Would using a star filter for cinematography be too weird?

[Ryan Elder]

Oh okay, but what does a dolly have to do with the focus pulling in a master though?

[Brian Drysdale]

You don't need a static master shot, so you can use a bit longer focal length lenses if you really don''t like the background if using shorter focal length lenses, but still follow the action.

However, in the end, you've got to select the right location and that can take weeks to find.

[Ryan Elder]

Oh okay, but why don't I need to a static master shot? Are you saying to move the camera during the master? How does moving the camera help though? Wouldn't I still be pulling focus if the camera was moving or not moving?

[Brian Drysdale]

The master shot just covers all of the action in the scene, who says the cameras has to be static?

You will always need to pull the focus unless it's a very simple shot.

[Ryan Elder]

Oh it's just before I was told maybe make the cameras static in order to save on dolly set ups, that's all. So I was now having static shots in mind more, or panning and tilting on a tripod more than a dolly.

[Brian Drysdale]

All this depends on the scene, some may only consist of a single dolly shot, so a static is a waste of time, Others could be a mixture of dolly shots and static shots.

[Ryan Elder]

Oh okay, it's just I wasn't going to budget for a dolly though. Just a tripod and a gimbal, I was thinking. Should I go for a dolly as well?

[Brian Drysdale]

If you're being serious about making a feature film or anything attempting to be cinematic a dolly is something you want to have for many films. The look is different to a gimbal.

[Ryan Elder]

Oh okay, but it was said before that I was getting too carried away with camera movement, and to not concentrate so much on it. So I thought I would just stick with the gimbal shots for some of the shots, and not have movement in the rest, if I was getting too carried away?

Or should I really get the dolly to look cinematic now?

[Brian Drysdale]

You're more likely to get carried away with camera movement with a gimbal than a camera dolly.

[Ryan Elder]

Oh why is that? I have the shots laid out where I want a tripod, and the ones where I want a gimbal. Not sure if the amount would change if I was using a dolly. What if I got the one of the proaim tripod dollies, like this one:

https://www.proaim.com/collections/v...portable-dolly

With a flex track perhaps?

[Brian Drysdale]

If shooting a feature film I would hire a more serious dolly. A number of the short films here have used a Doorway dolly, you can run it on tracks if you want, but it's surprisingly smooth just on the pneumatic tyres. It's also handy for moving the gear around,

It's something that rental companies may carry in their inventory.

https://www.msegrip.com/collections/.../doorway-dolly

There are other manufacturers, you could also make one,

DIY Doorway Dolly - YouTube

I notice that by joining the Filmpool in your state you can hire kit at a cheap price. Although, I suspect there may be demand for their kit. The dolly they have isn't too expansive to buy.

[Paul R Johnson]

Master shots can be static or not - surely it depends on the purpose of the shot. They set up the location so closeups make sense. If you can do that and add interest it's a win. I always tend to find that a master shot that gets wiped out with the closer shots, was a waste of time. If the master shot is a genuinely useful one, surely that's better? If movement and even height changes makes the shot better - use it!

[Ryan Elder]

Oh okay, well I could use a dolly of some sort, maybe something like that. I was going to use a gimbal for the walking and running shots. And maybe I would use a dolly for push ins, and push outs, since those might look better on a dolly, than a gimbal.

There is also another shot where I wanted the camera to circle around someone on a long lens, which a dolly is probably better for than a gimbal, as mentioned before.

But as for shots that change height, I was planning on using the gimbal to change might, just by moving it up or down. That way I don't have to invest in a jib. So is that good, or no?

[Brian Drysdale]

You can be more precise with a jib.