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I want to make a video with a train running, filmed from in front of the locomotive (see the link below the picture to understand exactly what I desire). I guess they shot from a rail-car pushed by the steam engine, but such a solution is not viable for me. I can not modify in any way the configuration of the train. Any idea how to do it in an affordable way?

Selfie locomotive Selfie of a train locomotive while running (see minute 1:26 to 2:50)

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    It's a great shot, but unless you can get the permit to shoot that close to a moving train or from inside a moving train, I don't see how you can pull it off. It's potentially very dangerous. That sort of shot is hard to pull off for medium size productions, let alone solo productions, as yours seem to be. The best solution, I think, would be for you to buy stock footage showing what you describe/what appears in the film you linked to. Apr 29, 2019 at 22:08

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I can think of two possible solutions:

  1. You build some kind of rig similair to a selfie stick. Mount it somewhere on the locomotive and try to not get it in the shot or digitally remove it

  2. Choose a place where a road is next to the traintrack, mount the camera to a car (Or other vehicle) and drive along the track.

I see a few difficulties with both tho. For the first one, you will need to buy/create the rig which could be rather difficult, especially if you have a bigger camera. You also won't be able to control the camera, expect if you have wireless control. You would also need to look with a camera hanging out quite a bit from the locomotive, that there are no other trains, trees, signals, tunnels... which are in the range of the camera.

For the second option, you would need to first find that road which could be difficult especially if you can't change the track where the train drives. Depending on the road, you would also need to get some stabilisation system, so that the image doesn't shake to much. This might be needed for the train as well.

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  • In the meantime, I have seen this video: youtube.com/watch?v=z0shDqUFyt8 with a train shot from a drone. It might be possible, I do not know, to drive the drone from inside the locomotive, and keep it stable at a certain distance from the windshields, while the train is moving at slow speed, like 20-30 km/h. Apr 30, 2019 at 14:10

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