Counter Tracking

Counter Tracking is an alternative to tracking with action. Instead of following the direction an artist takes, you track against them to create a more dynamic and forceful image.


EXECUTION
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When staging a running scene, many directors set up a tracking shot to follow the artists trajectory. That's a legitimate choice, but there is another option that allows you to ramp up the speed and add more tension to the shot. It's called counter tracking and it works like this; you set up your track parallel to the artists line of action. However, instead of following the artists trajectory with the dolly, you start at the other end of the track and run against them. 

THE EFFECT
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This creates two dynamic effects:


1. Acceleration: the speed of the artist plus the speed of the dolly Doubles the overall velocity of the action. This makes the running scene feel more urgent and forceful.
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2. Tension: the opposing directions create a sense of visual friction. This elicits a feeling of conflict and discordance in the scene.
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Counter tracking works well in chase scenes or when a character is racing against the clock. It doesn't work so well when the character is just going for a jog or involved in a practical activity.
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Thanks for reading. 

Odyssey Films Blog: Introduction

Hi There

My name is Simon and I'm the proprietor of Odyssey Films. Over the coming months I'm going to blog about the language of the moving image. There are a couple of terms i'm going to use throughout my blogs which I want to clarify now for the sake of further discussions. They are: 

Motion Aesthetics (the way in which motion affects our thoughts and emotions), and:

Motion Perception (our ability to perceive and interpret movement)

When we watch a film or video production, there are several types of motion that directly affect us, namely:

1. Camera motion (the way the camera moves within its environment)

2. Staging (the way an actor or model moves within their setting)

3. Editing (the way we cut around an image and transition through time)

The first chapter of my blog will focus on the how camera movement helps to influence our emotions. Motion perception is directly hardwired into our brains, and as you will come to learn, this motion can have a profound influence on our attention and emotional state. The greater your understanding of motion aesthetics, the greater your ability to influence the viewers emotional experience.

I'm going to show you how powerful this tool can be, and how in the right hands it can captivate an audience and entice customers to your product / service. Whether you're making a corporate video, commercial or feature film, its essential you understand the art of motion aesthetics. 


If you want to keep up to date with my articles on motion photography, then follow my blog via email or join as a member using the options in the upper right hand column. 
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Thanks for reading.