Why does every movie have to have an earthquake scene?
July 3, 2007 6:53 AM   Subscribe

[VideoFilter] My video work needs to improve, but my hands shake like I have parkinson's. How do I get smoother shots without breaking the bank?

I do documentary video work and lately have been stuck in post-production. I want to get more production under my belt, but I'm not confident in my camera work (composition and settings being another question all together...). I use a tripod as much as I can, but I need to also be able to film on the move. While I appreciate the D.I.Y. culture of PVC Tubing stabilizers, I think that might be too off-putting for subjects (as opposed to actors). And I don't want to do it in Post-.
Are there any tricks or exercises people can recommend? Equipment that works particularly well that costs under 500?
I woke up this morning and thought of getting a small bubble level to velcro onto the camera - would something like this work? Thanks, Hivemind, I appreciate it.
posted by history is a weapon to Media & Arts (13 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
 


Strange question - do you drink coffee? I know doctors who won't drink coffee before surgery because it makes their hands shake.
posted by walla at 7:00 AM on July 3, 2007


If your shaking hands are causing problems, you may want to look into the possibility that you have an essential tremor, which is treatable.
posted by TedW at 7:07 AM on July 3, 2007


There are two dead simple ways to improve the earthquake effect.

Firstly: zoom out! Shake is most noticeable when zoomed in, so wherever possible move the camera or the subject instead of using the camera lens and keep zoomed out as far as it'll go. You'll notice zoom is almost never used on TV. Guess why :)

Secondly it's about how you hold the camera. Depending on the size of camera this can vary... If it's large, hold it under your arm instead of on your shoulder. On the shoulder is pretty damn uncomfortable after a while and this will cause you to shake more. Wrap your arm around with your hand on the base to support the weight; this is a much more comfortable position. If it's small, hold it down against your stomach in a natural, relaxed position, and look down at the view screen (instead of the eyepiece). This will help you keep it still.

As you're now not needing to press buttons for zooming, you can use both hands to help stabalise the camera, which should also help your shake problem.
posted by jon4009 at 7:16 AM on July 3, 2007


You can manage subtle DIY - it doesn't have to be big ass stabilizers. You would get a notable improvement by simply using a 1.5 foot length of pole, camera on top, a weight at the bottom. Anything that provides a little heft and allows you to hold from below with your forearm parallel to the ground.
posted by phearlez at 8:47 AM on July 3, 2007


May sound obvious, but how much do/have you practiced? In my experience smoothness was improved by doing lots of filming; building muscles, good mental habits, calmness, learning naturally accomodating positions/movements and so on.
posted by MetaMonkey at 8:51 AM on July 3, 2007


If you're on a Mac, try iStabilize. It smoothes out your shot very quickly in the computer. There are Quicktime demos on the site.
posted by ScarletPumpernickel at 9:53 AM on July 3, 2007


MAKE Magazine featured a DIY $15 stabilizer in their very first issue.
posted by unixrat at 10:12 AM on July 3, 2007


s/15/14 \(even better\)/
posted by unixrat at 10:12 AM on July 3, 2007


Cut out the zoom. Move closer instead. Zero zoom.
Hold the camera near your torso.

$<5 00? seriously? ok....homebuiltstabilizers.combr>
"I don't want to do it in post." Why not? Depending on your software the removal of shakiness can take moments. And in HD, with HDV small cameras, shakiness will be really apparent.
posted by filmgeek at 10:47 AM on July 3, 2007


A friend of mine has a handy, unobtrusive shoulder mount that he uses from time to time. I don't remember the brand, but this stuff is similar.
posted by chlorus at 1:42 PM on July 3, 2007


Oh, and it's in your price range.
posted by chlorus at 1:42 PM on July 3, 2007


I'm curious to know what kind of camera you are using.

If you are using something tiny, it might not be long enough or heavy enough to use on your shoulder - the place that non-stabilized handheld cameras really should be operated from.

If I don't have the luxury of a large camera, I find that holding the camera with two hands works pretty well - my right hand in the grip, and my left hand either underneath, or on the lens somewhere. This combines your arms as two levers to help quell the shakes.

Also, and this counts when you are using a shoulder-cam or a tiny handheld one, use your body to do pans and moves, not your hands or arms. Your hands, wrists and arms should be support-only, and your waist and legs should do the moves for you.

As far as cheap stabilization, when I'm using my tiny Sony HDV camera, I connect it to a monopod. This gives a surprising amount of stabilization if extended about 2/3 of normal usage-length.
posted by tomierna at 1:53 PM on July 3, 2007


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