ABSTRACT

Special circumstances and practices 17 SHOOTING ON MOVING VEHICLES The standard method of shooting a scene in a moving car is to put the car on a low-riding flatbed

trailer-a process trailer-and tow the trailer (Figure 17.1A). The trailer rides low to the ground so that the height of the car above the pavement looks normal to the camera. The tow vehicle is

equipped with a sound-baffled generator and various rails and platforms to which lights and cameras

can be mounted. The largest trailers for this purpose have wings that can attach to either or both sides

and are so wide that they require two lanes. The wings provide room for the camera, lights, and nec-

essary crew. A limited number of crew are permitted to ride on a trailer and tow vehicle. It usually

works out well to tie HMI ballasts to the speed-rail frame around the roof of the cab of the tow

vehicle. Run cables along the speed rail, keeping them neatly tied and out of the way. Be sure that

nothing will slip loose, rattle, drag, or get under the tires when the car gets on the road. The camera

may be on the platform or mounted to the side door or the hood of the car, or mounted to the tow

vehicle. Some very specialized vehicles support the camera on a crane arm, which makes placing

the camera a relatively easy task and provides an opportunity to approach a driving scene with some

dynamic camera moves (Figure 17.1B).