Quick Tip: Set Yourself Up For The Hardest Part of the Shot
This will be a little esoteric without a specific example, but hopefully the idea comes through. When you are doing a shot that requires a lot of physical movement–handheld, a huge pan on a head where you need to walk around the dolly or sticks, even a steadicam shot–walk through the motions and set yourself up so that you make the hardest part of the shot as easy at it can be.
There’s always a little ballet that happens with most shots and the best way to figure that out is, once you know the shot and without the actors but including any dolly booms or anything that might change your body position, imagine the shot and move through the physical motions that you will have to undertake. This will allow you to see what your body will need to do and to adjust how you are standing, holding the camera, etc. Then, once you think you have a good idea, run the shot.
An example. You are on sticks and a head and you need to do a shot where the camera pans from the 12 o'clock position all the way around to the 9 o'clock position (so 270 degrees or so) and then holds for a nice solid lockoff. One option is to simply walk around the sticks as you pan, but this is going to create all sorts of extra body movement that will translate to the shot itself (or at least that you will have to make sure doesn't translate). So, setting up your body in such a way that you can keep your feet planted is the best way to go. Assuming you have the physical attributes and length needed to pull this off, your best bet is to set your body in the final position and then pan back through the shot and see if you can accomplish it from there. This way, you are straining, and most likely very uncomfortable in your first position, but you will only be there for a second or two at the head of the shot. As the actor walks around the room, you will pan and the shot will only become physically easier as you go, ending in a very easy to maintain position at the end of the shot, where you will be holding a lockoff for 30 seconds.
A similar idea is with a handheld shot. Look at the part of the shot that will be the hardest–holding the camera static for 30 seconds, holding an extreme angle for a long time–and reverse-engineer the rest of the shot from there so you know you are the most comfortable for the toughest part of the shot, thereby setting yourself up for success.
