10/10's - Ten Lists of Ten Tips for Digital Filmakers & Professional Videographers
Ten Tips on Shooting Extreme Sports - Continued

6. Lighting. What time of day will you shoot and where is the sun. Sometimes its better to shoot in the early morning. As the sun moves overhead, you move further to one direction opposite the shadow so your natural light stays on the subject as the day progresses. If you are shooting midday, get to higher ground, and shoot at a 30-degree downward angle because the light being cast will at least shine down and you won't get so much shadow.

7. Perspective. Tighten the frame for smaller waves or tricks. For larger scenes widen the frame to give the viewer a perspective of the obstacle and degree of difficulty. If a skater is going to Ollie a hand rail and clear a few steps, tighten the shot, however if the skater is going to Ollie a hand rail with 25 stairs, make sure you show the stairs so the view sees the difficulty.

8. Have a solid tripod, the heavier the better. When shooting in the elements you have to deal with unstable ground, wind, snow, reefs, and dirt. Use a nice fluid head because as you pan, you want the action to be very smooth. Nothing worse then watching fast action with jerky or shaky pan.

9. Get coverage. Shoot road signs, jumps, bumps, kickers, trees, mountains, waves, birds, or anything that will identify your location. Also get a couple locked down shots for at least 10 seconds. You want to make sure you have plenty of footage just in case you need to fill that 2 second gap or help tell your story.

10. Have a great time. Always be encouraging to the athletes. Smile and be supportive. It will reflect in your finished product. If people have a good time when your around, then you will be sought after again and again. CPM

Andrew Herbison is an indie surf filmmaker. He worked with Blutorch TV as a videographer and segment producer. He also worked with RedRhino Creative as a video editor and motion graphics designer for Toyota's national and regional commercials. Currently, he is a boring surfer who is just writing TV and movie scripts in Ojai, CA.

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