In this video we look at three different types of camera operating: handheld, tripod and gimbal.
Handheld is the basic way to operate a camera. All you need is a camera, and your hands…holding it.
It’s great for projects where you need to move around a lot and get a variety of shots. With experience, you can move quickly and capture all the images you need. But there are limitations. Handheld is ideal when you can get close to your subject. But if you can’t get close and you need to zoom in, then your footage will start to look a bit shakey, depending on the camera and lens you’re using. When shooting handheld, it’s best to shoot with a somewhat wide lens. We typically use the Sigma Art 18-35mm F1.8 lens. This is a cropped sensor lens, so if you’re wanting to use it on a Full-Frame camera, it’s not going to look right. And if you’re not too sure what a cropped sensor is, and want me to make a video about it, let me know in the comments.
Tripods are great to get steady and smooth shots. We use them with telephoto lenses like the Canon 70-200mm. They are great for covering events where you need to get shots of people without being too distracting. Without sounding too creepy, if people know you’re filming them they’ll look uncomfortable and the shot won’t be useable. If you can capture shots without people being distracted by you, the shot will look natural, which is what we’re aiming for!
Tripods are also essential for interviews. You don’t want to be holding a camera for 30, 40, 60 minute interviews… unless you’re going for that gritty, handheld look… but you’ll have incredibly sore arms by the end of it, and the same technique can be achieved most of the time in post-production. If you don’t know what post-production is, that means editing!
The main negative for using a tripod is it does slow you down. It’s an extra piece of equipment that you need to carry AND they can surprisingly cost quite a bit of money for a good one… but if aren’t aware already, that’s a pretty common trend for a lot of video production gear.
The gimbal is a great piece of equipment, that when setup correctly, can get beautiful, smooth, moving shots. If you need to follow someone walking, or travel through spaces, a gimbal is very useful. It removes a lot of that unwanted up and down movement that you get if you were simply walking through a space. These are great for documentary work, and narrative work, adding a little bit more production value to your project, but it does come at a cost. Just like the tripod, it’s another piece of equipment to purchase, to bring to set, to assemble and then operate. This all takes time and if you’re on a tight deadline then this can often be a piece of equipment that gets left in the car. That’s why it’s always important to factor in setup time during your shoots to make sure everything is setup and ready to operate. It can be quite stressful rushing to setup a piece of gear when you haven’t allowed for that extra time. When you rush, you’ll inevitably make mistakes. So always factor in that extra time to setup your gear and check that it’s working.
And that’s our 3 camera operating techniques. If you got something out of this video, give it a thumbs up and please consider subscribing. And while you’re here, leave a comment below and let me know what YOUR favourite type of camera operating is and why!
Gear used in this video:
Cameras: Panasonic EVA1, Panasonic S1
Lenses: Panasonic 24-105mm F4, Sigma 18-35mm F1.8, Canon 70-200mm F2.8 IS II
Audio: Shure SM7b recorded into a Sound Devices MixPre 3ii
Lighting: Aputure 120D with Aputure Lantern
Tripod: Miller DS10
#VideoProduction #PanasonicEVA1 #PanasonicS1
