Highlight clip at DVinfo.net

Highlight clip · February 10th, 2009, 11:22 AM

After seeing all the great clips posted on here my own work seems very inadequate. I am going to post a clip in hopes of getting suggestions on how to improve from the experts.

I know of a few things I need to fix but I am curious to your responses on this clip.

Thanks
Adam

Beth & Steve Highlights on Vimeo

This was shot with a GL2 and a Glidecam I had just purchased and not practiced nearly enough with.

Jason Robinson · February 10th, 2009, 04:03 PM

hey there! another GL2 & glidecam user. That is pretty much my setup. you will find out that the glidecam is not very useful stationary.... kind of awkward, but when moving, it does a great job. One part is at 1:30 when you pan up to the sky. very cool idea for a shot, but the Glidecam made the pan not fluid. I have found that sort of up / down hard to do with a glidecam. nothing but practice to improve on that.

If your budget allows, get the arm brace. It helps a bunch. Even with it, I cannot hold the cam for more than a few minutes at a time before I need a break (stupid carpal tunnel issues).

Honestly, your gliding is a bit... rough, BUT..... don't worry, it gets easier the more you do it. I took mine for walks EVERY DAY around the neighborhood so I could get used to it.

Some of the problems could be in balance. What is your drop time? 1 sec? It looked real jittery like the bottom of the GC was too heavy. Try fiddlign with the balance to see if that changes your shots.

I also read like crazy about EVERYTHING having to do with the art of gliding (hence 2hrs / day on DVInfo) so I was pretty prepared with knowing how to do the groucho walk, etc.

There are lots of tips in the "Support Your Camera" forum about glidecams. You should check those out. good ideas for how to get better at approaching a subject and keep them centered.

To give you some comparison footage for a nearly identical camera setup.....
See the very first day I shot with my glidecam / GL2 at this clip. I used it for one wedding after that, but with my GS320 on it (horrible lightweight for the Glidecam 4000 so it didn't really work well). My first wedding where I actually used the Glidecam / GL2 was here. I was able to do it by purchasing a set of Bogen quick release adaptor plates. I put one receiver on the gidecam and another on the MultiRigPro (which was on a tripod). then I could pop the cam off & on the glidecam with out recalibrating it (because the mounting mechanism on the glidecam makes this impossible with out loosing your hard fought balance.

Keep up the work and practice practice!

Adam Haro · February 10th, 2009, 04:10 PM

Thanks Jason I really appreciate the advice. The balance was off, definitely bottom heavey. I have since recalibrated it and it is much easier to use. For whatever reason it does look alot worse on vimeo than on my monitor, very choppy.

I am going to look into the quick release set-up. Have you used either of the vest set-ups? I have seen one that looks like a steadicam that is expensive but they had another that was pretty inexpensive without the big arm.

Jason Robinson · February 10th, 2009, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Adam Haro

Thanks Jason I really appreciate the advice. The balance was off, definitely bottom heavey. I have since recalibrated it and it is much easier to use. For whatever reason it does look alot worse on vimeo than on my monitor, very choppy.

I am going to look into the quick release set-up. Have you used either of the vest set-ups? I have seen one that looks like a steadicam that is expensive but they had another that was pretty inexpensive without the big arm.

I have not. There is no way I can be tied into a vest with how much I switch around.

I shoot with two GL2s, one GS320, two tripods, a MultiRigPro, and a Glidecam. I have lots of audio acessories and LANC controllers. I switch my cam back and forth fro mteh GC to the MultiRig to the MultiRig + tripod all day long. That allows me to skip the horribly expensive spring arms for the Glidecam.

I'm not saying they are bad, just that the are horribly expensive and now that I do this full tiem (no "day job") I can't put my video biz income 100% into gear. I've got to pay mortgages and bills.

If you get the spring arm for the Glidecam, I'd love to hear about it. I have no doubt that it helps the arm strain issues..... BUT you still need hours and hours of practice to get good at teh hand held unit, and then the arm probably changes everything and you have to relearn gliding again (using different muscles to hold the cam, etc).

February 10th, 2009, 04:03 PM	#2
Jason Robinson Trustee Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Boise, Idaho Posts: 1,997	hey there! another GL2 & glidecam user. That is pretty much my setup. you will find out that the glidecam is not very useful stationary.... kind of awkward, but when moving, it does a great job. One part is at 1:30 when you pan up to the sky. very cool idea for a shot, but the Glidecam made the pan not fluid. I have found that sort of up / down hard to do with a glidecam. nothing but practice to improve on that. If your budget allows, get the arm brace. It helps a bunch. Even with it, I cannot hold the cam for more than a few minutes at a time before I need a break (stupid carpal tunnel issues). Honestly, your gliding is a bit... rough, BUT..... don't worry, it gets easier the more you do it. I took mine for walks EVERY DAY around the neighborhood so I could get used to it. Some of the problems could be in balance. What is your drop time? 1 sec? It looked real jittery like the bottom of the GC was too heavy. Try fiddlign with the balance to see if that changes your shots. I also read like crazy about EVERYTHING having to do with the art of gliding (hence 2hrs / day on DVInfo) so I was pretty prepared with knowing how to do the groucho walk, etc. There are lots of tips in the "Support Your Camera" forum about glidecams. You should check those out. good ideas for how to get better at approaching a subject and keep them centered. To give you some comparison footage for a nearly identical camera setup..... See the very first day I shot with my glidecam / GL2 at this clip. I used it for one wedding after that, but with my GS320 on it (horrible lightweight for the Glidecam 4000 so it didn't really work well). My first wedding where I actually used the Glidecam / GL2 was here. I was able to do it by purchasing a set of Bogen quick release adaptor plates. I put one receiver on the gidecam and another on the MultiRigPro (which was on a tripod). then I could pop the cam off & on the glidecam with out recalibrating it (because the mounting mechanism on the glidecam makes this impossible with out loosing your hard fought balance. Keep up the work and practice practice!

February 10th, 2009, 04:10 PM	#3
Adam Haro Regular Crew Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Fresno, CA Posts: 171	Thanks Jason I really appreciate the advice. The balance was off, definitely bottom heavey. I have since recalibrated it and it is much easier to use. For whatever reason it does look alot worse on vimeo than on my monitor, very choppy. I am going to look into the quick release set-up. Have you used either of the vest set-ups? I have seen one that looks like a steadicam that is expensive but they had another that was pretty inexpensive without the big arm.