5 Reasons You Should Shoot With A Gimbal
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- čas přidán 4. 06. 2024
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Let’s look at five reasons why filmmakers use gimbals in both videography and on high end productions alike.
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0:00 Introduction
0:40 1. Movement
3:27 2. Uneven Terrain
4:54 3. Time & Money Saver
7:06 Squarespace
8:09 4. Remote Head
10:13 5. Flexibility
12:39 Conclusion
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I work locally as a Gimbal specialist, I love gimbals, their versatility is their strength and in the hand of a skilled operator they can do so many things well however... I still stand by that "90% of the time a skilled steadicam operator will always look better". Although the Ronin4D which is 4-axis is a whole other ball park.
Could you explain why is that? Few times i spotted the difference, and have feelings that I like steadicam shots more, but i can’t understand why they looks better to me
@@igorzhidkov1957 biggest difference is that steadicams also has a slight stabilisation of the 4th axis. Gimbals are nutrious for severly requiring a perfect "ninja walk". Their movments are also very robotic, it's often something about the movement acceleration during pans and stuff that can feel abit to perfect which can cause shots to feel abit sterile and lacking in energy, especially since the natrual float of steadicams isn't there. It can really work on some projects tho, Fincher-films, slow burn horror or something like The Shining could actually benefit from the "the sterile robotic"-feel.
The Gimbals roboticness also make small mistakes more noticiable like up and down bobbles or if your arms a wobbling around, usually you have to combine them with an Easyrig with a Stabil-arm or an Arri-Trinity style rig to truly get rid of it (and at that point you are basically a Steadicam operator ontop of everything).
Right tool for the right job.
Gimbals are great at somethings, and awful at others.
Many people assume that hiring a gimbal will save you money over steadicam as you don’t need to hire an op, but it can and usually does work the other way.
Like you said, time is money, and to build a camera into a gimbal, you have to strip it down completely. Changing over from gimbal to handheld to sticks takes up a lot of time, which could cost the production in terms of time, or even having to hire a second camera body.
The other issue you might have is, you are now locked into shooting everything on the gimbal, which is usually not a good thing.
With a steadicam, you rarely have to strip a camera all the way down. As an operator, I can go from steadicam to production or hand held mode in less than a minute.
This means the dp gets to shoot the clip exactly how they want it, and within the allocated time frame.
With gimbals, a computer is also controlling and stabilising the camera.
If something goes wrong, it can be difficult to Troubleshoot unless you are a gimbal tech, which then means you’re hiring an extra person anyways.
As for Steadicam’s, the stabilisation is done by the operator and you won’t get the same technical issues like you would a gimbal.
As for versatility, gimbals when built with a cinema camera are not light. This means the majority of the time, you’d need something like a ready rig or some other vest to take the weight off the operators hands.
Trying to fit through a door way with some of these are near impossible or extremely difficult, which does affect the framing and stability of the shot.
Steadicam’s have a much narrower profile and can be manoeuvred to squeeze through tight spaces if operated well.
But like I said, right tools for the right jobs.
I usually hire a Gimbal Operator, he's great with precise and smooth moves, and he knows his gear. Last time i asked him how much time he'd need to change an Alexa mini from the Movi Pro to tripod mode, he said 1 minute, i timed it just to mess with him, and it was a minute exactly.
He had a baseplate with rods, handles and batteries ready to go plus a top handle with my 7" monitor that slides in the bracket that attaches the camera to the top of the gimbal, the only thing he had to move was the teradek but its on quick releases so they don't have to waste time screwing it.
To get it back in the movi and calibrate, i'd say it was like 3 minutes.
I'd have to disagree with gimbals being harder to fit through doorways, the Movi pro is not wider that the Op shoulders, not even with the ReadyRig, steadycam Ops always have the arm on their side, making them wider.
Like you said, different tools for different jobs, and i still hire Steadycams from time to time depending on what moves or cameras i want to use, things like film cameras are pretty much impossible to put on a gimbal but very easy on a steadycam (but not on a Trinity, i asked for a Arriflex 416 on a trinity and they had to tore the camera apart, even the viewfinder was removed 😅).
@@jm1jonas Having a gimbal tech is the dream when working with gimbals. It's someone who knows it inside out and can usually trouble shoot any issues very quickly, and yes will save you a heap of time, but will cost the production an extra person's day rate. IMO it's the right way to go if you're getting a gimbal on a shoot. The time you'd save out weights a person's day rate, but I guess budget limits, are budget limits, and something has to give.
I was more referring to times when productions try to save money and hire a gimbal w/o a tech, and the job falls upon the dp or 1ac to balance and all that jazz.
As for door ways, I guess it also depends on the operator and their skill but as a steadicam op, yes I operate the rig 70% of the time on the left side of the body, but can move it around wherever to fit spaces (I've done zig zag shots through narrow door ways and a corridor backwards)
The reason for the door way comment was an op I saw trying to fit through a door way side ways (profile shot, actor was walking though another door way) and his readyrig would smack the door way. he then tried to op it side ways, but the framing suffered, and the ready rig then knocked then top still.
Like I'm sure they could have taken the readyrig off, and got a second person to walk with it or something like that, but idk in my head I was like, I could easily do this with my steadicam (I was a green 1AC on this shoot, and they had a gimbal tech)
Anyways, I think gimbals are a great tool for specific shots, but not great for replacing a steadicam and doesn't always save money in the ways you might think.
Nice to see the WHY behind gear. So much of the time we want gear just because everyone is using it, but knowing the exact problems they can solve and potential alternatives is empowering!
When everyone makes gimbal and gear reviews, they hardly discuss the WHY because that's already assumed, which not everyone will get.
I have learnt a lot in this video, thanks
Another great video! Thank you.
Thanks for the video
I worked in the movie industry for 30 years and have always been interested in the process of cinematography. What was used in the Revenant and Coen Bros. Films? Would like to see certain great films covered in depth.
Great video.
were gonna need that how ari aster shoots at different budgets video
Athena was not shot with gimbal but a proper steadycam
Some of the shots here do look like Steadicam.
But it is simply trusting the gimbal operator to create composition at every twist and turn, which might not give DP the full control on compositions and movements.
SHOULDER RIG, and ad 2kg of wait on the back, and if you ad some stabilization in post will make your footage look indistinguable from gimbal footage!
But you're locked to that 4th axis. I like the ability to move my camera up and down, and get different angles.
@@Bruno_fyi BS, grabbing the cam by the top handle gets you such a smooth cam. dont GIVE IN TO THE DARK FORCES OF GIMBALS
This dude is just going to pretend the last video didn't happen
get over it. I feel sad for you.
What was it?
@@tbird81 it was a video about crop factor, but i has alot of mistakes
So is the Steadicam still relevant and its complexity and cost justifiable ?
They are. Steadicams can provide more natural less robotic movements and indifference to most gimbals they are able to stabilize the 4th axis too without the need of a rigg (Ronin4D being the only exception). They are also far more responsive while gimbals tend to have adjustable delay that you have to account for. Imho, as a gimbal specialist in my local-filmindustry (so nothing fancy), the result from great Steadicam operators like Karsten Jacobson are still unparallaled even by the greatest gimbal-operators I've seen. However a shit-gimbal operator will look better than a shit-steadicam operator.
Reason: you have a properly rigged gimbal and a team with a camera operator that can operate the Gimbal, an ac to pull focus, and ac to make sure the camera is set up properly and that the camera op doesn't run into anything, and a director that can monitor framing and composition. AND you have a shot that requires it that can't be done on a dolly
Minute 2:52 .... still Athena not The Creator, anyways the video always the best
gimballs are sick man! i feel like the hate towards gimballs often comes from a place of snobbism from people who feel videography tools are beneath "filmmaking"
Honestly in my experience, don't think I've ever worked with a bigger time suck than a gimbal. Its good for flexibility on lower budget projects but definitely never as reliable as a steady cam or dolly set up. When you're in the middle of a perfect take and the motors on the gimbal keep failing or freezing up, you'll soon wish you hired a steady opp.
You need to get an experienced gimbal operator\tech. I've shot dozens of commercials and music videos with the Movi Pro and not once had a take ruined by the gimbal op. I use to think like that until i started working with the right guy, he takes the same time changing lens or even less that a steadycam.
I heard a larger gimbal creates more compression in the image
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Nothing beats a panther dolly
sorry dude that one shot is not from the creator but from athena..respect!
I don't agree with most of this. Gimball shots creates a lot of unmotivated movement. The floaty movement feels very uncanny to me. I'd rather experience the camera operator to make clear decisions handheld. Or have well thought out blocking in a well gripped out set.
I agree about the unmotivated movement. Gimbal makers need to go back to the drawing board and make something that simply eliminates handheld jitters. We don't need all these uncontrolled flowing movements.
Yeah I'm honestly sick of how much gimbals get spammed in modern filmmaking. Everyone seems terrified of a locked off shots being boring, so even when something could and probably should be static they feel the need to push in or pull out slowly.
Gimbals are a blessing but so much sloppy videography is compensated for by completely random floating movement
I agree that gimbals have their shortcomings and are overused by inexperienced shooters who don't understand their strengths and weaknesses (I know! I've been one.). But this video is meant to show the scenarios in which gimbals may be the right tool for the job, and in the right hands. At the end of the day, these tools are just an extension of the operator, and only perform as well as they do.
As an independent filmmaker, I was smitten by how polished I could quickly make my shots on the fly when I got my first Ronin. It wasn't until I started working on larger productions and gear that I saw the flaws. I worked on season 2 of Severance and the subtle, but very impactful difference between how they blocked and captured their takes primarily on dollys and libra heads vs the ronin heavy Canadian shows I've done was a massive learning experience.
That’s an issue with the director and NOT the gimbal. The same could be said if you rent a techno crane for the day and in the storyboards and shortlist you have one establishing shot that needs it but…you do have it..may as well use it. So the ONE shot that was motivated now becomes one motivated shot and 12 unmotivated shots. The tool you use needs to motivate the story or just a requirement to show what needs to be seen. A tripod isn’t the perfect tool for every shot and neither is a dolly and neither is a steadicam or gimbal. They all have their place.
I'm a certified Gimbal hater
This video is too long and too slow and doesn't teach anything interesting.