Filmmaking / Directing : Using a jib crane on a boat by Michael Neal

Strap it to the deck, or tech screw it there.

Rachel, Thanks, I had thought of that but was wondering more on the physics of a rolling boat and the pendulum effect of weights and an extended arm?

Do a camera test and see if you except the results

How fast is this boat going? A spring system compensates for a lot (like a steadicam arm), but I can't think of a rig outside of a technocrane that'll be able to not have some horizontal swing.

Boat at rest in the ocean swell, with the jib extended to go from an overhead shot of talent in the water to closeup of them talking

I am looking for safety issues while filming on the water. I have had a number of successful projects but want to look at potential problems before they happen.

A good thing to do. Generally, everybody wears life jackets, even if they assure you a million times they're a great swimmer. Lots of bottled water - people forget to drink in the rain and on boats. Sunscreen and Dramamine, just in case. If the boat is at rest and large, the swells shouldn't be an issue if the jib is beefy enough and the water's calm.

Thanks Rachael...

No problem. I'm sure most of this is stuff you've already thought of, posted for whomever may be reading the thread.

you may want to consider the shot you are trying to get. If you are after than really nice jib down from up high to the water... consider doing it from a pier. Or, if you have to do it from the boat, consider a gyro stabilized head for the camera. If you are doing any shooting like this, mount the rig closes to the center of the boat bow to stern and port to starboard.. it will be the spot that moves the least. Also, make sure the camera is in a waterproof casing.. it's gonna get wet at some point of another. Also... use the biggest heaviest boat you can get. Sailboats are way better than a small powerboat. Get one with a really big Keel.... it will help to keep the boat from "flopping around" in light chop. i used to do yacht delivery and was the captain of an 87' footer... trust me on this bigger, heavier, sailboat if you can't get something big enough to reduce the light chop wiggle.

As someone who has a lot of experience on boats and some experience constructing jib cranes, I think your best chance to get a decent shot without someone getting injured is to use a very large boat as Georgia suggested. I don't know all of the details of your shot, but these are my thoughts based on what you've posted so far.. In the ocean, even with a low swell or chop, both your boat and the actors won't necessarily be moving in exactly the same direction at the same time, so getting a reasonably steady wide overhead shot could be difficult, and getting the closeup could be nearly impossible. Depending on how close you're planning to get the camera to the actors, an unexpected wave could cause the camera or jib to hit an actor in the head. A larger boat will at least help to stabilize the camera, and it will also minimize the effect of the weight of the jib hanging off of the side. I don't think I would shoot off an ocean pier, because they can present a whole different set of dangers. I'd probably be considering ways to get the shot using a pool, or replacing it altogether, but I know that sometimes that's impractical as well.

Also, keep in mind that a small rocking of the boat will translate into a large movement at the end of your jib, and the effect will increase as your jib length increases.

Reply...two words,green screen

Mike, You need a gyro. There are different manufacturers out there that deliver similar instruments based off of similar patents, but the bottom line is without stabilization your shots will suffer at the end of the fulcrum. These types of systems are often used during the America's Cup coverage; they have become considerably sexy since the development of the Schwem lens in the mid-1980s. As a matter of fact, the Schwem is still available for rent in some locations in the world. http://adamdocker.blogspot.com/2010/02/americas-cup.html?m=1 http://www.aerialimage.com/kenyongyro.html http://www.tylerminigyro.com/ Good luck, and have fun, water shoots can be the best and the worst.....

Thanks Julye, As the boat operator, I agree on the part of water shoots being the best :) I am concerned both with getting the shot but more concerned with the safety of the crew and equipment. Previously I have had crews shoot on tripods, by hand, or steadycam

really.. find a pier that you can shoot facing the open water if you have to shoot in the ocean. better yet, shoot on a lake... the flatter and calmer the water the better for the shot (unless of course you are trying to shoot someone floating around in a storm.. then the jib shot is pretty much a VFX post-production build.

Thank you all for the input. I think the production company is inexperienced and I want to make sound suggestions.

You know Mike, I'm still a purist; I long to be next to the action, willingly placing myself in harms way. I'm a big believer in hand-held with things like the Tyler Minigyro, but you cannot have your crew take those types of risks because your insurance rates will soar to the stratosphere. Plus it is silly to place personnel in unnecessary circumstances. You can mount on all sorts of apparatuses on the boat and use a remote motion control system linked to a Tyler bubble system....there are a couple of producers I have worked with who have done many seasons of Top Gear in the UK and the US, if you would like I can put you in touch with them so they can send you to some key grip/rigging experts for all types of moving vehicles (air, land and sea).