Filming Guides

Filming Guidelines

General Filming Advice

Filming Advice - Motorbikes

Filming Advice - Car Track Days

Motor Racing Guide

FILMING – GENERAL ADVICE

We have put together a selection of hints and tips to make the most of your video clips, if we have missed anything out, please get in touch with us info@bikecameras.com. Everyone has different experiences, so it's good to share them. This guide is mostly aimed at the novice to intermediate user.

You must note that this is a guide only, not a rule book! We won't be held responsible if damage or injury occurs as a result of following this guide.

What do I need to begin?

What do I need for better results?

Things to consider before filming

Filming

Safety

What do I need to begin?

Bullet Camera

Suitable Recorder (Camcorder or Solid State Mini Recorder)

Mount (Velcro / Suction Cups or Clamps)

What do I need for best results?

Digital Camcorder - MiniDV, DVD etc.ideally with AV in and out and an optional wide angled lens.

The two images below show the same shot through a camcorder mounted on the headrest, firstly without, and then with a wide angled lens. You can see that with the wide angle you can see more in shot, and would be able to capture more of the driver. Mounting the camera on the rear window or rear headrest will also allow more of the cabin area to be captured in shot.

Standard fitted Canon camcorder lens

Same camcorder with optional wide angled lens

Mount - a good suction mount will allow a selection of shots, although may not be allowed
for racing or trackdays. In which case, a fixed mount will be better, although more limited
for variety of shots.

Bullet Camera - Often known as a lipstick camera due to it's shape, a bullet camera
connects to your camcorder through the AV in port. It has it's own power supply, usually running off AA batteries or the car battery, and usually comes with its own microphone that can be positioned a distance away from the lens. Due to their small size, lack of weight, weather resistant and wide angle, bullet cameras can give better results than using a camcorder only.

Editing software - This often comes with the camcorder, common programs used are from Pinnacle, Adobe or Microsoft. Features such as 'window in window' are worth looking out
for to give multiple views at once. I prefer using Pinnacle Studio, and all of the video clips made by ourselves on this site were made using this program.
Windows XP users can download and use Windows movie maker for free, which is a good basic programme, but you will soon find the limits of this, and want more powerful features.

Tripod or Fig Rig (Steady Cam) for steady passing shots or stills.

Digital camera - Photos edited into the movie can be effective. Even a relatively cheap digital camera (under £200) will give good results, certainly more than enough for web quality video. Most camcorders have the ability to take still images.

Spare battery - Very frustrating to have put the time aside to film to find the battery on your camcorder is flat, or won't last more than 20 minutes. Well worth investing in the largest capacity battery you can, that way you know you will have enough power all day.

Things to Consider before filming

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Check the weather forecast is suitable for the effect you want to create. If using a tape
format take care the temperatures are not too cold. Electrical components can be
damaged by the elements and sunlight, follow care instructions given the manufacturers.
Be aware that air rushing past the camera equipment is likely to make things cold even
in a fairly warm climate, so warm batteries in your pocket before use. Rubber suction
mounts will not stick as well in the cold weather.

Clean your car inside and out, firstly to get it looking at its best and secondly so your
sucker mount will cling to your car without risk of damage, or scratching the paint. I have never experienced any damage before by following this point in particular.

Time of week/year - A hot summer Bank Holiday is unlikely to be the best time to carry
out filming unless at an event, everywhere is simply too busy. Mid week is best for many types of filming.

Location - nice scenery works well, dual carriageway doesn't! Private roads or track will allow you to film legally higher speeds and risky manoeuvres.

Have an idea about what sort of shot you would like to get before you leave.

Having a *patient, *interested assistant will allow you more choice of shot and possibly
a better finished result. *This is often NOT your partner! Even better if the other person has a vehicle they will allow you to mount your camera on.

Make sure you have remembered everything you might need - spare tape/disc, batteries (charged!), lens cleaner, tripod, mounts, remote control, clean rag and water to clean surface before using suction mount etc. etc.

Filming

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I have found that filming as much as possible works well, to give you plenty of choice of clips when editing. I still find that from an hours filming I can only expect to get 5 minutes of useable footage.

For the most interesting results, move the mounting position of your camcorder often. A selection of shots is more watchable than just one. Most effective shots are when the camera is mounted very low to help give an illusion of speed, or pointing at the wheels, or behind the car.

Make sure you check your camera is still recording frequently, and play back a few seconds of video to be sure your microphone is still working etc.

Check your lens often for debris, water, flies etc.

Don't take too many risks. Filming can make a normally sensible driver suddenly go mad in an effort to get exciting footage! Be aware of this.....!

Safety
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Safety when filming is of great importance for your personal, legal and financial health! Some of this may be obvious, but no harm in mentioning it again. The below is NOT a comprehensive list, and should not be regarded as a legal document, more as guidance. If in any doubt then consult appropriate authorities. For safety advice please contact us if you have any query about using equipment for particular purposes.

The next six points has been kindly contributed by a customer, who is a retired BBC cameraman.

If filming at side of road - (especially "country roads")

1) I always stick out a couple of warning triangles (about 200 metres either side of location - out of shot of course) just to warn people that something is not "normal".

2) Always wear a hi-viz vest make sure you are seen by other drivers.

3) Helps to have two or three (interested!!) helpers checking road is clear (positioned at or further than triangles and in hi viz jackets) when filming - can use two way radios, which are cheap nowadays, or mobiles.

4) Trouble is all this inevitably attracts unwanted attention - have a cover story ready - I always say I am doing a traffic survey for the council (helped by hi viz jacket!!) - they soon lose interest and go away.

5) Be VERY aware that when other drivers see you they may think you are a speed trap or similar - be aware of other drivers braking suddenly.

6) Best time to film to avoid problem I reckon is early on a Sunday morning - traffic lighter then.

Legal

When on public roads you need to be aware of personal privacy of others, they may not be happy to be the star of your movie! Some areas, particularly MOD may prohibit photography of any kind, and you risk property confiscation and prosecution.

When on track you need to check if you need to sign a permission form to film or photograph. The form usually means you are agreeing to non use of your films for commercial purposes. Trackdays strictly prohibit the use of timing equipment as it will invalidate their vital insurance. Camcorders all have a built in timer when filming (to show how much tape remains), which can be used to determine your lap times, though this s not something you shuld mentin on the trackday or even afterwards!

Some individuals may not wish to have their number plates shown, be aware of this, and be prepared to mask this when editing, or not to show their bike/car at all

Obey the rules and speed limits of the road and track, have courtesy for others.

Personal and Financial

To many people, the thought of attaching an expensive camera to a fast moving car may seem a little alien! However, I have yet to have any problems with cameras falling off, and much of our range have been thoroughly tested on track at high speeds. I put this down to -

Using the right piece of equipment for the right shot - you can't expect a small suction mount to support a large professional camcorder on the door of a dirty car at 150mph, it won't stay there for long!

Make sure the surface you are attaching the mount to is clean, dry, solvent and grease free. It is a good idea to bring a selection of soft, lint free cloths and a bottle of water to wash away any dust from panels you may wish to attach the camera to. Take care not to scratch your paintwork.

Any equipment you are using must be securely attached, ideally using a tether which is attached to an item of sturdy bodywork if outside - door frame, boot, wing mirror (depending on design). The same applies if attached to the inside, you don't want a 3kg camera and mount to become loose when braking hard!
Trackday companies may well insist on a fixed mount instead of a suction mount - check.
The above few sentences are vital to prevent damage and injury to yourself, your equipment, your car and others who may be following.

Make sure the equipment is well looked after, with all moving parts moving freely, screw threads clean, and suction cups cleaned regularly with a very mild solution of lukewarm soapy water, and then dried thoroughly. (The dishwasher is not suitable!)

Check your equipment regularly when filming for stone chips/mud or flies on the lens, and most importantly to check the mounting is secure. Just because your mount has previously lasted for an hour on the exterior of the car in the past doesn't mean it will always do this, many factors can affect the grip of a mount. So check, and check again, every minute if you have to for piece of mind!

Be aware that a camera attached to your car will attract attention, and can be enough to distract other drivers - be aware of their driving.

If you are stopping between filming shots and moving aware from the car, be sure to hide the equipment away from prying eyes.

Think of your cars health - filming at high pace will increase the operating temperatures of your vehicles water, oil and brakes. Having finished a shot allow yourself a cool down drive of a mile or two, ideally with minimal brake and accelerator use. Once you have come to a stop, don't use the handbrake, instead, put the car into gear and switch off the engine. Lifting the bonnet will help excess heat to escape. Check your fluid levels regularly, and maintain your car in good working order. When you restart, remember you left the car in gear!

Everyone likes to have impressive footage to show others, and the temptation is to drive as hard as possible to get this. Don't exceed the limits of the law, your car or own ability to do this! Try mounting your camera low down, in a variety of angles, with an external microphone mounted in the foot-well to get exciting footage at more sensible speeds.

Editing
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This can really make a difference to your finished result, and as style is such a personal thing it's difficult to give advice here, there is no right or wrong.

Transitions - normal fade and wipes work well, some of the strange swirls and stars effects can look a bit cheesy. Stick to just a few, rather than trying out the whole repertoire of your editing software!

Keep the titles looking the same throughout.

Lots of short clips are better than a few long ones, especially if they show different angles.

Mix in a few still photos.

Music - Can really bring a video clip alive, be aware of copyright laws, especially when sharing your clips on the web. I find picking a song that suits can be one of the hardest parts.

There you go, I will be adding to this guide at times, as I'm finding I learn something new (and hopefully improving) every time I use on board camera video equipment.