STABILISERS COMPARED
A practical exercise was undertaken by members of The Teign Film Makers Club in the use of camera stabiliser equipment (Steadicam), at Kitson Park in Torquay, Devon.
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The three stabilisers used on the day were: Floatcam FC12, Flycam 5000 and a D.I.Y device made using plastic piping.
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The location chosen, offered a varied challenge to the operators. The woodland glade was ideal with its uneven & twisted paths. The quiet secluded parkland was a complete contrast with its well tended grass picnic area .
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Alan was the instigator of the exercise as he has owned a stabiliser (FloatCam FC-12) for the past three years. During this time he had chance to use the stabiliser (Rig), gaining a great deal of experience which he readily has passed onto the club members.
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It is of uppermost importance to set the rig up properly otherwise poor results will follow. All types of stabilisers require the operator to walk or run with a smooth body movement. This takes a lot of practise.
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Alan was the first to complete the set filming sequence. This gave us some valuable tips to follow.
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Next it was Ron's turn. He was thrown in the deep end! This was his first chance to use his new purchase, a Flycam 5000 with vest and arm. Early on he said "I can't do this, it's much harder to use than I thought it would be". Alan soon came to the rescue, offering a few suggestions that had Ron smiling again and showing that he could do it.
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Last to put his D.I.Y. Stabiliser on trial was Jim. He explained his unique makeup had a shortcoming, which he had found impossible to completely perfect. Handling can be controlled smoothly, but walking is very difficult to smooth out completely. The plus points enable very low level or high level shots to be filmed where a person wearing a full body mount rig, would not be able to access; similar to crane shots. Another plus point is, it cost about £10 !
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SHOOT VIDEOS
Camera Stabilisers Compared: Behind The Scenes
Camera Stabilisers Compared: FloatCam Pro FC-12
Camera Stabilisers Compared: Flycam 5000
Camera Stabilisers Compared: DIY Stabiliser
