Stealing shots (hidden camera)

[Oscar Spierenburg]

I'm planning to film a lot of footage on the streets of Antwerp (Belgium) some time this or next summer. One or two people will be walking and sometimes talking, but not much.
I'd like to steal the shots. I learned that "The French Connection II" shot almost everything exterior that way. They had hidden cameras in vans and boxes and such.

I think 'Alternative Imaging Methods' is the right place for this discussion, because I'd like to find ways to hide the camera (my very big double DV/35mm adapter from the other tread) and still know what you are filming and prevent too much light loss.

Isn't it a good idea for many people on this board who don't have a budget for exterior sets?

Note: I'm not interested in filming people who don't want to be filmed, so with a long lens on the 35mm adapter, people other than the main character should be out of focus.

[Oscar Spierenburg]

Let me be more precise:
How about the mirrored vans in which you can see through only from the inside, is it a foil which you can stick onto a box with a glass side?
Or will it look funny. Who the hell walks around with a mirrored box?

[Rob Lohman]

Ocar: after having seen your new thread I have moved your old
thread to our general forum (Open DV Discussion). I have removed
your old thread since there is no need for duplicate threads on
the same topic. Hopefully someone here has some insights for
your question(s).

[Oscar Spierenburg]

Bedankt Rob.

[Marco Leavitt]

Here's an interesting option.

http://www.mydejaview.com/

[Oscar Spierenburg]

Yes, but too bad it's low resolution.
And maybe I need to specify, because this discussion is moved from 'Alternative Imaging Methods', I'll be filming with a rather large homemade 35mm (DOF) adapter with two DV cameras (see http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...threadid=38330 for details, if interested)

I'm also thinking about some kind of unit (with the equipment covered) on a hand truck or trolley. Maybe attached to a sort of steadycam.

[Jan van den Hemel]

Hmm, I just noticed this thread and though it seems to be quite old I'd like to reply:

Oscar, I live in Antwerp and am filming in the streets all the time. At first I was worried about "stealing shots" but not anymore. We are doing an action movie and one time we even did a sword fight in a tunnel with CCTV camera's everywhere. We were filming for hours and nobody came to stop us. We were even doing kung-fu fighting where cops just passed by and didn't even look our way, etc... bottom line: nobody cares as long as you aren't putting hundreds of metres of dolly track right in the middle of the street.

So tell me, what are you shooting in Antwerp?

www.newshots.tk (trailer for my Antwerp kungfu movie)

[K. Forman]

Gee... it must be really nice in Belgium... You can end up getting arrested and questioned by the FBI for shooting over here. 9/11 really hit us hard, in more than one way.

[Oscar Spierenburg]

That's what I figured Keith.

It's odd...I saw that trailer before, I don't know when or why and just now I recognize Antwerp. That's the best thing of film, you can shoot New York in Berlin if you want.
It's the best reply I could get on my question, because my shots of a walking girl or guy (maybe both if I get really exited) in a street is far less suspicious than sword fighting. Very reassuring!
Now I hope I don't get to see people sword fighting or shooting in the background of my shots when I start editing! Jan, thanks very much, it's a nice trailer by the way.

I'm in the stage of making my second '35mm adapter' and writing a script. It's going to be a 'French' like film: a story in which the actors don't react like you think they will. A modern variant of the 'Nouvelle vage'. Some action though.
Jan, maybe we'll bump into our lenses some day on the 'Kaai' ...\

[Jan van den Hemel]

Yeah I noticed some interesting projects on your website. I've also built a 35mm adapter (with a rotating ground glass).

Let me know when you need a helping hand with your film.

[Oscar Spierenburg]

Thanks Jan, I'll keep it in mind. I'd like to offer my helping hand(s) too, but most of the times I'm in The Netherlands. But who knows.
I saw you shot allot zoomed in, is it because people don't notice who you are filming? Did you ever use a tripod on the streets?

[Jan van den Hemel]

Actually most of the interior scenes were shot in Holland, in Amsterdam to be precise. That's where half of the cast is from. I prefer shooting exteriors in Antwerp because it seems to be easier. Holland is much more crowded. (I'm Dutch, btw)

I film zoomed in often because I love the look of a long lens. We never used tripods or anything I'd normally use in the kungfu film, because I wanted it to be a playfull, fun shoot. A professional tripod is the first thing on my to buy-list, though. I did use tripods in the street on other films, even dolly rails. One time we even shot in the Central Station in Antwerp with a dolly track. That's the only time we had to get permission, and that cost about 30 euro's. It was worth it!

[Oscar Spierenburg]

I can imagine you spent the 30 euro's, the Central Station would be one of the first locations I want to shoot, if I have the guts.
Using a (DIY) steadycam would be nice too.

[Jan van den Hemel]

Actually I built a steadicam based on Peter Jackson's "Bad Taste" model. It's very cumbersome and heavy to use, I imagine real steadicam operators have to do a lot of physical exercises. Anyway I plan to really use it sometime... (I'm still practicing!)

[Oscar Spierenburg]

Jan, you need a body mount I guess, something like this: http://www.glidecam.com/product-body-pod.php
If you come across some frame-grabs from your Central Station or other 'street' footage, please let us see it.

EDIT: Did you see this steadycam by Daves Spi from the 'Alternative Imaging Methods' forum: [url]http://web.datriware.com/gfx_photos/articles/p960.jpg[/url/