For one of our upcoming shoots, there is a hand-held tracking shot. I really want to nail this shot. I’ve always wanted a steady cam rig to add to my filmmaking kit… specifically a Freefly Movi m5 3-axis motorized gimbal stabilizer, if I’m being exact. However, since I defiantly do not have 3 grand to spend on buttery smooth hand held camera movement, I’ve experimented with 3 poor man work arounds.

1.) Camera mounted on a tripod. (Paul suggested this for a documentary shoot I did recently) This is better then holding he camera directly for sure. Yet still is pretty shaky. However, I feel like I will probably return to this old reliable method.

2.) Using warp stabiliser in post, this only really helps if the shake is super marginal. Not really applicable for the big movements of running with the camera. When used with such footage, it looks super super weird and gross.

3.) The latest experiment is building my own fig rig stabilizer. I watched a couple of YouTube tutorials and made my way to Bunnings. $18 dollars and some elbow grease later, I had my fig rig. While it is defiantly no Freefly Movi, it’s not bad. I would probably rate it maybe the same, or a little better then using the tripod. I think if I added more weight to the bottom part of the PVC pipe frame, it would improve.

As you can see I’m super proud of my DYI job. (better homes and gardens come scout me) If you want to give it a go, heres the link!

All in all I feel like one shot amongst 20 (or so) will not make or break the quality of our film. However, it is still interesting to experiment with different methods to achieve smooth hand held footage. I’m still undecided as to the winner. Cast YOUR vote below.