Steadicam Merlin + DVX100B

2

24pfreak

Member
Hi Everybody !

Got my Merlin and have been doing some practising for the past week or so. As many people have said, it has a steep learning curve and it can induce rage at times (I nearly wanted to throw it out the window on one balancing session).

Once u know the mechanics behind it, it's a superb tool and it will give excellent floating / flying footage.

Check out the sample :-
Low Res Youtube version - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpUn5meOeX0
High Res (720x405 H.264) - http://www.alijanah.com/steadicam/SteadicamMerlinTest.mov

I'm using a stock DVX102B + CGA-D54 battery and nothing else. I have have no vest and arm for it yet (looking at the prices, I know I wont be having it anytime soon ;-)

Let me know what you all think.
 
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Looks like you're getting the hang of it:thumbup:

Yeah, I had a merlin and the first couple weeks were frustrating, to say the least. I eventually got rid of it as my rig got too heavy, but I enjoyed the footage from it with the stock cam.

Where was that shot at? and how'd you get into the lexus dealership? know someone that works there or something?
 
looks pretty good man, but walk more with your knees bent, there is a clear jitter on most of the steps you make, maybe you are walking too hard.
 
PaPa said:
looks pretty good man, but walk more with your knees bent, there is a clear jitter on most of the steps you make, maybe you are walking too hard.
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Ya i think so Papa !. I noticed the jitter as well. I will try to practise the walk.
 
Cool test footage! :thumbsup: Not bad at all, especially for only 2 weeks practice.

Couple of notes: practice keeping the horizon level while going around corners - those shots in the gardens especially, the camera leaned as it went around the corner. This is something you'll learn to counteract with practice.

The vertical bobbing was pretty mild already, however PaPa's advice to bend you knees is incorrect. You should always WALK NORMALLY when using a Steadicam (even the handheld Merlin). With the bigger rigs, of course the arm isolates the bumps from the camera. With a Merlin, you should let your arm absorb the larger bumps in the same way. Sounds a little funny at first, but here's how to do it:
1) Relax your arm. You still hold up the same weight, but let your arm relax and flop about & flex with your steps, instead of holding it tensely.
2) That's it!

Once you are used to how the rig feels, concentrate on the shot and the camera - control will come automatically, and actually moving yourself and the camera will sort itself out too.

Instead of worrying about how you are walking (which will surly translate every step to your shot), think purely about the camera. Move the camera where you want it to go, put it where it has to be, and your body will simply follow without a 2nd thought, and it'll do it in a smooth natural way, working with and around the rig, instead of as a separate entity that is carrying it.



Also of minor note; keep an eye on your headroom, there where a couple of shots where the person's face was dead center in the shot, resulting in a lot of sky above them in the frame.

- Mikko
 
mikkowilson said:
Cool test footage! :thumbsup: Not bad at all, especially for only 2 weeks practice.

Couple of notes: practice keeping the horizon level while going around corners - those shots in the gardens especially, the camera leaned as it went around the corner. This is something you'll learn to counteract with practice.

- Mikko
Click to expand...

Wow, thanks Mikko. Coming from a Steadicam guru like u, that means a lot to me. Btw, I've put up the high res version of the sample at http://www.alijanah.com/steadicam/SteadicamMerlinTest.mov (720x405 h.264 42mb)

Cheers !!

P/s:-

I'll be putting up some more sample shots in the coming few days.
 
Veej said:
How did you do the slow down and speed up effect and that cool vignette around the frame?
Click to expand...

I use FCS2 as my suite. All you have to do is slice up the portion you want to slow down or speed up in the timeline and select and set their new duration or speed (I use the percentage value). This is sometime called ramp up or down effect.

The vignette can be achieved in many ways. I'm sure a basic NLE would have a vignette filter effects that you can apply to your footage. I happen to use Magic Bullet LookSuite bundle for my color correction and other matte effects.

Thanks and I hope that helps.
 
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