If there's one thing I can't stand, it's shaky camera footage. While it might have
been okay for "The Blair Witch Project" or "24", I believe a wedding day is not the place
for camera bounce and fast zooms/pans. The viewer should be focused on the subject and not
reaching for
motion sickness pills.
I put camera stability on the top of my list of priorities for all
my videos.
It doesn't matter if you're using the latest and greatest camera. If you don't know
how to keep it steady, the footage is not going to look very good.
In addition to mastering
great
handheld technique, there a few extra tools that I utilize
to ensure
the smoothest videos around:
The Fluid Head Tripod Not all tripods are created equal. A fluid head uses fluid betwen the mechanical components
that allow the smoothest movements. A quality fluid head will allow for the sublest of
movement with clean starts and stops, as well as jerk-free pans.
The Glidecam Glidecam and Steadicam devices can be used to create dynamic "flying" shots.
They mechanically isolate the operator's movement from the camera, allowing a very
smooth shot even when the operator is moving quickly over an uneven surface.
Here's a quick Glidecam demo:
Here's just one example of how combining these tools can create
a compelling skake-free video.
click here to see more.
