How to shoot people walking

How to Shoot people walking

Tracking: A great way to capture the movement of walking, is to use a tracking shot. A tracking shot is simply moving the camera along a rail or track whilst filming. This is great for a number of uses, but fantastic if you move the camera along following your walking subject.

This is a brilliant example from Orson Welles' "Touch of evil"

This is an exceptional example of a tracking shot. With a very creative use, this shot became an iconic scene in film history (the couple begin walking at 1:30). My only negligence towards this scene,  though it is from another era, is the lack of rhythm and variety, but more on that later.

Dolly and Handheld:  These two types of shots can have a similar effect as a tracking shot. A dolly, is simply a base on wheels that you would put your camera onto to allow smooth non restricted (by a track) movement. Handheld is in the name, a shot holding the camera by hand, the camera goes where you do. There are many tools such as steady cam and shoulder mounts to smooth handheld, but the idea is always the same. The big difference between the two is that a dolly (and a track) give a very prepared and measured look; whereas, handheld can give a livelier, closer to the action feel.

Variety: This is something Orson Welles' scene falls down on; Variety is crucial in any walking, running or chase scene. If there is no variety, people lose interest and most importantly begin the be pulled out of the film and story. Having variety such as filming a persons feet, then a mid shot and into a wide gives the audience a sense of what the protagonist is doing, where they are and where they are going. Even in a seemingly slow scene, it is still needed for those same reasons, and if chosen carefully, your scene will still appear slow.

Here is an example of variety from a little film I made with some friends.



Master shot: This isn't necessarily vital, but it is definitely something I would include in a walking scene. A master shot, is a shot that contains all the action that happens in a scene. You can cut away to CU's etc. but, you'd generally come back to the master shot for a point reference, to stop the audience getting confused with geometry and action.

LS, MS CU's etc: This cuts into the territory of variety a little, but feel it is important to mention these specifics. MS (Mid shot) is very useful for determining characters, characters such a protagonist or signifying other roles if they are walking in a group. A CU (close up) is a great tool for showing and even exaggerating a characters expressions and feelings. When going this close in a walking scene, it can be nice to use a slight handheld look retaining some of the movement you may lose in a tight shot. LS (Long shot/Wide) can be utilised to show the audience the character's environment and surroundings. In an LS, any movement from tools like dollies, will be most visible. There are no real rules to the angles you should use in a walking scene, these are simply things to bare in mind, its always great to be creative with shots in a scene like this.

The line: Don't cross the line (unless you really know what your doing)! The line is a simple rule; When shooting a person walking, you only really have 180˚ to play with. If you go past those 180˚ your central character will look as if they have changed direction and you will disorientate the viewer. This rule is also applied to conversations, cars, and many other areas. However, much like the shots listed above, it is simply a guideline, you can play around and break the rule if that is your intention, it's simply something to keep in mind.

Basically, I believe that all of these 'rules' are very much strong guidelines; it makes perfect sense to follow them and it doesn't mean you're not be 'original' if you do. Experiment with all the rules in place and experiment making a scene without them and see what fits you and your style but more importantly, the scene. I strongly believe that you should be using angles and shot types to fit the story, the rhythm and the scene, not just because they exist.

-Joe