A Change of Plan

Although I had begun to look at creating a Sports Documentary, I have changed my mind and will now be developing ideas within the social realism genre. I will be looking into youth culture because as a young person I feel as though I will be able to relate to characters more to be able to build a stronger and more interesting storyline. Though I liked the idea of filming biking, I have little to no experience with it and would be difficult to produce a piece I was satisfied with when filming on a schedule.

Conventional Downhill Biking Cinematic Shots

First Person Shots

First person shots are used to show the intensity of the sport from the unique angle of the rider. This brings the visual to life and helps to immerse the viewer adding to the escapism. 

Mid-shots

Mid shots are used in the documentary style videos. They are used to get interesting shots of interviews and character profiles.

Slow Motion

Slow motion is important as it can prolong particularly impressive shots of events such as jumps and crashes. Often these shots are slowed to more than %50 of the original speed and will have no background music to build suspense and tension.

Arial Shots

Arial shots, or shots from above are used to give the viewer an understanding of the terrain and often beautiful landscape on which the bikers race. These shots are often filmed with drones from hundreds of feet, however a similar effect could be achieved with zoom from a high point looking down.

Panning Shots

Downhill is a very fast sport, it would be difficult for anyone to accurately track a biker from any angle other than by using a panning shot.  

Zoom shots:

Linked with the panning shot, camera-workers often use this shot to keep the bikers in frame from long distances, zooming out as they race into the foreground.