That's the unfortunate truth in eliminating camera shake from handhelds. I know the funky "handheld" look is the current darling of filmmakers, but it's just a fad. Camera shake looks plain amateurish, and we all know the 'professional look' is the holy grail of any aspiring amateur. Inevitably the experienced shooter claims rock handheld shots (he'll also be heard repeating the "my body is a tripod" mantra), but this dedication and skill will always be limited. Tripod, dollys and cranes are also great for very well, but completely useless for the intrepid DV shooter.
So you've taken the no-cost stablisation as far as you can and it's time for yet more video related expense. It's time to invest in a stabilisation system giving ultimate flexibility at an affordable price. Clearly this instantly strikes off a fully featured "rig" with a starting cost of over £2,000. Even the "budget" Glidecam V-8 or smooth shooter is unrealistic for anything other than an ardent shooter (being more expensive than the your camcorder it would support). If you're not a professional shooter, you'll need a gizmo to whip out the kit bag as needed - you won't have the time nor the inclination to strap myself into some bio-mechanical looking monstrosity!
imagine whipping this little baby out on hols?
After failing to justify the expense of a professional setup, you're left with an array of choice in budget stabilisation. Knowing that each of these systems rely completely on the strength of your arm, you'll want to hold your cam out at arms length before investing in one of these. Unless you enjoy the torture of holding out weights at arm's length, you probably won't entertain using anything bigger than an XM2 on top of one of these units. You can buy additional "add ons", and that's the reason I've chosen to highlight the glidecam 2000 Pro - a budget stabiliser that grows with your needs.
Assembling the Glidecam 2000 Pro
Like almost every other consumer good, the Glidecam comes "ready to assemble". You'll find an array of parts all neatly packaged and a wonderfully detailed instruction manual explaining how to fit everything together. It's worth reading these carefully as the way you fit the glidecam together will have an impact on the way you use the product.
Once the glidecam's assembled, the fun really begins - it's time to balance your camera! You'll instantly recognise a slight downside to the glidecam as soon as you mount the camera to the top of the unit. The mounting plate is screwed to the underside camera using tripod mounting hole, and then screwed to the top of the glidecam using 4 thumbnail screws as shown below:
The problem with this method is one of convenience: the glidecam's main balancing mechanism is the redistribution of the camera weight by sliding the mounting plate. Once you've positioned the camera to achieve optimum balance, you'll find yourself upsetting this delicate balance each and everytime you need to take the camera off the glidecam. Although this seems a chore the first time, you'll soon get a feel for the position of the camera. What's more frustrating is the inconvenience of unscrewing the camera using a screwdriver - a job that must be done if you intend to mount the camera on a tripod.
A Balancing Act
As mentioned above a finely tuned weight distribution achieves a perfect balance. This balancing act can prove a daunting prospect for the first time user, particularly when the camera flips upside down and out of control. The first step in this balancing act is finding the equilibrium of you camera, and the easiest way to find this is by placing a your finger underneath the handle so that the camera is horizontal. You should then place the camera on top of the glidecam so that this point is over the top of the glidecam bar. But before attempting any kind of balance, ensure the camcorder is set exactly how you intend to shoot: the viewscreen in position, the lens cap removed, a tape in the camera and finally a battery and any other accessories in place! Adding any of the above after balancing will inevitably result in re-balancing.
Once you've positioned the camera on the mount, you'll need to fine tune the balance using the weights on the sled. You may well be suprised at how only incremental adjustments to the camera position on the glidecam equate to dramatic changes.And you can use the law of physics to your advantage here by positing the pole at a low position so that there's a short distance between the sled and the camera. You'll now see that any adjustments to the position of the camera on the glidecam are extreme, which will give you a good eye for where the camera should be balanced.
Once you've achieved reasonable weight distribution, it's time to move onto the drop test to ensure the length of the pole is correct. Ensuring that all four thumbnails are position screwed tightly, tip the glidecam backwards so the lens of you camera is pointing the floor. Now release the bottom of the glidecam and count the time taken for the glidecam to travel through 180 degrees so that the lens is now pointing upwards. This should take approximately two seconds: if it falls too quickly, shorten the pole; if it falls too slowly, lengthen the pole.
Finally fine tune the weight using the supplied rings. You'll notice here that moving the weights and not the thumb screw is another way of adding an extra level of fine tuning. I'm using two 4 weights placed at the extremes of the glidecam sled to achieve optimum equilibrium. Ultimately you'll know the glidecam is balanced when you can "punch" the glidecam forward or spin it around without the camcorder moving from horizontal.
In Action
It'll probably take you a few hours to assemble and balance the glidecam. A worthy investment of your time, but this balancing act is just part of the skill of using the glideclam. Although you should be able to pick up the glidecam from a level surface without any wobble, this is a useful exercise to get used to the feel of the unit: with your strongest arm holding the handle so it's positioned about 45 degrees from the back of the glidecam (and your free hand gently holding the pole just below the handle) practice picking up and placing the glidecam back down again. The move onto walking in a straight line towards a target before finally attempting moving around corners. You'll notice than any change in direction will result in an inevitable pendulum effect - the bottom of the glidecam will swing out. With practice you'll find you can minimise this "roll" with graceful movements.
I often found myself disrupting the balance of the glidecam with my "spare" hand rather than using it merely as a guide, and the same rules of holding a handheld camera still apply: the key is smooth, elegant movements. At times it's also necessary to estimate framing of shots as looking at the viewfinder and achieving the perfectly smooth shot is not possible. Remember, the glidecam isn't a miracle cure!
Summing it up
The glidecam's a powerful tool in the amateur's video toolkit. Although it produces wonderfully smooth movements, don't expect a miracle cure and do expect to practice. The combination of a substantial weight and an awkward holding position make arm fatigue a common complaint amongst glidecam 2000 users. Although these problems are alleviated by the separately sold arm brace and the even more expensive "smooth shooter" add on, these also add an extra level of movement restriction.
If you're patient and willing to invest time in practice, you'll achieve wonderfully smooth and elegant shots. Sweeping shots you simply can't achieve without stabilisation. And this is where people that claim they're a steady shooter with a handheld are missing out: it's one thing holding a handheld static, it's a different world holding it stable whilst moving. This is exactly the freedom the Glidecam 200 gives you.
