Shooting Action Sports: The Ultimate Guide to Extreme Filmmaking

268 Pages·2007·16.43 MB·English

by  Todd Grossman

Shooting Action Sports
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Shooting Action Sports:
The Ultimate Guide to Extreme Filmmaking
Todd Grossman
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Copyright © 2008 Todd Grossman. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
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To my family. With love, and appreciation.
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Contents
Preface ix
Acknowledgment xi

1.
A History of Action Sports and Filmmaking 1

2.
The Tools of Action-Sports Filmmaking 17

3.
Project Development 47

4.
Working on Location 63

5.
Camera Angles, Lenses, and Framing 77

6.
Shooting Techniques 107

7.
Documentary vs. Reality 135

8.
Storytelling Techniques 149

9.
Postproduction 167
vii
CONTENTS

10.
Distribution 195

11.
Big-Set Production: An Overview 213

12.
The Future of Action-Sports Filmmaking 239
Index 251
viii
Preface
What is the difference between a camera operator and a cameraman?
In 2006, I found myself working on a TV show for Intuitive Entertain-
ment with cinematographer I-Li Chen. He was the fi rst person I had
ever encountered who could not only sum up the difference but also the
importance of this difference. His explanation was as follows:
“Camera operators shoot what they’re told, when they’re told; they
are more or less a tool with little or no creative input. Cameramen are
a bit of a director as well. They are always watching and listening to
everything that is happening. They are looking for moments, feeling the
energy in a room, and identifying the story in what they are shooting.
A cameraman will always capture the best moments.”
I-Li hit the nail on the head with this statement. I’ve always found
that people like to keep one eye closed while shooting fi lm and video.
Now granted, there are circumstances in which this is best to do;
however, I fi nd that most of the time, you are better off leaving your
“non-eyepiece” eye open. The reason is exactly what I-Li said. With
your other eye open, you will be able to seek out and fi nd not just other
moments that are brewing around you, but you’ll also see what is hap-
pening just outside the edges of your frame.
In the summer of 2006, at what TransWorld SKATEboarding referred
to as “The Best Skateboard Contest Ever” — The Vans Pro-Tec Pool
Party in Orange, California — 200 of the best top pro and retired old-
school ramp and pool riders showed up to compete in the enormous
ix