Movie Makers (Jan-Dec 1953)

REELING THE RODEO What, where and when to film in recording the Wild West's favorite sport ORMAL I. SPRUNGMAN, ACL 209 Photograph i by Onnal I Sprungnuo, iCL >/ RIDE 'em, cowboy!" Whether it's Pendleton, Cheyenne, BEHIND-TH horns, wi Calgary or more civilized roundups in the Middlewest and East, that cry has a familiar ring. To the amateur movie maker, it's sweet music, for few sports offer the variety of thrills and hangup action found in reeling the rodeo. I know. For I have filmed them plenty. It's a challenge to ingenuity and steady nerves to stand pat inside the arena, with your camera focused on a twisting, snorting, kicking, stiff-legged "outlaw" bearing down upon you with a sombrero-waving cowhand aboard. Although arena privileges are often granted to bona fide photographers willing to take the risk, most amateurs prefer the safety of the grandstand or the fenceline when doing their roundup recording. Both 8mm. and 16mm. are ideal for rodeo filming, and the magazine loading type is particularly handy to use in a crowd. The ease with which film can be loaded and unloaded without danger of edge-fogging under bright sunlight is also advantageous. I'll never forget the first rodeo I filmed back in the days before magazine cameras. My roll-film outfit had jammed at the height of the excitement. Making a hasty retreat to the semi-darkness beneath the grandstand, I managed to undo the celluloid tangle under cover of a borrowed coat, while precious action was going on outside. The normal lens will capture general views of arena action and the milling crowds; but for closer glimpses of individual performers a telephoto is needed. While a hand-held telephoto is permissible when following moving action, it is always better to brace the camera against some firm support. Once I even rested my camera on the steadied shoulder of a friend seated in front of me to permit using a 3x tele. is one ot E-SCENE SHOTS, such as ihi: add to the color of your rodeo reel. Note full of longlighting. In addition to bronc busting, you will want to cover calf roping, bulldogging and the milking contests. In some rodeos, like the internationally famous Calgary Stampede in Alberta, chuck wagon races are a major attraction. There is also fancy riding, roping, racing and usually an Indian pow-wow to offer excellent fodder for Kodachrome work. To complete your rodeo reel, capture the spirit of the Old West by filming the street parades and special floats. When shooting such parades choose a spot well above the heads of the crowd lining the streets. A low roof top or a second story window is good. Shoot the approach from an oblique angle, changing occasionally from normal to telephoto lens for closeups of the more interesting floats and personalities. Vary your camera angles when taking rodeo movies. Try some shots from the top of the grandstand or bleachers and others at ground level by shooting through the fence. So important is good rodeo photography in the eyes of Canadians that the Calgary Stampede has its photographers' pit dug hip-deep beside the fence, directly opposite the chutes. From here the frenzied battles between man and mustang can be filmed at shoestring elevation as the broncs race out and head straight for the cameraman. For a still more novel effect take a position directly above the chutes and film the contestants as they ride out into the arena to take their [Continued on page 218] GUNSTOCK camera mount makes for smooth follow shots in filming rodeo action as seen above from author's footage.