Remote Cam Part 2

There are only a few sequels which live up to the original. Terminator 2, Aliens...and in some circles even Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey. Today's sequel is the second installment about setting up and running your remote camera. If you need a quick review of where we've been so far hop over to Part One. Otherwise, find a comfy chair, hit the jump and we'll get into it...



One of the first things I want to talk about has nothing to do with actually taking a photo but it's just as important. Insurance! I know, don't jump out of your chair all at once now. The fact is though, before you clamp your shiny new 1DX on the railing next to the dugout and paint a giant foul ball bulls-eye on it, you'd better make sure there's someone you can call for a check to replace it.

While we're on the exciting topic of prerequisites, it's a good idea to make sure you contact either the SID or Media Director for the event you're shooting. Chances are they'll be fine with it and even excited to see what you get. But give them the courtesy of a heads up to make sure it's fine. It's not a bad idea to make sure the umps or refs are aware of them as well and have the chance to give them a once over so they're not stopping play to tell you to remove it.  Again, most of the time they'll be fine with it but it's better to get that thumbs up well before the game starts. Finally, read and know the rules for the respective governing body you're shooting for. Summer basketball leagues probably don't care, but you'd better believe the NCAA and most other large organizations have some pretty specific rules about camera placement for certain sports.

Okay, with that out of the way let's get to the actual good stuff! You've got your shopping list together and you're ready to get to the arena EARLY and setup your remote kit. A few extra points before you leave the house: make sure you have fresh batteries and a couple of empty cards. You might get a chance to exchange cards during halftime or between innings but don't bank on it. Make sure you've got the storage to last the game. It's worth it to do a test setup at home as well. Give yourself the advantage of working the kinks out beforehand. Have your camera taped up to cover any possible distractions - that means the Canon/Nikon/PocketWizard branding.

The type of setup varies with the sport you're shooting so I'll split it up for the particulars starting with basketball. There are several popular spots for cams - on the hoop structure, on the sidelines behind the press table curtain, next to you on the floor, above the hoop and wherever else you can get creative about. When at the arena, check to see who else is using PocketWizards and make sure you are working with them to avoid interference to one another. In most tournaments you will also find a signup sheet for PW channels.

When mounting on the hoop structure you will find that a Magic Arm Kit is a necessity. If it wasn't on your shopping list before, it is now. Frankly you'll find that device invaluable for just about anywhere you're going to mount a cam.  The NCAA is getting a bit picky about cams placed behind the actual backboard so good for you if you can swing it but the top spots are further back on the support structure. At any rate, clamp your magic arm to the hoop structure and make sure your safety cable (and backup safety cable) are secure and placed so that in the event your clamp fails your gear will hang securely and harmlessly. Once you set up your shot and pre-focus, ensure your lens is set to manual focus and tape the zoom (if applicable) and focus rings in place. You definitely don't want them to move or jostle out of place. Thoroughly test the setup before you leave the floor. You won't get a chance to adjust it when game time comes around.

A special note about your PocketWizard. In the setup pictured I ran my trigger cable down the back of the support and taped the cable in place. I did this for two reasons; first it gave me ready access to my PW so I could turn it on just before the game. No need to waste batteries for the hours between setup and game time. That access also afforded me the option to change channels if necessary. Second, I didn't want my PW hanging off my camera in case an errant basketball where it would snap off not only the PW but likely damage the shoe as well. That's no good! And finally, it's pretty easy to see that I've mounted my camera upside down! No harm no foul - it's what I needed to do so I could position my cam where I wanted it for that particular setup. That's an easy fix in post.

The next specialty position I want to address is shooting from above. Depending on the arena you're shooting in that may or may not be an option, simply depending on how the arena was built. You will need to contact the arena management for this to make sure not only that access to the catwalk is open for your game in time for you to set up, but also to make sure you've got the go-ahead. This isn't usually a major obstacle, but do remember you're suspending about 10-15lbs of gear 100ft above the arena floor. It behooves you to cover all your bases. Safety first here.

Ceiling cams are triple safety-tied.

When you get up to the catwalk and find your position above your hoop of choice, clamp your Magic Arm to the railing and immediately secure it with your safety cable. Next, do the same with your camera. The concept is that your gear, if it's not around your neck, should be secured to the railing/support at all times. Beyond that, a shot from above is very similar in concept to the hoop cam - pre-focus, tape, test shots, double check safety cables. When setting your aperture, remember that DOF matters here. If the rim is in focus but the players beneath it are not, there's no good either. Don't be shy with your lens choice either. A 300mm will work very nicely up here. Triple check safety cables.

The last two basketball vantage points I'll include are along the press tables and at your feet. By now you should get the general concept: safety, mount, prefocus, test shots. For cameras along the press tables, make sure the only part showing is the lens. Keep the body of the camera, tabletop tripod and everything else hidden behind the curtain. Lastly, when you are sitting on the baseline put that cam on a stable tabletop tripod or an OmniMount type and point it at the hoop as a preset wide (or tight) shot. You can either trigger this using a PocketWizard set to "Local" and your trigger cable connected to your remote cam (which is the most practical, IMO) or you can take your trigger you made in Part 1 and attach a momentary switch to it so you can operate it by hand.

One final note about strobes. If you're fortunate enough to have strobes in the building, the same safety rules apply when you're setting them up in the catwalk. Also, and this is super important, for your camera & strobes to sync perfectly each camera, remote or not, has to trigger your strobes itself. If you try to fire your remote cam and your strobes from your local camera and expect both cameras to sync with said strobes you will find yourself out of luck. Use a PW MultiMax on your strobes so it can listen on two channels (one for when your local shutter goes and the other for when your remote shutter goes) and sync properly for each camera.

Okay, so that's basketball. But what about the other 1,000 sports?! What about the International Competitive Horseshoe League!? The good news is that everything you learned about setting up a cam for basketball is directly applicable to other sports. Whether it's a net cam in soccer or dugout cam in baseball, the concept remains the same. Now, it's time to go get your cams out there!