Fast moving crowd & main subjects in slow motion?

[The-Video-Company.co.uk]

I saw a clip, and absolutely loved it.

The main subjects were walking in slow motion, when everyone around them were going about their business as usual.

Is this a blue screen effect, or something completely different?

I would love to use it in a short film.

[Z Cheema]

Could be blue screen, what we have done in the past on the odd pop video is to get them to move/sing at half or double speed speed then adjust the clip up to the right speed, everyone in slow mo/fast while the singer is sort of normal.

[The-Video-Company.co.uk]

Of course, get the main subjects to move really slowly and everyone else to move normally. When it's speeded up, it looks as if everyone is rushing around.

This could also be used in the opposite way, having everyone else moving slowly, whilst the main subjects rush around.

Thanks Z Cheema.

[branny]

You'll see this a lot on TV ads. The subject stands perfectly still, or moves in excagerrated slow movements, amongst a normal crowd of people.
Speed it up four times and the effect is quite funny.

[stoo]

another way of doing this is using motion control cams and then making a composite image

[The-Video-Company.co.uk]

Stoo - Tell me more.

Please.

[RichardB]

Well, a motion control camera is a robot rig which can precisely repeat camera movement: normally you go into a studio where the rig is based, but there are portable ones which can be brought to you.

The camera movements are fed in, either as co-ordinates, or camera track data from 3D or matchmoving software, or by getting the operator to create the handheld movement for the rig. You can then shoot a clean backplate, and layer as many composite passes as you want over the top.

Yhey're good for composites, retrofiitng live action into existing CGI space, or already shot footage, timelapse, minature work, etc etc. I'd disagree with Stoo that slow motion in a crowd is a good motion control subject just because of the amount of keying out you'd have to do, it's so much easier, and cheaper, to do it as an in-camera effect.

Last motion control rig I used was via The Mill, who I would thoroughly recommend.

[mits]

If your budget doesn't stretch to motion control & Matchmover you can achieve the same thing with a locked off camera. As Richard B. said, you need to do three main passes :-

1. Clean background - no people

2. Background people

3. Foreground person(s)

To save on post headaches, plan the movement beforehand so that "background" people don't cross in front of or behind your subject...If they do you'll need to be doing a lot of frame by frame matteing!! If you're shooting dv it would be worth taking a laptop with you to do some rough tests at the time.

ps. Locked off includes focus and iris!! (granny? eggs? sorry!)

Good luck if you try it - just needs a bit of forethought and planning...

Just read your profile - you're just up the road so let us know if you have a shot!

[stoo]

I think this has been fully covered now!!!

[The-Video-Company.co.uk]

Cool guys, thanks very much for all the advice.

I think the motion control camera rig is a little bit too complex, and time consuming for what I want to achieve. However, it is something I will at least read more about.

I think I'll dabble with both Z Cheema's & _sarcoma_'s suggestions, and find what is most suitable.

Also nice to know your close by _sarcoma_. Where are you located?

[mits]

Three junctions along from you - Edinburgh.

[The-Video-Company.co.uk]

Cool.

Edinburgh's practically the same place now.

[The-Video-Company.co.uk]

Sarcoma, I'm sorry but I deleted your e-mail address.

Anyway, thanks for the last post about hiring gear.