Camera Choreographie

I want to share one of my basic exercises in working with a moving camera:

I got inspired with this in my first video and dance workshop by Lutz Gregor and Ka Rustler, I guess 1996, in Cologne.

Since I teach myself "video//dance", "moving camera", "perception" and "documentation", I use camera choreography as a basic exercise. This could be done at any stage of experience. It always sharpens your perspective.

The task is to create a one minute imagined film, with a clear starting image and a clear final frame.

To help yourself in deciding on a frame you can use either a paper roll or a cut out frame. Be aware that already here a difference in the width of the frame appears caused by the difference of a tube to a two dimensional paper.

With this frame you decide on a starting image of your imaginary film.

From the starting image you develop a camera choreography in the space moving along structures or little events you can create yourself.

If there are other people in space working as well, don't make them part of your film unless you negotiate with them. They will probably move.

Make sure that you learn your choreography by heart and that you can repeat it. You have to make decisions on distance towards the structures you a "filming", about dynamics of your movement, rhythm and so on. Use your body as the source of movement knowledge, if you want to be close to something, move towards it. Memorise your movements.

In the next step you meet someone and you explain your "film", your choreography to this person. Imagine that she or he will be your camera person. She has to know the frame of the image, dynamics of movement etc. Make sure that the person you are teaching your film takes your physical place in space in order to understand your perspective. Even 50cm aside might cause an important shift.

Finally the couple will act out the two pathway they got in unison. The rest of the group can try to imagine what they are focusing on, how their film might look like and they will experience the difference to their own "film".

I enjoy watching the camera couple moving with each other in space on the pathway of their camera choreography. A choreography of two bodies moving through space along a clear task - .