I'm trying to figure out the best way to shoot a small group of runners, running on the sidewalk.

I assume that it needs to be shot from a vehicle.

I've never been clear on the mounting differences between shooting someone "in" a vehicle or the vehicle itself in frame - and shooting people outside a vehicle where the vehicle amounts to a high speed dolly.

It would seem to me that for the former the mount needs to be rock solid relative to the vehicle. The other wants to be stable relative to the environment, gyroscopic. Am I understanding this correctly?

What kind of mount should I be looking for to shoot my runners if I'm using a 11 lb camera? Will some version of a Steadicam like the Flyer, or a Glidecam arm absorb enough of the road bounce to work?

Thanks for any information.

I have seen episodes of American Chopper where a guy is sitting on the tailgate of a pickup truck (strapped to it) and shooting with some type of glidecam.

I have seen episodes of American Chopper where a guy is sitting on the tailgate of a pickup truck (strapped to it) and shooting with some type of glidecam.

I've seen this too, but on feasting on asphalt. It looks like you can get some good shots that way. But I have never tried it....
So, good luck! hope you find an answer!

~Gabriel~