In TV shows when they use a shoulder rig it looks extremely smooth and precise when they pan/tilt. How should you stand/hold it and can any decent shoulder rig achieve this?
How to get very smooth footage with shoulder rig?
- Thread starter RealJasonBourne
- Start date
Learn to control your breathing, for one.
Also, the handheld work can be only as steady as the hands that hold the camera.
Counterweight is crucial. A rig that is front-loaded will cause fatigue in the forearms very quickly. A rig that is too light doesn't have enough gravity acting against the support, and that's a force that helps counteract shake. The rig needs to have some weight to it, and the weight should be balanced in front of and behind the shoulder.
Last, like anything, it takes a lot of practice.
Also, the handheld work can be only as steady as the hands that hold the camera.
Counterweight is crucial. A rig that is front-loaded will cause fatigue in the forearms very quickly. A rig that is too light doesn't have enough gravity acting against the support, and that's a force that helps counteract shake. The rig needs to have some weight to it, and the weight should be balanced in front of and behind the shoulder.
Last, like anything, it takes a lot of practice.
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I don't know about cameras, but when "swinging" a boom-pole you need very soft hands. When you grip tightly it gets a bit shaky, and if the boom-pole is internally cabled it can cause the internal cable to rattle inside of the boom-pole.
Another issue may be that your hands/arms/shoulders get tired (especially when you have poor technique), making them shake.
When I was doing production sound (way back when) I "trained" an hour or so a day with a piece of steel pipe weighing about 20+ pounds; after that a boom-pole with a mic on the end was very light.
Another issue may be that your hands/arms/shoulders get tired (especially when you have poor technique), making them shake.
When I was doing production sound (way back when) I "trained" an hour or so a day with a piece of steel pipe weighing about 20+ pounds; after that a boom-pole with a mic on the end was very light.
Here's the thing.
Even a 5DmkIII only weighs <1kg (~1.9lbs).
A 24-70mm f2.8 L weights about 950g (~2lbs).
Combined weight: ~1.8kg (~4lbs).
An Arri Alexa Plus weighs 8.4kg (18.5 lbs).
A Cooke S4/i 35mm weighs 1.9kg (~4lbs).
Plus you have matte box, filters, follow focus, on-board monitor... sometimes you have on-board recorders like the Codex (1.1kgs/2.4lbs). V-Lock/AB batteries, wireless transmitters etc. Then you have your handles.
That's why if we're hiring for a handheld show, at prep we make sure we have as many lightweight accessories as possible, as even just having a lightweight matte box and follow focus can make a huge difference in weight versus a studio matte box and follow focus (probably about as much as our entire 5D kit above).
Not only that, but handheld rigs for large cameras are designed so they can be balanced as well as possible. When you buy a cheap shoulder rig for your 5D, the camera is probably in font of you, though you may have something to chuck on the back as a counterweight. If the camera is not balanced properly, it's going to be very difficult to keep it steady and straight, and will start to hurt much more rapidly than a properly balanced camera.
Now, the Alexa's shoulder cutout is not in a perfect spot, but there are third-party handlebar/shoulder pads that can be moved to accomodate heavier lenses etc.
On top of all that, cameramen/women practice their operating, and work out to ensure they have the strength in their muscles to keep a 15kg (33lbs) rig on their shoulder all day, every day for 3 months straight. Look at any operator's first film and their camera operating will suck big time in comparison to what they're doing now. My camera operating when I first started was pretty average, but I'm pretty happy with it now. And it gets better as I do it more.
One last thing: many times when you see a 'handheld' show, and 'handheld' footage, the camera is actually on a tripod with a really loose head. Modern Family, for example, are huge culprits of the 'loose head handheld' technique. They combine loose head and traditional handheld quite a bit. It's another type of operating that takes a lot of practice (as all operating does), but it's a good alternative to having a huge camera on you shoulder all day. Most won't pick the difference - I've done it myself and only the people on set knew that it wasn't actually on my shoulder.
You'll probably find that the 'smooth' handheld you were seeing was potentially actually on a loose head. Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between an incredibly talented operator.
Here's a perfect example:
Even a 5DmkIII only weighs <1kg (~1.9lbs).
A 24-70mm f2.8 L weights about 950g (~2lbs).
Combined weight: ~1.8kg (~4lbs).
An Arri Alexa Plus weighs 8.4kg (18.5 lbs).
A Cooke S4/i 35mm weighs 1.9kg (~4lbs).
Plus you have matte box, filters, follow focus, on-board monitor... sometimes you have on-board recorders like the Codex (1.1kgs/2.4lbs). V-Lock/AB batteries, wireless transmitters etc. Then you have your handles.
That's why if we're hiring for a handheld show, at prep we make sure we have as many lightweight accessories as possible, as even just having a lightweight matte box and follow focus can make a huge difference in weight versus a studio matte box and follow focus (probably about as much as our entire 5D kit above).
Not only that, but handheld rigs for large cameras are designed so they can be balanced as well as possible. When you buy a cheap shoulder rig for your 5D, the camera is probably in font of you, though you may have something to chuck on the back as a counterweight. If the camera is not balanced properly, it's going to be very difficult to keep it steady and straight, and will start to hurt much more rapidly than a properly balanced camera.
Now, the Alexa's shoulder cutout is not in a perfect spot, but there are third-party handlebar/shoulder pads that can be moved to accomodate heavier lenses etc.
On top of all that, cameramen/women practice their operating, and work out to ensure they have the strength in their muscles to keep a 15kg (33lbs) rig on their shoulder all day, every day for 3 months straight. Look at any operator's first film and their camera operating will suck big time in comparison to what they're doing now. My camera operating when I first started was pretty average, but I'm pretty happy with it now. And it gets better as I do it more.
One last thing: many times when you see a 'handheld' show, and 'handheld' footage, the camera is actually on a tripod with a really loose head. Modern Family, for example, are huge culprits of the 'loose head handheld' technique. They combine loose head and traditional handheld quite a bit. It's another type of operating that takes a lot of practice (as all operating does), but it's a good alternative to having a huge camera on you shoulder all day. Most won't pick the difference - I've done it myself and only the people on set knew that it wasn't actually on my shoulder.
You'll probably find that the 'smooth' handheld you were seeing was potentially actually on a loose head. Sometimes it's hard to tell the difference between an incredibly talented operator.
Here's a perfect example:
Another alternative to the 'loose head' tripod is to use a monopod - same concept, but gives you some room to shift the camera forward/back and side to side rather than just tilt/pan. I prefer the type with a small tripod foot as they help damp the side to side rotation/shake better than one without.