Which stabilisation is appropriate for your video?

Before filming there are many decisions to be made. One that affects so much of the finished film is what stabilisation we provide for the camera.

WE USE HAND-HELD WHEN:

• We want your video to have a raw documentary feel to it
• We are at a fast paced event and need to get around quickly
• We want to create an immersive “in-the-moment” feeling
• We want to be less intrusive – a tripod might cause safety issues

WE USE A THREE-AXIS GIMBAL WHEN:

• We want dynamic camera moves to give videos a smooth, polished feel
• We want to follow someone doing something active – walking, running, etc
• We need stable footage from a moving vehicle

WE USE A TRIPOD WHEN:

• We want a calm, professional feel to the video
• We want the viewer to focus on a face and what our subject is saying
• To remove shake when using a telephoto/macro lens for close ups

And there are some other options:

Monopod – this offer more stability than handheld, and allows us to move quicker than with a tripod,  so we use it for locations and interviews in active, crowded areas.

Slider – we often bring our electronic slider to give an extra something to our interview setups or add some movement to calm tripod shots.

Mixing stabilisation methods within a video – we often mix stabilisation methods appropriate to what the sequence aims to achieve. For example, at a workshop we will use a tripod/slider for the presentations and then hand-hold to capture the frantic group activities (like the shots above). Occasionally we’ll even add the hand-held look to tripod shots in post production if the entire video calls for a documentary feel.