Glidecam Extension And Base Question at DVinfo.net

Chad Andreo · December 10th, 2012, 03:09 PM

I have searched around and watched many glidecam videos, but I have yet to find anything on the effects of the height and width of the rig.
All other things being equal, I was wondering what are the pros and cons of a taller vs shorter setup and a wide base vs a short base?

John Nantz · December 22nd, 2012, 11:58 PM

Speaking to just one part of your post, "the pros and cons of a taller vs shorter setup", the taller the setup the more top-heavy it will be and therefore the longer the Telescoping Post will have to be extended to achieve the same amount of dampening. Or add more weights to compensate for a higher center of gravity.

Perhaps someone else could give a better explanation and also address the plate area.

Victor Nguyen · December 24th, 2012, 01:57 AM

The height do have a major role. Raise it too tall and you'll be bottom heavy, too short will be top heavy. Now the width... I have no idea if it helps but I just spread them all the way out.

Charles Papert · December 24th, 2012, 03:55 AM

In general, you want a stabilizer to be less tall i.e. extended. The idea is to keep the three axes with a similar feel as much as possible. Pan requires the least amount of operator input because the mass is being moved through a smaller moment of inertia than the other axes. The longer the rig, the more force one has to apply to tilt the rig. A compound move like a diagonal where one is panning and tilting simultaneously becomes tougher to control, because it takes so much less force to pan than to tilt, and you always want to apply the least amount of force. In general, a shorter rig is more responsive.

As far as width, this will increase inertia which can be quite helpful. In this instance, pan is also affected, so it's a good thing. Increasing the length of the rig front to back is good; increasing it left to right is even better because it creates more inertia in roll, which helps keep the rig level. In many ways it would be more logical if you didn't have a monitor at the bottom of your rig to orient the weights left and right instead of front and back for this reason. I would recommend trying it and seeing if your horizons improve. When a monitor is used, you need to counterweight it at the back so this is a moot point.

I used to be better at explaining this when this was my day-to-day life--I'm a bit rusty at it now!

December 10th, 2012, 03:09 PM	#1
Chad Andreo Regular Crew Join Date: May 2012 Location: West Palm Beach Posts: 47	Glidecam Extension And Base Question I have searched around and watched many glidecam videos, but I have yet to find anything on the effects of the height and width of the rig. All other things being equal, I was wondering what are the pros and cons of a taller vs shorter setup and a wide base vs a short base? __________________ www.chadandreo.com - Creative Portraiture and Cinematography https://vimeo.com/chadandreo

December 22nd, 2012, 11:58 PM	#2
John Nantz Trustee Join Date: Jun 2010 Location: Seattle WA Posts: 1,254	Re: Glidecam Extension And Base Question Speaking to just one part of your post, "the pros and cons of a taller vs shorter setup", the taller the setup the more top-heavy it will be and therefore the longer the Telescoping Post will have to be extended to achieve the same amount of dampening. Or add more weights to compensate for a higher center of gravity. Perhaps someone else could give a better explanation and also address the plate area. Last edited by John Nantz; December 23rd, 2012 at 12:04 AM. Reason: added the comment about more weights.

December 24th, 2012, 01:57 AM	#3
Victor Nguyen Major Player Join Date: Mar 2012 Location: Houston,Texas Posts: 289	Re: Glidecam Extension And Base Question The height do have a major role. Raise it too tall and you'll be bottom heavy, too short will be top heavy. Now the width... I have no idea if it helps but I just spread them all the way out.

December 24th, 2012, 03:55 AM	#4
Charles Papert Wrangler Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 6,810	Re: Glidecam Extension And Base Question In general, you want a stabilizer to be less tall i.e. extended. The idea is to keep the three axes with a similar feel as much as possible. Pan requires the least amount of operator input because the mass is being moved through a smaller moment of inertia than the other axes. The longer the rig, the more force one has to apply to tilt the rig. A compound move like a diagonal where one is panning and tilting simultaneously becomes tougher to control, because it takes so much less force to pan than to tilt, and you always want to apply the least amount of force. In general, a shorter rig is more responsive. As far as width, this will increase inertia which can be quite helpful. In this instance, pan is also affected, so it's a good thing. Increasing the length of the rig front to back is good; increasing it left to right is even better because it creates more inertia in roll, which helps keep the rig level. In many ways it would be more logical if you didn't have a monitor at the bottom of your rig to orient the weights left and right instead of front and back for this reason. I would recommend trying it and seeing if your horizons improve. When a monitor is used, you need to counterweight it at the back so this is a moot point. I used to be better at explaining this when this was my day-to-day life--I'm a bit rusty at it now! __________________ Charles Papert www.charlespapert.com