Forums » Directing

How can I film a chasing scene with a low budget?

    • 43 posts
    March 21, 2022 3:20 AM PDT

    I have an assignment to film a film scene using my own gear. The problem that me and my colleagues have at this point is that we are all on a small budget, meaning we all have a smartphone and a gimbal for that smartphone.

    The chasing scene can be a car chasing scene, a bicycle or a running chasing scene. The scene can contain maximum 3 people (1 chasing another one, or two chasing another one)

    • 27 posts
    March 21, 2022 3:23 AM PDT

    You need to get creative. Improvise. Use what you have. For example, one person can be good at parkour and the other two can run after that person the normal way. You will need to film multiple shots from behind them, side ways and in front of them. Use the zoom function of the phone for closeups (like when the parkour person touches the wall or something right before performing a stunt). You could find parkour enthusiasts on local groups from your town - I heard you live in Berlin, there are plenty of parkourists there. Good luck!

    • 397 posts
    March 21, 2022 3:31 AM PDT

    I once went to a training on how to shoot content using your smartphone and gimbal and someone made a demonstration. It used a gimbal (Dji Osmo Mobile 2), it's very simple to use.

    There were 3 characters involved: Character A was running, character B was chasing A. A got into a taxi and got away. The person who was shooting the scene used rollers. He was also holding the gimbal upside down, filmed from the ground their running shoes on the concrete, then the image slowly got up to their face. It was a 2 minutes long scene. I searched for something similar on youtube but I could not find it :)

    • 43 posts
    March 21, 2022 3:31 AM PDT

    Thanks for the suggestions, Oskar and Maura! I should start looking for parkour enthusiasts, since that is a really good idea! 

    • 19 posts
    August 5, 2022 3:12 AM PDT

    I saw a youtube tutorial a few days ago, sadly I cannot find the link, where a few teenagers were filming a chasing scene. One of them was holding the phone in a device, I believe it was called a Gimbal and he had speed skates in his feet. The first actor got into a taxi, the other got into a car. He filmed both cars then he got a hold of the second car, which was a bit dangerous if you ask me. In the end, nobody got hurt and they got a very nice chasing scene. Basically, when the second car was moving, he was moving as well because he was using speed skates.