jerks and jitters

[bunk]

I read the post by JonPais in the Fuji thread where he hopes to get rid of micro jitters with the help of a gimbal. Like him I tried all kinds of solutions and some worked better then others but I never got rid of what seems to be my biggest handicap; a too flexible spine. So the other day I thought why not use a belt to connect a small tripod to my hips and circumvent the spine all together. Sounded cool and it kind of worked, but if you want to use the EVF as well it is not optimal.
At some moment I used the belt around my shoulder and it dawned on me I just made a swing, meaning any abrupt move would be absorbed or slowed down …and the seat of a swing always stays horizontal.

It's my favorite way of stabilizing now. All jerks, jitters are gone. It's not that you don't move anymore but it's more like you film slowmo. And there are no extra costs. I'm pretty sure everyone already has some kind of lightweight tripod, I use the Sirui T-0005KX. If you want more weight or stability,  mount a video head on top of a ball head.

Both shots were taken with 1/30 of a second with a 200mm lens on a GH4 with a Speedbooster (0.72). It illustrates the use of the tripod shoulder mount trick vs handheld.

[kaylee]

thats great i love your illustration

ive done that without the belt lol, maybe ill give it a try~!

[IronFilm]

Another common trick, and one I used as recently as on today's job, is use a fanny pack and stick your monopod in it.

[Matt Holder]

Why not just use a monopod? Easy, cheap, low profile, effective, doesn't look ridiculous. 

[bunk]

1 hour ago, Matt Holder said:

Why not just use a monopod? Easy, cheap, low profile, effective, doesn't look ridiculous. 

How does this look ridiculous? As it hangs around your shoulder without camera it looks as if you carry a tripod with a belt.

Used as a shoulder mount you hardly can see the tripod at all since your arms are in front of it.

As far as ridiculous goes. I walk around with tie-wraps around my lenses. I couldn't care less. You think they notice a tripod on a belt?

 

2 hours ago, IronFilm said:

Another common trick, and one I used as recently as on today's job, is use a fanny pack and stick your monopod in it.

I did something similar with the case of a pocketknife I could attach to a belt. Soon as tried to focus or zoom in/out the camera turns from left to right. That's why I figured I needed two legs. Couldn't find another case fast enough, so I used some tie-wraps to test it out …which then became the permanent solution for me.

It works for me up to 70mm, before that 35mm already was a challenge.

[independent]

The key difference between this and a monopod is that the monopod is fixed to the ground at point of contact. That's where it gets its stability, which is fine for photography, and for static shots in video, e.g., photo/video journalism.

But for motivated camera movement? Then yes, you would need something like this, or an easy rig, steadicam. The latter especially for heavier loads or long takes. 

It's a clever setup for light loads or short takes, as is the monopod on belt variations, brings back memories of stick-on-my-dick jokes that stopped being funny when you were sporting bruises in your groin.

 

But I love the DIY approaches. Who cares what you look like, or how goofy it is. Christopher Doyle was running around shooting with a pillow taped to his chest to stabilize his camera.

Jennifer Connolley was strapped with a heavy, ridiculous-looking, crazy-ass rig for her selfie take in Requiem For a Dream. And she had to perform like that. That's the talent looking ridiculous for the film, not the crew that nobody gives a shit about. 

Get the shot. 

[Matt Holder]

First up I HATE Jitters - I have seen demos from operators who call themselves "Cinematographers" that are filled with lazy handheld jitter shots (usually wide open on a 25 - 50mm lens)  - So anything to get ride of them is good.

 

Secondly I really dislike unmotivated camera movement - slides just because you can etc etc I understand how handheld has a limited place because you are going for a "being there" dramatic feeling or a POV look.

Handheld in Run and Gun docos is OK where you are in an uncontrolled environment - The monopod gives you the handheld look without the jitters - I can go monopod free as I use an IS 12-35mm set up - but the monopod keeps the framing more considered and accurate. 

Each to their own i suppose - personally i found the shoulder rigs limited my style as they are terrible once you start walking - they transfer motion from shoulders (and your hips going with the tripod waist mount set up) - I have had so much footage from "traditional camera operators" who think its ok to walk with a camera on their shoulders - it totally ruins the shot. With the monopod i can use it as a semi steadicam and get a floaty shot if i have to start taking steps (in the absence of a controlled steadicam shot - which I will use if there is some control over the shooting situation (i usually have a separate dedicated gh3/ steadicam ready to go for these shots leaning up on a wall nearby)

Also Not a huge fan of gimbals as they tend to have robotic corrections in the movement - Surely I am not the only person to notice this? 

A balanced small steadicam  has a much more organic movement and is much easier on the body to operate. 

So i guess i am just warning some operators looking to find a functional solution that shoulder rigs aren't necessarily the answer to everything - and in many cases are more limited that they are promoted to be. The monopod has proven itself to pack a real punch in the simplicity / productivity stakes.

Looks and presentation on set will become increasingly important as clients  become more "executive"- (this is a natural part of your evolution as a video producer and business operator)  I dearly love my GH4  (especially the liberating small footprint) and have rigged it up a little bit  - more for client impression than functional reasons ( The basic matte box / flag / rails  trick works wonders) - Most clients just dont understand how sweet the little GH4 with good lenses performs and will judge the size of the camera. With the matte box on there I don't get asked why I am not shooting on a proper video camera !

I do respect that this may not be the case on narrative shoots or low budget production when you just need to achieve the result you need with limited resources. Sorry about the disrespectful "looks ridiculous" comment! 

[freeman]

Bunk I've been experimenting with different handheld setups for a little while. This one worked pretty well but actually attracted too much attention when I was trying to shoot documentary footage. Still, it did create a nice conversations and people would smile when they would see me film them with it. 

Cheap tripod head with a tennis ball on the pan arm and a set of (actually kind of nice) Nitto aluminum road bars from my bicycle spare parts bin. I could put the tennis ball in the crux of my shoulder  and handhold that way or down towards my stomach with the screen out. If I didn't need to pull focus I could use both hands.

 

Now my rig looks more like this:

 

it's a very cheap rig from cowboy studio you can readily find on amazon and it really has been great. You can see the top arm that hooks around the back of my shoulder and the bottom arm goes against my stomach/ab area. This thing helps me handheld so much. I also take it off my shoulder, collapse the small arm and kind of handhold it low which for quick shots also do me a lot of good. 

 

Matt brings up a good point though sometimes I really hate having the thing "mounted" on my shoulder as I need to physically move and bend my knees to get low angles. I don't own a monopod yet but I think you are really onto something with the loop around the body (or this fanny pack idea) to help anchor something at your waist that can also be removed. Love the challenges of stabilizing these small cameras.

[independent]

Well, heavier loads are better carried on the shoulder. Even a fully kitted out red epic on a monopod gets unwieldy - been there. Some have had luck with ones with a foot to pivot or a small base for increased stability. Either way it was hard to get controlled camera movement.

You won't get anything close to steadicam results for shoulder mounted setups, but good camera operators move with a smooth gait. A good a/c helps immensely too. Also, a properly balanced shoulder rig makes a difference, and the increased mass tends to smooth out "jitters" that one tends to see with the lightweight dslrs. I think Daniel peters had a telling video that compared a Sony a7sii with stabilization and an ursa mini (none) and the ursa looked smoother because of the mass, balance, and shoulder rig.

A shoulder rig make a lot of sense when you want to shoot fast (practical) and/or convey an immersive/doc aesthetic. So even if might not be perfectly stable, it might be perfect for the situation. Still being used heavily from indies to Hollywood.

[bunk]

I love the road bars/ tennis ball/ tripod head stabilizer. Way cool! Thanks for sharing.

I have been thinking about the cowboy rig in the past. In the end it looked a bit too much as if you're filming for me. With the tripod I still could be taking pictures.

The monopod remarks made me thinking …why not use the third leg with the pocket knife case on my waist belt. And that is how I use it now.

Talking about spare parts of a bike. I use an inner tube as an eye cup on the EVF. With careful use I can open the screen without removing the cup.

On 18/07/2016 at 5:07 AM, Matt Holder said:

 Sorry about the disrespectful "looks ridiculous" comment! 

My feelings weren't hurt. I'm a hobbyist trying to get a more steady shot. If I were a pro I wouldn't come up with such solutions …or maybe I would, just to provoke a bit