Scott Bass is a practitioner of Parkour, a Photographer and Cinematographer. To those of you who have followed his work, you’ll recognise his videos “Live On” and “Constant Motion“, considered by many to be outstanding examples of Parkour Videography. His work often features well-known parkour athletes Daniel Ilabaca and Phil Doyle among others, and his unique position as a practitioner himself gives him a unique understanding of his subject, and makes filming parkour that much easier.
He keeps his videography gear simple: A Canon EOS 550D (aka Rebel T2i)
dSLR that shoots HD video, coupled with either with an 8mm prime fisheye lens set at f/5.6 or the kit 18-55mm lens.
Here are some tips on how to film Parkour action from Scott himself. You can adapt these tips for filming Martial Arts Tricking, Skateboarding and many other ‘Extreme’ sports. Also, check out some tips on how parkour can inspire your photography.
Never Change Lens/Aspect Ratio
The quickest way to make your video look amateur and in-cohesive is to film it on a multitude of cameras. Pick one lens/camera and stick with it for the whole video.
Colour Correctly
Most DV cameras tend to result in washed out footage directly from the camera (which is great for a colourist!). Throwing a few subtle effects on, especially with contrast but keep the colours at a suitable level to ensure that once it’s on youtube, it’s still nice and clear.