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my lesson on DIY vs PRO

dlevanchuk

dlevanchuk

I made shoulder mount rig out of PVC pipes, but after trying it out - had to put it away. The footage was waaay too shakey for my liking..

Yesterday I borrowed my friend's more or less professional rig, and tried it as well, hoping to get more stable look... it still was crappy haha


Lesson: you got to learn how to use the gear. There isn't a piece of gear where you can just slap the camera on, and expect magic to happen..

So, my question to you, fellow ITers, is how to use shoulder mount rig properly without any shakes??I ve tried soft knees, and half crouch walk, and ancient chinese sleeping panther move.. not a whole lot of luck.
Is the key to keep practice as much as I can?
 
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This comes more from a martial arts background. You have to be more in tune with your bodies movements. You have to be able to slow the motion of your upper body while moving your legs slowly enough to stay as stable as possible. And the only way that can happen, is by practice. Practice bending your knees at a 45 degree angle, and walking straight across your room or hallway with the shoulder mount and camera, and focusing only on being stable, and making the shot stay balanced perfectly. Every day or whenever you do it, keep trying, and eventually staying stable will be like second nature.
 
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what lens are you using? going beyond 40mm and things get dicey. the wider the better. What cam? DSLR's are super prone to jellovision. A CCD camera is much better. Kholi has some great abilities with this, maybe he'll jump in here. Which mount did you use?
You can also improvise a monopod, but a weight on the bottom and it will get some very smooth shots.
If you're a GH2 shooter, switch to ETC mode, that cuts jellovision and skew dramatically.
 
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And lay off the caffeine!

battling-seisure-robots-o.gif
 
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I made my own steadicam out of thos pipes and screws, etc. It works pretty good, from what I can tell, but have no PRO one to compare it to. I also made a boom pole and shock mount out of parts, but that didn't work out as nicely. It's too noisy and when you shift it from actor to actor during shooting, sometimes the rattle can be heard, and you have to retake. A little off topic, as we are talking about your shoulder rig specifically when it comes to DIY vs. PRO.
 
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Practice with a coffee cup full of water. Keep your hips parallel to the ground plane while you walk... the handles of the shoulder mount should allow you to lock your elbows at your sides to keep them from moving... turn from the waist when panning and tilting as well.
 
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I've had the opportunity to talk with the steadicam op from the west wing. He starts everyday with a heavy workout focussing on strength and endurance. So no magic there, just hard work.
 
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knightly said:
Practice with a coffee cup full of water. Keep your hips parallel to the ground plane while you walk... the handles of the shoulder mount should allow you to lock your elbows at your sides to keep them from moving... turn from the waist when panning and tilting as well.
Click to expand...

If you want to up the stakes to help you learn faster... coffee cup filled to the brim with boiling water. One spill=possible 2nd-3rd degree burns :P
 
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