Film a steady shot

Filming a steady shot

A shot not being steady is alright when filming stunts, but if you want to film skits, it is your best interest to get a steadier shot.

Most video cameras now a days come equipped with some technology based video stabalizers. A suspended lense, which is a lense that is surrounded by springs to lose any sharp movements, and make them more fluid. Electronic or digital stabalizers make movements less noticable by cutting of the edge and centering the video.
Mechanical stabalizers are also a big help when trying to keep your shot steady. A tripod is one of the first and greatest inventions to keep the camera still. Shoulder brackets are better than holding the camera in your hand, but can be very expensive and tend to be very bulky.

Depending on what you are filming will help you decide what you are going to do for the steady shot. If your filming stunts, a tripod is not neccessary since your subject will probably be moving a lot. The tripod will be used for filming skits when scenes take place.

Conclusion:
When filming stunts, the only stabalization you truly need is to keep two hands on the camera and use any features your camera has built in. When filming skits, using a tripod or a shoulder mount may be neccessary. The tripod will provide better stability, but the shoulder mount will be more mobile.

We own a tripod, but someone stepped on the leg at a party and pretty much wrecked the damn thing, usually we just end up searching for something flat and sitting the camera down on it. Are there any select brands of tripods that you'd reccomend?

We usually keep it pretty stead when filming stunts and skits.

Except for the Up All Night Clip. External image not preserved — inspect source: http://homegrownforums.com/forums/html/emoticons/headbang.gif

QUOTE Except for the Up All Night Clip

QUOTE (RandomActsofStupidity @ Jun 26 2004, 01:55 AM) We own a tripod, but someone stepped on the leg at a party and pretty much wrecked the damn thing, usually we just end up searching for something flat and sitting the camera down on it. Are there any select brands of tripods that you'd reccomend?

i get wht u mean about using it for stunt shots , it was on the tripod when we were filmin a stunt and cam man had put it on too tight herefor nearly missing the whole clip , just got it in though External image not preserved — inspect source: http://homegrownforums.com/forums/html/emoticons/take_it.gif

Indeed, blatently tripods arent flexible for most stunt usage, it helps just to have a good camaraman

with one hand i hold the LCD screen, the cam with the other, sometimes we just put shut together to film something steady (skateboards, bags, rocks..) mostly works out

QUOTE (kuffi @ Jul 6 2004, 07:44 PM) with one hand i hold the LCD screen, the cam with the other, sometimes we just put shut together to film something steady (skateboards, bags, rocks..) mostly works out

yeah and I dont feel like brining a whole setup to be able to film steady. Because mostly we just go out to skate, start filming some skate shit then decide to do some stunts as well etc.

Yeah, that's kind of unfiesable, we usually try to get a little far back on stunt shots so we won't have to move the camera as much, but on skating we get really close sometimes, so i have to be careful not to loose them on the screen

Its much harder if you are a skate team, because you need to move with the camera and get a good shot while your doing it. All you have to do is practice and have a good cameraman. I'm the only one in my group that knows how to film shots right and stuff, so you wont see much of it in our videos (if we ever get any up )
It just helps to get a good cameraman that multi-tasks i.e. can film while riding a board.

yeah same here dogma. I film most of the things (in which I dont feauture of course). Very often when I let someone else film they either film it "OK" or they look at what's happening and don't look through the LCD screen so u get this gay shot and sometimes they just didn't press the RECORD button. We've had this with a few cool things now and they're gone, it sucks

QUOTE It just helps to get a good cameraman that multi-tasks i.e. can film while riding a board.

same here, too bad I dont have soft wheels cause the noise sucks sometimes.

Yeah, my bearings are sorta shit too, they clack and squeak and stuff

I need to tighten my trucks. They squeak and make the side of the board rub my wheels sometimes.

Harder wheels make more noise but there a lot better. They roll faster. I suggest just making a handle.