Balancing the glidecam?

[torig]

Is a properly balanced Glidecam supposed to be absolutely still when picked up from the table? Would it be similar as if I picked up a monopod from an upright position? Is that what I'm striving for in getting this thing balanced?

At this point, I can get anywhere from 2 to 3 second drop time, but either way, it still seems to have a sway/drift type of movement when I pick it up and when I walk with it, it rotates and seems to be in...I dunno...a drunken stupor like motion... I want to scream at it and shake it!! :angry:

I realize that I have to practice and learn how to work it, I just need to know at what point of the balancing act do I know it's truly balanced so I can move on.

Thanks!

 

[Tom Wills]

Torig,

The simple way of knowing if you’re balanced is this: If you pick it up, and just hold it right there, is the camera level front-to-back and side-to-side, and does it stay there as long as the sled is not moving? If it is, congratulations! You’re balanced in the most important way - static balance. As it implies, static balance is the state of being in balance when the sled is not rotating (note - I said not rotating. A statically balanced sled will still be in balance when moving). Dynamic Balance, on the other hand, is something you shouldn’t worry too much about until you’ve got the basics mastered.

The tricky part comes into play the moment you start moving. The camera may want to move in ways you don’t. Or, the whole sled may want to “pendulum” when you start moving. Regardless, the fix for these isn’t balance, it’s your control. Your fingertips on the gimbal must correct for the pendulum effect, which is caused by the inertia of the sled. The sled will always want to swing around as you start and stop moves, so it’s your job to control that. Simply doing that can take quite some time to master, but you’ll get it eventually.

The sled rotating is a little strange, but it could be caused by anything from the wind hitting one side of a camera more than the other, and pushing it in a circle, or there could be some minor problem somewhere, but I can’t really diagnose that blind. My guess, however, is that once you start actually controlling the sled with your fingertips, you’ll find that it stays in place pretty well.

Hope this all helps. If this doesn't answer anything, let me know, I've probably just glossed over something unintentionally. (Funny, last time I offered to help someone learn to use a Glidecam, I ended up doing the shots myself on my Steadicam!)

 

[torig]

Thanks, your explanation makes all the sense in the world, I appreciate it! So correct me if I'm wrong:

When I pick it up, there shouldn't be any movement (swing, sway, teetering, etc.) no matter how subtle and insignificant it may seem. Any movement is the effect of imbalance. When I pick it up and it has that gentle subtle rock/sway, it's because it's not statically balanced. So it's safe to say that the drunken stupor type movement is more likely the result of that...because it's not statically balanced in the first place, everything is going to cause a different reaction (rotation, sway, pendulum, etc) all happening at one time.

Once I have gotten the static balance done and begin walking with it, I should expect to have some movement at this point. This is where the practicing comes into play. The practicing is about how to control the cause and effect of any type of start/stop moves, it's not about trying to keep it balanced. Correct?

Did I pass the quiz? If so, I feel like I should change my name to "glashoppa" lol

That clears it up for me. I just didn't know what to expect, or look for, to know that I have reached the goal! I would have been spending months practicing at keeping it balanced and irritated because I bought such an inferior product! lol ...go figure!

Thanks!

 

[Tom Wills]

Thanks, your explanation makes all the sense in the world, I appreciate it! So correct me if I'm wrong:

When I pick it up, there shouldn't be any movement (swing, sway, teetering, etc.) no matter how subtle and insignificant it may seem. Any movement is the effect of imbalance. When I pick it up and it has that gentle subtle rock/sway, it's because it's not statically balanced. So it's safe to say that the drunken stupor type movement is more likely the result of that...because it's not statically balanced in the first place, everything is going to cause a different reaction (rotation, sway, pendulum, etc) all happening at one time.

Well, with a inert enough sled, and a nice stable environment, yes, you should be able to pick up the sled and hold it, with no real movement. But one of the tricks is that you need to let it settle. When you pick it up, it may have been lying on a surface that wasn't level, so it may level itself out. Or, if you're in a windy area (outside), even a little breeze could set the whole thing off. Take the whole thing inside, pick it up slowly and gently, and hold it up. Let it settle for 2 or 3 seconds, and take a look at it, It should be sitting level - if it's not, it's out of static balance, and you need to spend a little more time balancing it. However, unless you've got one of the new Glidecams with the fine control for the topstage, you may have to live with "close", to not drive yourself insane. It shouldn't be insurmountable to overcome a tiny bit of imbalance, but you do want to get it close.

Another trick is to get a stand. I know that Glidecam has a docking stand for the handheld rigs, usually used with the X-10. Why they don't make everyone buy it is beyond me, but it really helps to have the rig just be able to float there and be free for you to work on it, without having to hold it up. If I had to pick up my rig and hold it to balance it, I'd be pretty annoyed too. I'd recommend one if you're serious about working with your Glidecam, and especially if your camera rig is heavy. Plus, it looks a lot more professional on set to be able to set it into a stand, rather than trying to find some ground or a table to set it on. http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/597309-REG/Glidecam_GLHDSDB_GLHDSDB_Docking_Bracket_for.html

Once I have gotten the static balance done and begin walking with it, I should expect to have some movement at this point. This is where the practicing comes into play. The practicing is about how to control the cause and effect of any type of start/stop moves, it's not about trying to keep it balanced. Correct?

Yes, exactly. You're not keeping the sled in balance, you're just making sure that it moves how you want it to. You'll always need that slight correction on the post, because if the stabilizer is perfectly engineered, the camera will just want to point in a straight line off in one direction as you move, no matter what you do. Your hand has to make the frame.

Did I pass the quiz? If so, I feel like I should change my name to "glashoppa" lol

That clears it up for me. I just didn't know what to expect, or look for, to know that I have reached the goal! I would have been spending months practicing at keeping it balanced and irritated because I bought such an inferior product! lol ...go figure!
Thanks!

It's a process. Don't beat yourself - or your gear - up if you can't get it on your first try. With my rig, I've gotten to the point where I can be built and balanced out of a case in about 10-20 minutes, depending on the camera setup. However, I took a professional workshop in 2008, and have been doing it as an on-and-off job since. Experience will teach you the theories, and once you have the mechanics of how the rig works down, it'll get a lot easier to know what to do when it doesn't do what you want.