If you’re looking to add cinematic car shots to a video, you have come to the right place. We discuss the top 6 shots you’ll need. In this 5 minute read we will go over your choices depending on your budget.
HOW TO GET THE SHOT:
HOW FILMING CARS CAN ELEVATE YOUR MUSIC VIDEO
INTERESTING SHOTS MAKE GOOD VIDEOS
In today’s society, it’s hard to keep people’s attention for more than 20 seconds. If your video is too slow, or boring, your viewer will be unstimulated…Those who are watching most likely will skip past your video on to the next unless you can grab their attention.
In order for your video to stand out and keep your viewers attention, you’ll need to make it interesting.
One tried and true way to do that is by adding car scenes to your video.
Simple put, Cars….. are great eye candy. They also add movement, which can be more interesting that a static tripod shot.
Classics, exotics, lowriders, and sportscars. So many flavors to choose from.
Using a badass whip to match your video is a great way to spice up the production value. Depending on the musical genre of the video and vibe you’re going for it can add a lot to the story.
We recently were on set shooting for the music video for Fuerza Regida – entitled ‘Descansando’. At the time of writing this blog it has over 79 million views , not bad for engagement.
In this music video, there was a storyline where cars were a major part of the story. In the end it helped create a good story that went along with the song to make a solid body of work.
In this article we’ll talk about 5 popular car shots commonly used in videos and how to achieve each look. Once you decide which shots you want to create, the next step is figuring out how to get the shots. There are many ways to shoot cars but you’ll have to decide how professional you want them to look as well as what your budget is for your video.
The TOP 6 most popular cars shots in videos are:
- DRONE TRACKING SHOT (AERIAL)
- PASSENGER SIDE WINDOW SHOT
- INSIDE CAR SHOT
- HOOD PERSPECTIVE SHOT
- BEHIND CAR TRACKING SHOT
- DRONE ORBIT SHOT
Drone Tracking Shot: One of the most classic shots is the car tracking shot. With drone technology getting better by the day, this is one of the most cost effective and easy ways to get amazing movement shots from all angles of the car. Typically this shot will be following the car from behind, above or the side.
Passenger Side Window Shot: This shot is usually a side profile of those inside the car. This shot gives the audience a closer view to who is inside the car. Unlike the drone view this gives us a view of the characters in the story. The shots can be sequenced alongside drone shots for higher production value.
Inside car Shot: This shot is taken from inside the car from many angles. The backseat, the dashboard, the speedometer, or anything else that adds to the storyline.
Hood perspective shot: Another popular shot is the hood perspective. This is a shot aimed at the driver , the passenger, or a symmetrical shot of both driver and passenger. The opposite of this shot (from the trunk) is a great shot option.
Behind car tracking shot: One of the most popular shots may be the tracking shot. Usually shot following the back of the car from about 3 feet from the ground. This dynamic shot can show a lot of moments from the road being so close to the camera. This shot differs from the drone tracking shot as it is more dynamic from the unique perspective to the ground.
Drone orbit shot: Made popular in car commercials. The orbit shot stays locked on the car and orbits around it to reveal the environment. This type of shot can but done while the car is driving as well as if its parked and
So now that we have dialed in popular car shots, how do we achieve them? After you dial in which shots you are looking to add to your video, you gotta look at your budget and resources to decide what methods you will use to achieve the shots. For the sake of simplicity, we will separate the shots from lowest to highest price. The quality of the shots will increase the more heavy duty equipment you use to achieve.
The 4 best ways to film Car Driving shots:
- HANDHELD SHOTS
- DRONE
- CAR MOUNT
- RUSSIAN ARM OR ADVANCED GIMBAL SYSTEM
Handheld filming: Lowest price
If you don’t have much of a budget your only option is to shoot all shots handheld or on a tripod. We don’t recommend hanging out the car with your camera, but that’s pretty much the idea…….Attempt at your own risk and keep safety in mind.
Although these shots are more dangerous to execute, with a few safety harnesses you can pull them off if you’re willing to risk it. You’d be surprised how many creative shots you can get doing handheld shots from another vehicle. Just remember to always use precaution and strap yourself down if you’re doing anything risky.
The cons of this shot is that it is very hard to hold a camera steady when a car is moving and we don’t recommend using this option. However if you don’t have a budget for a car mount or russian arm, you’ll have to make the best of it. Keep in mind this method is reserved for indie filmmaking and will usually not give you the highest quality image.
Drone Filming:
For those that have a bigger budget to work with, adding drone shots into the production is a good option for getting some drone shots. We shoot all footage on Professional drones like the DJI Inspire 2. This gives us the ability to change lenses and get shots at different focal lengths.
Drones are great because the setup time is not that long and they add dynamic movement to your video. The problem with drones is that they only can get so close to the car. Drones are meant to be flown and the closer you fly to the vehicle you may risk crashing. FPV style drone is also becoming more popular for car scenes and with a skilled pilot you can capture soe amazing footage. For those looking to shoot closer to the vehicle you may need to mount the cameras to the car or use a russian arm system.
Car Mounts and Stabilizers
For those who seek higher quality imagery , you’ll have to use car mounts and professional stabilizers. This usually requires a multi team operation. To achieve shots like the Passenger side window shot and other tracking shots from the ground level, you need to mount the camera to another car and drive alongside the subject.
Russian Arm
For the sake of this music video we used a russian arm attached to a Porsche. We had a team of 4 people (driver , focus puller , crane operator , Camera Operator)
This option will give you the best results however is the most expensive.
CONCLUSION
Car shots can make your video much more exciting to watch. If you first figure out what shots you need then decide how to get them based on your budget. At DREAMVISION Media we have a team of specialists that can help execute your vision. Contact us today.
