Do I need a glidecam for a highlight wedding film?

[Eric Coughlin]

Originally Posted by Adrian Tan

But think of it this way: generalising a lot, glidecam shots in weddings are almost always more about the image than the content or the "actors'" emotions. If someone's crying or whatever, you generally don't want to be on a glidecam -- you want simple static, with no distracting movement, and with close enough lens to see the emotion in someone's eyes.

While as a generization of typical weddings with Glidecams, I don't think that needs to be true, though. For example, most of the time when you watch a movie, and the scene is using a Steadicam, you don't really think about it, or how "cinematic" it makes the shot look; using the Steadicam is simply used to keep up with the movement of the actors. I'd like to think a Glidecam should be used mostly the same for a wedding (not to say the Glidecam shots that call attention to themselves are necessarily bad). For example, for the processional, the subjects are moving, so a Glidecam seems appropriate. A bridesmaid is delivering a letter to the groom from the bride, so a Glidecam follows her on her journey. Shoot those same things from a monopod or tripod and it doesn't follow the action as well.

I like to pay attention when a wedding scene is in a movie. They often use Steadicams, and jibs (with closeups from the jibs ;)).

[Victor Nguyen]

They all have their places. Using all just gives a dynamic feel to your weddings. I think starting out with Sliders and monopod/tripod is fine. One of the best wedding film company in Houston use just that.

[D.J. Ammons]

We used to use our Glidecam 4000HD with a Flycam 5000 arm and vest a lot and god some great shots with it. However the down side was the amount of time it takes to balance the camera each time and the fact that the arms range limited how high the camera could go.

While the stabilizer / vest combo was great for shots like walking around the couple during their first dance we actuall had more flexibility for above the head shots and low shots with the simple $65 Spiderbrace made out of PVC. Very lightweight and the most bang for the buck of any equipment I have ever purchased.

I now have an extra camera so have thought about using it strictly for the Glidecam and vest so we once we balance it we can leave it on the rig all night long with another camera on the Spiderbrace.

[Chris Harding]

Hey DJ

Wow! You actually have enough space to use a stedicam and vest inside the venue..You are lucky!!

I just use my vest and rig during my video photoshoot after the ceremony which is always outdoors and I have plenty of room. I actually tried it when the bride walked down the aisle and got really cool shots but almost decapitated a few guests ..it certainly keeps them from leaning out to see the bride.

A better bet is probably something like a blackbird handheld rig with something small like a Sony CX730 on it. Big cameras need bigger rigs and cannot be handheld decently. An interesting option is the new GoPro Hero 3 as Tiffen have now made a special rig for it ..that would be nice and light!!

Chris

[Peter Riding]

Am I the only one - and I probably am - who thinks that the footage from sliders and steadycams all too often looks like the view through a Daleks eye stalk?

Dalek as in Dr Who:

http://www.themindrobber.co.uk/new-d...s-dalek-3d.jpg

For me it just brings to mind an angry demented extra-terrestrial chasing its prey shouting DOCKKKTTTOR DOCKKKTTTOR DOCKKKTTTOR ........ exterminate exterminate eexterminate

Just a thought :- )

Pete

[Chris Harding]

Hey Pete

I think I will paint my rig with a big eye on it now!! I already get comments about bullet proof vests (my vest on the rig is orange and black ballistic nylon) but on an entire wedding I use a mere 3 minutes of stedicam footage in lieu of a photoshoot ... it's quicker and takes me only 10 minutes. That's the only time it emerges from the car but in the beginning I had grand ideas of using it for bridal arrival, entry down the aisle and also during the first dance ...as a solo shooter it's totally impractical ..I have the rig, I have spent many hours tuning it and many more flying it so I might as well put it to use at weddings.

It actually is way better for doing flythrus for Real Estate homes and it makes going thru a house pretty darn fast.

At weddings, like sliders, they are all OK when used in moderation and where the shot calls for it ..99% of my weddings are still all handheld on one cam and the second on a tripod (ceremony/speeches) so I have also developed some neat camera moves on my shoulder without resorting to extra gear... much easier!

Chris

[Stelios Christofides]

I use monopod and tripod only and hand held. I bought the OPTEKA Steadyvid Pro and used it ONLY once. What a hassle to balance so I never used it again so I am selling (half the price in the original packaging, it's really brand new) if anyone wants to buy it.

stelios

[Byron Jones]

I know very little about glidecam/steadicams. I have seen shots that they help create that are stunning. But my question is: where does the magic happen? I imagine the user has a lot to do with it, just like most things. It probably takes skill and practice. Besides that, what part of the device creates the smooth movement? Is it the arm/vest? The part the camera attaches to? I ask because I see so many different things on sale for a wide variety of prices. Some are just a pole (pardon the terminology ignorance) and others have a spring loaded arm attached to a vest. The prices are so drastically different. Can both get you "the look"? If so, why spend so much more for the vest? If not, why offer the stuff without it? I am interested in adding this type of shot to my list in the future, but I don't want to waste money on more (or less) than I need to do it right. Thoughts?

[Adrian Tan]

AU$0.02: vests give smoother movement, and make it a lot easier and less tiring for the operator, but most vested shots can be accomplished with a vestless system (maybe some exceptions -- eg you can run with some vested systems; can't go this fast without; and some of the more expensive systems allow even more varied movement, like Steadicam Tango).

Vestless systems, though slightly less smooth, are in general more versatile than vested, because you can more easily do vertical movements, you can move amongst crowds, and you can go under or over things.

Merlin/Blackbird are more versatile than Glidecam because of their size and design, and I think they put less strain on the operator, but Glidecam is easier to use and has less of a learning curve.

Don't know where the magic happens! Maybe it's just the whole floating,flying feel -- the ability to make smooth shots that would otherwise be impossible.

[D.J. Ammons]

Originally Posted by Chris Harding

Hey Pete

I think I will paint my rig with a big eye on it now!! I already get comments about bullet proof vests (my vest on the rig is orange and black ballistic nylon) but on an entire wedding I use a mere 3 minutes of stedicam footage in lieu of a photoshoot ... it's quicker and takes me only 10 minutes. That's the only time it emerges from the car but in the beginning I had grand ideas of using it for bridal arrival, entry down the aisle and also during the first dance ...as a solo shooter it's totally impractical ..I have the rig, I have spent many hours tuning it and many more flying it so I might as well put it to use at weddings.

It actually is way better for doing flythrus for Real Estate homes and it makes going thru a house pretty darn fast.

At weddings, like sliders, they are all OK when used in moderation and where the shot calls for it ..99% of my weddings are still all handheld on one cam and the second on a tripod (ceremony/speeches) so I have also developed some neat camera moves on my shoulder without resorting to extra gear... much easier!

Chris

Chris, we have never had a problem with the glidecam / flycam vest combo in a church but it has a pretty small footprint. We just found through trial and error that my shooter was able to get very steady shots with a lightweight shoulder mount (Spiderbrace) and it gave the flexibility of being able to transition to very low shots to high shots quickly.

I think the coolest shot we ever got with the glidecam / flycam vest rig was an outdoor wedding where the bride arrived and left in a horse drawn carriage. Our shooter ran along the fence and got a great shot of the carriage. She is remarkable steady with just the Spiderbrace shoulder mount for most shots but there would have been no way to have gotten this remarkably steady shot while running with anything other than a stabilizer rig.

[Chris Harding]

Hi DJ

I could use the Stedicam on outdoor weddings but most of our Churches here have stupid narrow aisles that often the Dad has to walk behind his daughter..crazy so no room for any rig. I actually did a nice photoshoot on stedicam and yes I was in the carriage and we rode around the venue with the couple ..it's not as stable as you imagine but the rig handled it nicely! I can usually get away with just using the cameras handheld as the Sony EA-50's are shoulder mount and mine are nicely balanced too so I can normally get pretty smooth handheld shots which are a lot easier than suiting up with the vest all the time.

Chris