Filming With A Fisheye: Pro Skate Filmer Mike Manzoori Breaks Down His Top 5 Tips

Mike Manzoori, the director of the wonderful short film Rain or Shine with Etnies skater Kyle Leeper has released the above video as part of the Ride Channel's "In Focus" series. It's not brand new but recently came to our attention and we thought it was really helpful so we wanted to share.

Summers back and that means skateboarding and filming your boys for shitty web edits. Well guess what? They don't have to be that shitty! haha.

So here's Mike's 5 tips to make those fisheye shots a bit more pleasing to the eye. Nothing replaces experience but follow these tips and you'll be well on your way to getting the most out of your fisheye – or death lens!

1. Let the rider enter the frame from one side and then exit out through the other. Try not to just keep him centered all the time.

It keeps the camera from panning as much and ends up being a lot more pleasing to the viewers eye, giving them more time to focus on the trick. It also makes the skater look like he's moving quicker.

2. Rotate the camera around the lens, keeping it in the same position as much as possible

This is another big one to help your footage appear much more stable. Try to rotate the camera around an imaginary point right at the back of the lens. Much more pleasing to the eye.

3. Get under your subject

When you film with a fisheye lens looking down at something – in this case the skate trick – it has the tendency to make it look smaller and more lame than it is. Get under the trick/rider as much as possible and take advantage of that lens.

4. Get as close as you can – aka the danger zone! But keep your eyes on the skater in case shit goes sideways

The closer you get, the sicker the shot will be. But that also means reaction time for when shit goes back is greatly reduced. Practice your camera move a few times, commiting it to muscle memory, and then keep your eyes on the deck in case it comes flying at you!

5. Get the camera moving either criss-cross or pushing into the action

Camera moves make the shot much more dynamic and interesting to watch and can be used to highlight certain parts of the trick, like flip-in or out kinda shit. Get moving and take your shots to the next level.

Wrapping up, as Mike says, there's 1001 ways to use a fisheye lens and your should try to learn them all, but these 5 tips and tricks should get you well on your way to shooting banger footy that everyone can enjoy and is pleasing to the eye.

So get out there, get shooting and have fun!

You can check out more of Mike work on Vimeo HERE