Good Idea or Not: Using Stabilizer/Vest for wedding?

T

toddburch

Active member
Hi all,

I am considering getting a stabilization system w/ vest (a la Glidecam Smooth Shooter, etc.) for filming wedding videos. The advantage, of course, would be to have complete mobility with a smooth shot (and not to have to worry about carrying and setting up a tripod).

Has anyone done this, and if so, what were your experiences? Would you do it again, or was it a disaster? Did it get in the way? Was it distracting to the guests? Was it the best decision you've ever made?

I've seen a few side comments (positive and negative) about it from others, but wanted to get your personal opinions by asking the question directly.

Thanks!
 
Make sure that you are physically able to fly a camera around for a very long period of time without breaks.

Some weddings can be downright long, and others want the whole package including the reception right afterwards. Flying a decent weight camera can become quite the task over a period of a couple hours.

Go to the gym and hop yourself up on vicodin. If you are using a very light arm and vest with a very light camera, your odds of long duration shooting increase.
 
I was under the impression that the vest and arm took most/all of the weight off your arms?
 
I would suggest renting one and trying it on.

Few things to consider:

1.) These are not just a magic wand - they require some skill and practice to do well and a fair amount of time to set up.

2.) They are not cheap, depending on what camera you are using, you could buy a second cam and set it up in a lock down

3.) The weight is taken off you arms, but its not taken away, you also have the added weight of the rig. Wearing this with the camera for several hours will take some getting use to.


How heavy is your camera, is picking it up and moving a huge deal?
 
Personally I would recommend one of those dolly's that mount on the tripod. The thing about wearing a stabilization vest is you can't set the camera down. With a tripod, you can either push it or not. It's much less distracting as well. It might not be as fluid of a shot, and you might hit some bumps when rolling it, but you can set it down. Personally I just set a lightweight tripod up and just pick it up. The weight below SORT OF acts like a steady cam smoothing out the shot. Putting it back down takes practice to do without a shaky shot, but I usually cut away to those ever important decoration shots that you get before and after the wedding, or another static camera that you have your buddy watching. Actually, I don't do weddings anymore. Too stressful and repetitive.
 
Steadicams are used regularly at weddings with great success. All the standard rules of Steadicam of course apply; namly practice practice, practice. It's not reasy and will take some time to become proficient.

Also remember that Steadicam is not a a replacement for the tripod. It's a way to improve the shots that would otherwise be handheld. Beeing a tripod with a Steadicam will simply tire you out and won't work all that great as hold over a minute or two become impossible to hold still for almost anyone (and thats even with big rigs [easier] and operators who have been dooing this for 25 years).

- Mikko
 
Thanks for the responses so far.

Prodigy--I'll be using a DVX100 and I'm in pretty good shape so, while I haven't tried one before (I'm looking at Glidecam 4000 Pro w/ Smooth Shooter), I think I'll be able to handle the weight. I doubt I'll be wearing it the WHOLE time...but probably most of the ceremony and reception.

Jason--I understand they take a lot of practice to get looking good. I'll have several months to work on technique before the wedding. Also, there will be a 2nd camera & operator which will primarily be relied upon for more static shots (he'll probably be using a tripod).

Mikko--Your response seems to be focused on stabilization systems without vests. I intend at this point to be using a vest system to bear most of the weight.
 
No, actually Mikko's response is perfectly accurate for any camera stabilizer, from a Glidecam or Merlin all the way up to an Ultra2 or PRO. Holding a "lockoff", a shot without movement, is incredibly difficult, and requires immense amounts of skill to keep stable. Zooming in only makes these problems significantly worse. Holding a tilt is even harder. The fatigue Mikko spoke of is not the physical fatigue of holding the rig, but of having to hold your fingers in exactly one location, providing an exact, precise amount of pressure, which if varied, will cause movements in the camera's position.

Lockoffs are something that even some professional Steadicam operators can have troubles with, and unless completely necessary (such as a long one-take shot of someone walking into something, that then has to continue with them sitting down and staying there), a stabilizer just isn't the right tool.
 
If you do go the arm/vest route you might want to look into the steadicam merlin. It's much lighter than the Glidecam and can fly the dvx. I used to do powerlifting and even then holding glidecam like stabilizers for long periods was arduous. The problem is that even if you have the energy to get through it, the more tired your muscles become the harder it is to make all the fine motor adjustments needed to keep things smooth.
 
All good responses--thanks guys.

Sounds like it may be better to go with stabilizer/vest for B-roll and other pre-ceremony footage, then go with two "roaming" tripods for the ceremony, and then to a mix for the reception.
 
Yup, Tom's on it. My answer applies to ALL Steadicam (& nockoff) systems.

Having a 2nd camera with a Tripod is a great way to go .. and in fact, I'd call that your "primary" camera. Having the Steadicam for during the ceremony can work well too, with people moving around quite a bit normally.

daivde's sugestion of the Merlin system is a good one and worth a look. The price difference isn't much, and it's a mugh better & more versitile system.

- Mikko
 
toddburch said:
All good responses--thanks guys.

Sounds like it may be better to go with stabilizer/vest for B-roll and other pre-ceremony footage, then go with two "roaming" tripods for the ceremony, and then to a mix for the reception.
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Hi Todd,

Yes, sounds like you're on the right track. I'd say less than 10% of wedding videographers go with vests. And for some weddings, you'll find you're subjugated to the choir loft - that's where you're stable tripod is a must. Personally, being fit myself I don't see a need for a vest at all. Even with a 10+ pound Canon XL-2 bearing a 3X lens, I do fine getting B-roll and key shots using a Glidecam with wrist brace. But if money isn't an issue and you already have all the toys you'll ever need in your toychest, by all means get the vest.

Just be aware we look a bit like the borg touting a glidecam/vest with a 100 watt on-camera light and battery belt, 7 inch monitor on the counter-weight, earcans, two-way walkie talkies, gear vest, etc, etc. Consider whether you want to operate under the radar screen among the guests or look like you're from the the "60 Minutes" film crew.

Good luck, Michael
 
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