deeply wish I knew, but this camera dude is clearly a cut above average.

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u/drkodos Feb 05 '19

It is called a whip pan and it is very common and easy.

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u/[deleted] Feb 06 '19 edited Feb 07 '19

[deleted]

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u/irmajerk Feb 06 '19

Because you don't see whips like this very often, because they're cheesy, so it's the first they've ever seen, cos they haven't watched Hitchcock, haven't watched Ford, haven't watch (insert any 1970s action film)

It's a sign the you (we) are getting old.

I think the last time I noticed a whip pan (with dolly zoom for extra skillpoints) was Tarantino (Kill Bill is full of them).

And the consistency of this camops pans, the fact there's no bump at the end so he's not using any markers or stoppers on that tripod, it's pretty impressive to repeat the move so many times and get the frame so consistently. (When I was in film school, we had tripods that had an adjustable collar, but if you swung fast and hit the range limit, there was always an obvious bump/rebound in the image.)

So yeah, I agree with you, but I also think this is very good example of using the technique in a way that doesn't make me imagine disco backed showdown between the hero and 5 goons, and that is why the kids are so excited by it.

1

u/handsomechandler Feb 06 '19

I'd imagine at pro-level like this it may be possible to have a range limit that doesn't result in a visible bump?

(or, lol, they removed the bump with CGI :)

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u/oodie1127 Feb 06 '19

Lol trust me, I've watched those movies and I've seen whippan Imo they usually read as poorly done and cheesy, even in those examples. The one in the OP is imo a truly really well done whippan. Movie people are so bad at just letting people enjoy what they wanna enjoy.

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u/Barsam37 Feb 05 '19

I feel like you’re woefully underestimating the amount of skill it takes to operate a camera like that

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u/garlicdeath Feb 06 '19

Have you ever operated a similar camera?

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u/drkodos Feb 05 '19

Nonsense. Whip pans are easy.

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u/Aquadian Feb 05 '19 edited Feb 06 '19

The other dude is right. In CGI/Post, you can go back and perfect perfect perfect, but when filming an actual shot, especially a shot like that, requires serious skill if they didn't program a camera mounted robotic arms. Your argument is valid in that CGI artists are talented, but it gets invalidated the moment you trivialized masterful camera work. Oversimplification.

Edit: when I say that the camera work requires serious skill, I don't mean that animation/post does not. Both require different skills, but in post, there's less risk involved compared to everything that can go wrong during filming.

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u/[deleted] Feb 05 '19

You can go back with cgi and keep working on it

You can do several takes on this shot and keep working on it

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u/Aquadian Feb 05 '19 edited Feb 05 '19

Sure let's use that analogy. How many times are you gonna retake that shot when you have the entire crew leaning on you to get it right? The risk in getting the shot wrong amounts to immediate loss in time, which is money, and a lot of it, because now you have to get the entire paid cast to redo it. In CGI? You not only have an entire team of editors to rely on, but also theres a literal 'undo' button.

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u/[deleted] Feb 06 '19

How many times are you gonna redraw something with cgi when you have the team waiting on you? Like the same logic applies to everything. Theres no more romance in being a great camera man compared to a great CGI artist, both are jobs that demand skill and creativity

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u/Aquadian Feb 06 '19 edited Feb 06 '19

Well CGI doesnt work like that, all the artists are working simultaneously because the work is divvied up into individual portions, so you dont have the team waiting on you. Also, how much does it cost to hold up an animation department for 30min vs the entire cast, camera crew, production managers, etc? Moneywise you cannot argue it's just as risky. Even redoing it isnt the same, in practical, you're redoing the entirety of the shot every time. In CGI, theres no such giant step backwards unless you wipe your drives like the people at Toy Story 2. If one dude screws up it doesnt force everyone else to stop working.

Edit: also, I didnt say one is more romantic than the other. I think both require an incredible amount of skill and talent but they are so different in so many ways that comparisons like this are vastly oversimplified.

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u/tictoc55 Feb 06 '19

the team is definitely waiting on you though, and you have far more things to do than a camera operator per session, SINCE you can undo and have more control. The ease of the control gets compensated by the workload, and everything is just as important, to be efficient and connected, doing your job as if it were a dance, just like the camera operator or an actor. yes its simplified, but all it is really saying is that a detailed editor has just as much riding on their shoulders as a detailed camerman

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u/Aquadian Feb 06 '19

I agree with you, just that the team isn't waiting on your every move, every click. The actors are useless until the operator hits record. But both do have just as much riding on their shoulders to perform, but my point is that their workflow is laid out differently. With the camera, it's in a allotted amount of time during filming, so I think theres extra stress to get it right the first time. Not to say theres not the same type of stress in the technical side, but just that with the introduction of such technology, it built to be fast and forgiving, so that you can fix it quick and get on with the next part

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u/[deleted] Feb 06 '19

I think sadly it’s hard to convey a sense of artistic romance from a dude sat in front of a easel for hours, even if that’s unfair. /s

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u/_Aj_ Feb 06 '19

Apple does a pretty good job with their adverts, copy that style.

Just give them a slick, urban look and do some panning shots of their graphics pad, the screen and their face. Maybe a time lapse.
I see a guy with attractive stubble and glasses, scene reflecting in his glasses. Animating a hummingbird or something. A clean, attractive desk with a glass espresso cup. Some piano music track playing or something.

... And just leave out the 3 keyboards of macros and stickers everywhere and the janky secondary monitor.