Be a smooth operator
Fluid motion is key to creating pro-quality movies. We look at the tools and techniques to get you there
possible. If you are moving with it, try the ‘ninja walk’, where you keep your knees bent and stealthily move as smoothly as possible, cradling the camera as you go. Put it on sticks A tripod is an invaluable bit of kit for filmmakers. Video tripods are designed for the job – rather than photo tripods, which usually keep the camera rock-solid. Most video tripods differ from photo-specific versions as they have a fluid-damped head and some way “The head itself will often feature three different ways of adjusting the movement – for pan, tilt and counterbalance”
of quickly levelling the camera. Video tripods usually have some sort of half-bowl fitting with one adjuster knob – letting you fine-tune the head to get it level. These typically have a spirit level built in. The head itself will often feature three different ways of adjusting the movement – for pan, tilt and counterbalance. Certain cheaper or lighter tripods may omit the latter option, though. It’s important to get it right on a video tripod because you want the camera to stay where it’s pointing if you completely remove all the tilt damping. You don’t want it to slowly droop forward or back. To get this right, video camera tripod plates are quite long, so you adjust the camera forward or backward until it balances. If your tripod has counterbalance adjustment, use this to fine-tune it to perfection. The other adjustments are for resistance to tilts and pans. You might want this to be very low, for example if you are panning with racing cars or runners – or quite high to give slow, precise control. If you set it too high, you may get
look more polished and professional. So let’s take a look at how to keep things smooth when filming video. The no-kit option If all you have is your camera and lens, there are a few tips and tricks to making your footage smooth. The first is to engage image stabilisation that may be found in your camera, lens – or sometimes both. Quite often, this crops the image slightly, but can do a decent job of taking the wobbles out. Check settings, as there could be different options for tripod- style static or moving, panning shots. Most editing programs will have some sort of shake-removal stabilisation feature, too. Again, this might add a small crop and often warps the lines at the edges of the frame. But it’s better than nothing. Another option is to set a faster frame rate in your camera – such as 50 or 60fps, or more – then slow the footage down in the edit. Slow- motion footage looks more smooth than normal footage, but of course you can’t use the audio. In all cases, it’s important to try and hold the camera as steady as
PART FOUR
WORDS BY ADAM DUCKWORTH
THERE’S NOTHING THAT can ruin your video or make it look amateurish like wobbly, handheld footage. Conversely, if your camera is clamped in a fixed position on a tripod it can add a sense of calm, but also look too static unless there is a lot of action in-frame. Even then, it’s usually better to follow the action – it’s a motion picture after all. Adding smooth, controlled camera motion to your videos really ups the production value and makes them
This series is designed to help novice filmmakers get to grips with the essentials of making movies. In every 2023 issue so far, we have been covering key parts of the process, including camera skills, audio advice and storytelling. Follow along each month and, by the end of the year, you’ll have all the advice to be the next Spielberg! Your teacher is Adam Duckworth, editor-in-chief of our sister title Pro Moviemaker. This instalment covers shooting smooth video.
STAY ON TRACK The rails on the Konova P1 S3 slider allow for clean movement while filming reveals
26 Photography News | Issue 106
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