Super Noob Question- Why use cages, shoulder mounts, etc...

J

jrm27

Active member
Hell all,

As is obvious by the question, I am new to video production. At my church I am responsible for video creation, and most everything I've done up to now has been done with my t2i/magic lantern and a good tripod. I'm trying to learn more! I'm trying to improve the quality of my video as well as become more flexible for outdoor shooting, run n' gun type of stuff for church events.

I see on this site that there is tons of talk about different camera rigs... things like cages, shoulder mounted rigs, rails, etc... Is there a place I can be enlightened on why I would use such a rig and for which implementations. It seems like using these rigs would still have some of the pitfalls of handheld shooting (lots of camera motion, etc..), but perhaps I am being naive and uninformed on how these rigs are used. Can anyone point me in the right direction?

-Jon
 
Each contraption has a specific purpose (camera movement).
And Camera Movement is an important part of story telling.
 
As said, camera movements are part of the visual story. If you shoot something on a tripod for your whole project without moving it, more than likely your audience will become bored looking at that static picture. Everything has a time and place..... To say you don't want motion in your camera is to say you don't want a fixed stable shot either. It's all about balance and there is a place for everything. Imagine shooting an action paced scene in your project and having your camera static on a tripod it would not give the viewer the same feeling as if you were with your camera running alongside of them.

For a shot like this you would want movement, and that movement would be handheld. Now that handheld shot must still be stabilized, which is why people use shoulder rigs, steadi cams, etc.
 
as long as you stay in place, you would be able to manipulate the direction of the camera(pan, tilt, rotate) similar to a fluid head with more freedom.
the shoulder rig would reduce jitter, stress on the hands, work faster, deploy faster than other solutions.

on the downside, you cant control the elevation, your view is as high as you are, or your shoulder.

depending on your ability not to shake the camera, it would be like a fast tripod that does not need too much setup.

and it could work as a poor man steadicam as well, but that would require better control.

on shoulder rigs, you can add more accessories, monitors, recorders, matteboxes, followfocus, lens support, batteries, etc.

there are many benefits.i have seen more control, less shakiness in top handle type camcorders in camera movement, but it would strain the hand in a short period of time and you cant use a follow focus or put too many acessories on the camera.
 
In run and gun situations like you mentioned it usually requires the camera op tracking a subject and/or moving out of the way of obstacles. This way you have a steady shot while you are on the go.

And like Amr mentioned, you can attach all your needed accessories to your rig.
 
Thanks for the patient responses everyone. I really appreciate it. It seems to me that the shoulder mount (in a very broad generalization), is good for more lateral/forward/backward movement, where a cage (also in a very broad generalization) might be better for vertical movements and such.
 
All of the posts above have good general camera info. The point that is missed though is the DSLRs are insanely prone to little movements effecting the shot and you get a phenominon known as CMOS jello with tiny movements in the frame. This is amplified by longer lenses (or lenses that see farther ie over 55mm) and ones that do not have built in IS or image stabilization. What used to be shaky camera movement that was not the best but usable became unusable garbage when these DSLRs came out. To make matters worse the software that helped fix this issue, until recently, did not account for said Jello and therefore did not fix the issue.

If you have an extremely steady hand, a lens with built in IS and it is under 35mm you can get away with not having stabilization. I however recommend some sort of support as even the best of us get shaky, especially after hours of shooting. I use a monopod, some use a Steadicam device, others a shoulder rig. The best option is one that you can afford and suits your shooting style. Don't forget the more you add to your rig the more can go wrong.
 
@OP:

For your work, you likely would not need a full shoulder rig or cage setup. For my purposes, I have a cage on my shoulder rig, but I do not shoot the same stuff you shoot.

They are different tools for different jobs. A good amount of DSLR users on this forum use their camera for cinema, which necessitates an array of accessories to take full advantage of the camera's abilities. This is not strictly a DSLR thing - yes, it does easily succumb to rolling shutter artifacts with very slight movements - all cinema cameras are rigged on a pair of rails to meet the needs of the production.

For your productions, a camera and a tripod may be all you need to get the job done. Or, perhaps a set of 12" rails, a follow focus, a pair of handles, and a monitor/EVF would greatly enhance your production value and ease of operation. No one can really answer that for you; no two rigs are alike because shooters buy or rent what they need for that specific production. Feel free, however, to look and ask around on these forums about pieces of kit. You may find exactly what you are looking for, and at this stage in the game, prices are plummetin on entry-level pieces of kit. Everything I listed above can be had for under $1000, probably even under $750, and your videos' production value would go up because of the versatility those accessories add.
 
all variations of rigs and cages, basically have any or all of the following 4 purposes
portability
stabilization
comfort
ability to attach a variety of accessories

done
 
jrm27 said:
Hell all,

As is obvious by the question, I am new to video production. At my church I am responsible for video creation, and most everything I've done up to now has been done with my t2i/magic lantern and a good tripod. I'm trying to learn more! I'm trying to improve the quality of my video as well as become more flexible for outdoor shooting, run n' gun type of stuff for church events.
Click to expand...

Ive said similar before

You get these thing to try and help cure problems you might have with your shooting

If you are shooting fine with a T2i on a tripod then there is no need for any of the accessories

It is possible to shoot wonderful stuff on T2i and a cheap tripod

I guess you might be filming services if you work for a church - you would not need anything else (we wont talk about sound here)

Now lets say your church wants you to go out with thier youth outreach worker into the community

you may find that you start to get problems using your minimal kit

You may not be able to move it around fast enough

At that point you may want to lose the tripod and shoot from the shoulder like people from the TV news do a lot

They do this so they can move fast and also film stuff from different angles which makes the footage cut together nicely

Quickly you will see holding the camera by it self the footage is very wobbly

At that point you will be developing a 'need' for a shoulder mount to help you keep the camera still

The wide apart handles and contact with the body keep the camera a little more stable

Lets say you are doing sound too you might need to mount a seperate recorder, and maby a lavalier reciever

Pretty soon you will need a load of mount points and might consider a cage

You might also consider the cage if you were shooting in places where the camera may take a fall - maybe the local skate park

To answer the question the place to enlighten yourself is by gaining experiene - the more you shoot - and look at your own footage with a critical eye - the more you will identify what it lacks to you and search out soloutions to fill those lacks

Dont just run to the shop with no good reason

S
 
I'll have a shoulder rig on/off comparison video up very soon to checkout. With DSLR it's a huge difference !
 
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