How to film this smooth

Trolley, or a suctioned to another car. The vertical pans need a crane.

Lots of steadicam action going on too (the proper kind with a rig, not just software).
 
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All the video was done with a steadicam - but as Ice said, there are many different ways to create smooth panning like that.

Also - I would so love to be able to do that. Its beautiful :p
 
anyone know any cheapskate alternative ? I want to try out the movie makeing, so if it turns out not to be my thing, wouldn't want to have buyers remorse and all. Not that I could afford a steadicam in the first place
 
steadicam

the big ones are a bit hard to make on your own, and you wear them like a vest... however if you have a handycam or something you can easily make a hand held one. if you want to know, ive designed one before, theres only 2 simple rules you need to remember

dynamic balance and static balance. it can be done for cheap, if you want to know PM me.

but the crux is..... you have a pole with a camera platform up top and at the bottom you can have 2 more platforms for attaching balance weights idealy these platforms can move up n down (telescoping mechanism is easy to do) and should allow the weights to be moved inboard and outboard. in the middle somewhere you have a handle attached to this pole via a gimbal (gimbal lets the pole turn through 360 degrees in all axes) all you then have to do is, once your cam is mounted (u should find its rough Center of gravity before hand (CoG)) you add some counter weights to the lower platforms and then adjust their position to make the CoG of the whole caboodle to be just above the gimbal.

if you want to see what im talking about, get a long pole (ruler will do, or a broom handle) and pinch it between finger and thumb somwhere near the top. now move it side to side. it wobbles and rotates about, but look for the node...the bit its rotating about. if you then hold the broom handle there and repeat you find the pole moves with you perfectly upright. this is essentially what you are trying to achieve with a hand held steadicam.

the added weight to the overall system increases inertia, hence damps out jerky movements....the weights position ensures correct CoG so that when you move, the system stays perfectly level when still (static balance) and when moving (dynamic balance) thanks to the gimbal, because it isolate your body movements from the system. only issue is.... you best have a strong arm. even with a handy cam and a couple of grams of counter weights your arm soon tires.

i wrote a VB prgram to help me design it, as the balance equations have lots of unknowns.... when you start you only know the camera weight and its CoG's rough position from the gimbal. the rest is unknown, there are more unknowns than equations so its an iterative process. i made a VB program that lets you use sliders to home in on static and dynamic balance.
 
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^ How cheap? I'm looking to make one myself, but obviously don't want to spend a load. PM'd as an NB :p

The only other type of steadicam (for handycams etc) is I think whats known as a Merlin steadicam (PICTURE). I don't know which would be easier or cheaper to make, but obviously I don't have a massive camera to load up (although if I feel its worth it then upgrading to a D90 for the video feature - but thats not something I really want to do while my D50 works fine).
 
Speedtouch said:
^ How cheap? I'm looking to make one myself, but obviously don't want to spend a load. PM'd as an NB :p.
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Oi. :p

Matt2000 said:
There are lots of DIY steadicam techniques out there. Here's one example.
Click to expand...

Also I wouldn't use video as a reason for getting a D90. If you really want good video I would go to an EOS 550D or D300S because the D90 is only 720p, doesn't autofocus while recording and has issues with motion. Linky.
 
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^ Sorry I forgot about the link you'd given as I've already seen that one, so I ignored it this time around :p A copy of that for a bit less cash is this one. I think that's pretty good, considering - its just that those conduit pipes aren't massively available in the UK.

As for the D90 - I guess it might not be the best solution - but I don't want to spend loads on a dedicated camcorder (I understand that you can't really get the best of both worlds) and the D300s is stupid money for me (and I'd rather not change to Canon as I already have a lens and a flashgun, which would make it stupid money for the 550D). Interesting to see that review though - but after a bit more searching I found stuff like this - add a steadicam into it and does it all become fine(?) But then the question arises - could I get similar results on my TZ7? (Obviously nothing compared to the Jetta video in this thread).
 
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Speedtouch said:
^ Sorry I forgot about the link you'd given as I've already seen that one, so I ignored it this time around :p A copy of that for a bit less cash is this one. I think that's pretty good, considering - its just that those conduit pipes aren't massively available in the UK.
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Fair enough. I'll have a look at the video in my lunch break.

I completely agree with the cameras though, it's a difficult choice. I'm planning on getting a D90 at the end of the week, but I have no plans to use it for video because my CG10 does everything I need. As far as price is concerned, it is possible to make the D300s affordable using the 12-month 0% finance Jessops offer and I considered it myself at one point. I'll be taking out the finance on my D90 by boosting the order up past ?800 with a bag and protection plan. I've also considered Canon but decided against it, although you can buy an adapter to use Nikon lenses with an EOS.

Sorry for hijacking this thread. :p
 
A bit of a bump, but I've finished making my very own DIY steadicam. :D

It looks very much DIY, but thats fine. :p

sxm2dc.jpg


Its made from a screw fitting tripod, where instead of the locking clips to extend the legs, you have an in line screw system. Its shown at 2:25 in this video, which is where I got the design from. Basically I took it all apart and used the sections of tripod leg as the frame, and the tripod head as the camera fittings.

What this photo shows is one of the joints - simply 2 pipes that I crushed together with large washers and a bolt, which is also used to hold them tight together, and also to hold some washers for weights.
20armux.jpg


Some footage I took with it.
[video=youtube;3P_i-TJP4k8]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3P_i-TJP4k8[/video]

I probably need to work on technique some more (oh, and I never want to run with it again - its a bitch to control, and I don't need to run with it), but its pretty crude. However its better than handheld. I hope to maybe get a video of the Kangoo, sort of as another test, similar to the VW video in this thread (although obviously no-where near as awesome :p).
 
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Who cares if it looks a little rough, it just looks purposeful and dose the job well. I watched the video you took inspiration from (it's the top related video) and I'm not sure how much I'd trust PVC pipe.

Saying that I have a length of the stuff along with a broken tripod and a couple of those UJs from my scale 90 Defender project so might give this a go myself.

Edit: Apparently I must spread some washers around before giving them to Speedtouch again, someone cover me. :)
 
Got your back. Hope he'll explain how it works (where to hold it, what it's attached to, etc).
 
I guess I might have to make a how-to/description video then. :)

And while I'm not sure on the PVC idea - the stuff he uses looks very thick, whereas I'm using very thin walled Aluminium, and that is plenty strong enough for my camera (~500g). I don't know if it would work with something like a DSLR, but I would definitely need more weights. :p

Edit: Good news - I may have discovered a way to mount the camera on the bottom to create really low down shots. Bad news - it'll be a bitch to engineer, will make the whole system much heavier, and will put a load more strain on those joints, which really can't take it. :p
 
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In the wagonwerks vid that was originally posted roller blades are used lol. But that diy steady cam is awesome!
 
IceBone said:
Got your back. Hope he'll explain how it works (where to hold it, what it's attached to, etc).
Click to expand...

i can explain a bit

sorry speedtouch for not sending that stuff yet, you probably dont need it now, but at the moment my internet options are dire here! on the equivalent of dial up at work and at the place im staying the ISP is very dodgy with reliability, havent had the net there for a few weeks now. at work i also have to share one ethernet cable with 4 people... so uploading 60mb, on dial up with 3 others constantly stealing the connection. yeah :|

anyway, these things are simple in their operation.

all your doing is 1. adding weight to your camera system, more mass = more inertia = more force required to move it = less susceptible to shaky movements. its inertial damping essentially. so you dont have to add too much weight, you can place smaller weights at a distance from the center of rotation of the device... the inertia they create is then dependent on the distance from the center of rotation squared. (parallel axis theorem, if i place a weight at a distance R from the center of rotation, then the total inertia is = the inertia of the mass itself (I) + its mass (m) x this distance (R)^2)

so placing some additional masses at a distance gives us some increased inertia.

2. next you place those masses in such a way as to position the center of gravity of the whole caboodle, just above (like mm above) where you are holding it. this way, when you move it, the force you exert on the device generates zero turning moments. (ie. force x distance, in this case because the CoG is essentially zero distance away from the force you exert, then the moments are zero). this stops the thing trying to rotate in your hand

the key ingredient though is some form of gimbal or yoke.... that lets the device rotate in all 3 axis. the gimbal is between you and the device, as it can freely rotate about all 3 axis, it isolates your hands from the device entirely, taking out any weird movement your hands make. this is why you need to do step 2 above really.... the CoG has to be just above the gimbal so that the thing is balanced both statically and dynamically (ie the additional weights you added dont make the thing rotate when you are holding it still, and they wont make it rotate when you try to move it)

so if its balanced nicely (and its pretty much a trial and error thing, though i did write a program to help do the balancing when i made one of these) when you walk and spin around and stuff with it, it stays completely up right. the gimbal takes out any hand movements (side to side, angling up n down, whatever), and your arm acts as a sort of natural spring when holding it, and if you placed the additional masses right the steadycam will remain upright at all times.

you do need to hold the steadicam gently with finger and thumb though, usually just above the gimbal (hence why you put the CoG just above the gimbal), this is so you can keep it in check and keep it pointing in the direction you want. while those counter weights stop it from flipping forward or side ways and going upside down (rotating about the 2 horizontal axis), they dont often do alot for rotation about the vertical axis, and sometimes it will wander if you dont keep a light grip on it and turn it by rolling what ever part you have hold of between finger and thumb.

if you can master that you can do those cool going round corner shots where you keep the corner dead center of frame as you move about. its beautiful to watch. ive tried a full steadicam and a the one i made and while its rather easy to get good results, much better than hand holding.... it takes bloody ages to master

sorry if my explaining skills are shite.

simplest way to thing of it is as a central pole, camera on top, gimbal somewhere below and some counter weights below that..... usually one weight fore and one aft of the gimbal. you move them above to place the CoG in the right place, and the fact that the counter weights are placed at a distance from the center of rotation (gimbal) gives rise to a nice increase in rotational inertia. that combined with the gimbal isolating your hand movements makes the camera much less susceptible to shake. up n down movements are suppressed thanks to the additional weight and the fact your arm is a very effective spring/damper system. jerky up n down movements usually end up as gentle undulations.
 
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