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Need advice on how to shoot a legal video…
Hello,
I was recently approached by a lawyer representing a client that is in need of a video production company to create a video showing that 400 feet is not that far of a distance. The client had shot video himself with a little handy-cam, and told me that the distance appeared much further when shot with his camera than the distance actually was.Are there any techniques that anyone can share with me to compress distance? I am sure I will need to show the 400 foot distance from all angles and perspectives. I just need the distance to look like a short distance… or at the very least like 400 feet.
Also, there is to be NO EDITING OR MANIPULATION of any kind on this footage. I must present the court with original raw tapes for evidence…
Thank you for any advice or techniques!
~Bryce -
2 Replies
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Oh man, this is a hot one, optically speaking. The first thing I would want to think about is to use a lens that most closely approximates the field of view and other characteristics of an average human eye. No zooms, and the biggest issue perhaps for this case is the mechanical lens and the human perception of what the eye give it are radically different in terms of depth-of-field perception. If you can’t get these two issues locked down in a scientific manner, the other lawyer will easily get your footage thrown out as inadmissible.
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You need to make sure that your focal length (zoom) is set to the same position for everything. Normally, we would start at 50mm on a 2/3″ camera. not sure about others.
Steve Wargo
Tempe, Arizona
It’s a dry heat!Sony HDCAM F-900 & HDW-2000/1 deck
5 Final Cut (not quite PRO) systems
Sony HVR-M25 HDV deck
2-Sony EX-1 HD .
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