The Glidecam is coming!!!

jgastelb

jgastelb

Well-known member
Hello,
I'm getting the glidecam by the end of the week and I feel both excited and scared at the same time. I have heard so many horror stories about getting it balanced. I know that eventually it will work out but should I just expect the worst of the worst with it? For those of you who have gotten a glidecam 2000 pro and now feel comfortable with it what words of advice would you have for me??? Shortcuts????

Jgastelb

:) :zombie_smiley:
 
I would also be interested in seeing any feedback on this product too

I have only found 1 or 2 reviews on it - they were quite postive on the item with the forearm support but down on the body pod if I remember.

Frustratingly there is no store that stocks or hires the glidecam 2000/40000 near me in the UK so I can't get to demo the item out. I would like to see what kind of difference the smooth shooter vest could make ideally too - again no one has it in stock to demo.

Best of luck though jgastelb - any reporting you make will be attentively read by me for sure!
 
I will be setting it up this weekend for sure. I'm not expecting to get great results for a while but when I do I will post a clip and what I have learned thus far.
Jgastelb
 
Having to set it down, adjust, pick it up, test, repeat 100 times till it works, takes forever. it helps 1000% if you have a c-stand to balance it on. And after a few weeks of practice your body will be more used to moving with it. But prepared to be frustrated the first couple days, just keep telling yourself it will get better over time.
 
I own Glidecam 2000 Pro and from my experience, the first time you balance it, it is best to follow step by step guides from the manual itself, as it is perfectly explained in details. DO NOT MISS ANYTHING as it is crucial for perfect balance.
If not balanced correctly and precicely - the results will be worse than handheld!!!
Take your time for this and be very very patience!
Make sure to equip your DVX as for your usual shot (tape inside, battery, lcd flipped out, viewfinder in one position, mic attached etc), prior to balancing your Glidecam. Due to it's sensitivity, once properly balanced - putting on the different battery, changing the position of viewfinder or lcd, removing the mic etc. - could put your Glidecam of balance!
You might get tired by just balancing it correctly.
Make sure you take a break and rest your arm - before your muscle and wrist get too tired as your hand will start shaking and you will loose a feeling for if it is balanced or not!
To get the best results with Glidecam - you need a lot of practice. A LOT OF PRACTICE.
You can start practicing by marking an "X" on the wall and a straight line on the floor (couple of meters long) that is leading to "X". Start by framing the "X" on the wall in your camera lcd and walk towards it by following your straght line on the floor AND KEEPING THE "X' MARK WITHIN THE FRAME WHILE YOU WALK!
You have to be carefull not to trip and fall by watching the lcd all the time!
Make sure your floor is clear of any furniture or non-wanted objects on your path :)

Just practice a lot and enjoy :)
 
search for my videos on youtube.

I show the basic setup with the dvx100b

jdubsky ( search on youtube )
 
Thanks guys! I really appreciate all the help.

Papa -- I've seen your clips many times. They will come in handy very soon.

Question

1. Does the handle from the glidecam have an empty thread inside so as to attach it to the C-stand mentioned a couple of posts back? I would like to use something so as not to have to be picking it up everytime. I have a regular softbox light stand and two tripods. Could I use any of these or does it have to be a certain kind?

Jgastelb
 
sure you can do that.

takes a bit longer to do, but it is very very accurate.
 
PaPa said:
sure you can do that.

takes a bit longer to do, but it is very very accurate.
Click to expand...

Papa,
Is the thread inside the handle the universal size like the one used for mounting the camera to the tripod?

Could you elaborate on why it would take longer to balance the camera this way? Do you usually balance it without it being attached to something?

Sorry for the interrogation!
Jgastelb
 
mixer28 said:
Best of luck though jgastelb - any reporting you make will be attentively read by me for sure!
Click to expand...

Mixer28,
I thought I would report back on the glidecam or for anyone else interested. I received it on Friday.

Assembly - It was very easy to assemble. It only took me about 10 minutes.

Balance - This took a long time. It's all about doing small changes to the front/back or sides of the camera plate. Extending the telescope pole as far down as possible (as suggested by Papa in one of his clips) helped a lot.

Performance - I've only had it for a day so this is way too premature. I know that it will get better with lots of practice but I've managed to get a couple of decent shots here and there. Nothing I would want used in a pro level movie set per se. It takes a while to get used to the panning and tilting with your left hand doing all of the guiding.

Endurance - I didn't invest in the body pod or arm extension. Unless you're a body builder or from outer space be ready to last only so long before you have to put it down and take a break. For me it was about 15-20 minutes.

Tips - When my arm got tired I realized that if I flipped the Glidecam upside down while guiding it from the bottom plate that it actually helped. The muscle used for the upright position is not the same as the one holding it upside down. Your hand will probably have to be at a slight angle. This helped me shoot longer and I flipped the image back to normal in post.

Weight with the DVX100b along with the Rode NTG-1 and LCD opened (no mattebox or anything else) - (EDIT) 4 weight disks on each side with telescope extended out as far down as possible.

I hope this helps!
Jgastelb
 
Last edited:
I use a 4000Pro with the smooth shooter and a quick release. Once you've gone through the ceremonial first time balancing being able to put the camera back on quickly and so close to your initial location, next time balancing only takes a few minutes.
 
Just to answer a few questions. There are no threads on the inside of the Glidecam handle. We use an aluminum pipe adaptor with our system (same handle size as GCs) and hook it to a mic stand which has a wide tripod base. Balancing is much easier. We've also used a light stand with the top threads removed and it fits perfectly.

There are other shortcuts to balancing - both static and dynamic - which are covered in a DVD we made.

Tery
Indicam
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top