Video shot by my stablizer

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Leigh Wanstead said:
Hi Mikko,

Maybe you are not aware of that slow moving stabilizer shot is harder than fast moving shot. There is restriction of moving the camera speed in film shooting. And do you know about KISS? :)

Regards
Leigh
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Keep It Steady Stupid? I agree, it's a good principle.


Yeah, slow is hard to get right, but so far your rig is a one trick pony. And with a shotty horizon it doesn't even do the one trick properly this time.

Try something more diverse. Like this that I just improvised (yeah, it's far from perfect)...
http://www.mikkowilson.com/videos/SteadiImpovDemo081706.wmv [1.8MB]

There's a variety of shots in there, back to back in the demo.
It only takes a few seconds to show you can do slow well, then go fast for a moment, then something different again. It doesn't have to be one continous shot as would be used in a film. I just did a shot, then moved and did another different one.
That clip is un edited, just a stright encode.

- Mikko
 
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My comments would be; that it's a prety poor demo as to a representation of my skills. It's un-rehearsed and unplanned, and as a result it has a lot of wobbles and momentary off horizons in it. But it's interesting, not the same old stuff for months like your demos, and that's my point.

Sorry to use him as an example, but J's post above proves my point. The footage looks good and interesting over all, and that makes a good impression, even if it has some techincial flaws.

I wouldn't post *that* as my demo video. But that's the type and diversity of stuff I would (and do) put in my demo.

If you can keep the audience interested and watching, only then will they ever see anything.

- Mikko
 
There seems to be a little battle going on from your side Leigh. Mikko is trying to give you some tips, not compete with you. For a quick wander round the office, Mikko did OK, he was just giving to an idea to vary your shots, not just a static shot. From what I've seen from your clips, you seem to be concentrating on keeping the sled from moving, rather than watching your monitor and flowing with your rig. You're over working everything just to keep the shot smooth, hence, your horizon is all over the place. A perfectly steady shot, with everything leaning over and porposing is worse than a slightly wnstable shot where everything stays composed and level. Forget the "see your running shots with a heavy camera i.e. 6kg camera with in camera stabilizer turn off" and concentrate on your own shots. You've improved over the early clips you were posting, just keep practicing, and start to think about the shot, not the rig, then it will begin to flow.
 
Thanks, good words there p.. young.

Every word of the above is correct.
Leigh, who cares that the camera I was using weighed ~7kg, had no image stabilizer, and that I was in deed running. What counts is that I was making a dynamic shot. I could have done the same with a 200g camera on the Merlin.

You move the camera, but your shots themselves are incredibly static. Make your shots dynamic, that's what really shows off a stabilizer best.


- Mikko ... 6kg is heavy?
 
Paul R Johnson in dvinfo forum mentioned to me that the low level shots can be done quite simply by holding the camera handle - you don't need the complexity of a stabiliser.

I have been thinking about his suggestion and I thought it might be worth to do some experiment.
Here comes my not so scientific experiment result recorded as a video.

Apple quick time format
File size around 25mb
http://www.smootharm.com/art/2007_jan_1/www.smootharm.com.2007_jan_1.mov

Microsoft windows media player format
File size around 9mb
http://www.smootharm.com/art/2007_jan_1/www.smootharm.com.2007_jan_1.wmv

Equitment used
JVC GY-DV5000 camera
Fujion s20x6.4brm-sd lense
SmoothArm

SmoothArm operator
Leigh Wanstead

Using SmoothArm camera plate to ground height 3 inch(8cm)

Regards
Leigh
 
i just looked over your jan 2007 clip and it was pretty wobbly man...and ther were no turns no nothing...u gotta bring something else to the table man... i should get the merlin out and see what i ca do with it..... as i havent really used it in months.. hahahaha and i prolly have it set up wrong..hahaha as i dont think i ever had it right.. :P
 
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saturnin said:
i just looked over your jan 2007 clip and it was pretty wobbly man...and ther were no turns no nothing...u gotta bring something else to the table man... i should get the merlin out and see what i ca do with it..... as i havent really used it in months.. hahahaha and i prolly have it set up wrong..hahaha as i dont think i ever had it right.. :P
Click to expand...

Thank you for taking the time to watch my experiment video. I watched one of your video linked from your signature to to try to understand what you said. I see that you tried to be great, however I still don't understand what you said here.

Regards
Leigh
 
tried to be great? lol..not sure what u mean by that. I was saying that your test was pretty wobbly and that it had no turns no pans and that you have to bring somthing else to the table, meaning that you have to show us something different.

I have a steadicam merlin that i havent used very much but i think i can get better footage from it even if its not perfectly set up. I dont have any merlin clips up, i'm thinking you saw some ancient bike stuff that hasnt been updated in a long time and it wasnt the best but it was something at the time, just like your tests are somthing now and will be most likely better in the future.

Dont get your panties in a bunch old chump.
 
Some experiment video

Microsoft windows media player format
File size around 20mb
http://www.smootharm.com/art/Feb_21_2007/Feb_21_2007_1.wmv

File size around 17mb
http://www.smootharm.com/art/Feb_21_2007/Feb_21_2007_2.wmv

File size around 17mb
http://www.smootharm.com/art/Feb_21_2007/Feb_21_2007_3.wmv


MPEG2 format
File size around 209mb
http://www.smootharm.com/art/Feb_21_2007/Feb_21_2007_1.m2p

File size around 175mb
http://www.smootharm.com/art/Feb_21_2007/Feb_21_2007_2.m2p

File size around 181mb
http://www.smootharm.com/art/Feb_21_2007/Feb_21_2007_3.m2p

As usual, no software stabilize is applied to the video. No internal camera stabilizer is used.

Regards
Leigh
 
Hey Leigh,

How long have you been posting these videos on this and other forums? I've watched many of them, and I've read the feedback. It really seems like you just aren't listening to any of it, and I can certainly understand why people get frustrated and/or annoyed.

Honestly, your most recent videos don't look a bit different than the first one I ever saw. They are at the same pace, they feature the same person, and it's nothing more than walking and shooting. We all know what handheld looks like and we all know what a stabilizer is supposed to do. Showing us those things doesn't help to promote your product.

We would LOVE to see something different. Do you have an actual scene or something you've shot with it that was produced by someone other than yourself? Do you have a demo reel? That is the kind of stuff that will keep people interested in your posts, videos, and ultimately, product.

We're all here to exchange information and learn, hopefully. The fact that you're building your own rig has nothing to do with any negative feedback you have received. I actually enjoy seeing footage from people's own creations. Others on these forums that have posted footage of their own stabilizers or lens adapters or lighting controllers or whatever have all done so in order to receive feedback and hopefully improve upon their designs. When they've changed something, they'll post again - each time pushing their product further than the previous. This is what I strongly suggest you do.

Best Regards.
 
Hi Afton,

Thanks for your suggestion.

Video is art. I wish to get better in art every day.:beer: But in reality, you comment that I did not improve so much. That is the reason I works so hard every day to train myself.:)

Regards
Leigh

AftonGrant said:
Hey Leigh,

How long have you been posting these videos on this and other forums? I've watched many of them, and I've read the feedback. It really seems like you just aren't listening to any of it, and I can certainly understand why people get frustrated and/or annoyed.

Honestly, your most recent videos don't look a bit different than the first one I ever saw. They are at the same pace, they feature the same person, and it's nothing more than walking and shooting. We all know what handheld looks like and we all know what a stabilizer is supposed to do. Showing us those things doesn't help to promote your product.

We would LOVE to see something different. Do you have an actual scene or something you've shot with it that was produced by someone other than yourself? Do you have a demo reel? That is the kind of stuff that will keep people interested in your posts, videos, and ultimately, product.

We're all here to exchange information and learn, hopefully. The fact that you're building your own rig has nothing to do with any negative feedback you have received. I actually enjoy seeing footage from people's own creations. Others on these forums that have posted footage of their own stabilizers or lens adapters or lighting controllers or whatever have all done so in order to receive feedback and hopefully improve upon their designs. When they've changed something, they'll post again - each time pushing their product further than the previous. This is what I strongly suggest you do.

Best Regards.
Click to expand...
 
Leigh Wanstead said:
Hi Afton,

Thanks for your suggestion.

Video is art. I wish to get better in art every day.:beer: But in reality, you comment that I did not improve so much. That is the reason I works so hard every day to train myself.:)

Regards
Leigh
Click to expand...
Hi Leigh,

I think you missed my point. I didn't comment on your operating at all. I merely commented on the content of these videos. Are you posting them to raise awareness of your product, or are you posting them simply for feedback on your operating skills? I would guess you're looking to sell your product which is why you give us the handheld demo at the beginning.

Either way, I still think you should give us something different. If you're trying to sell your product, we all know what a stabilizer does and we don't need to watch 3 minutes of a guy walking in a straight line. If you're looking for operating feedback, you're posting the most simple of shots possible. It's hard to determine your strengths and weaknesses when it's one simple frame for the entire time.

Someone else in this post suggested you bring something else to this table. I couldn't agree more. Change it up, show us something different, shoot an actual scene! That's what we want to see.

Best Regards.
 
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