when would you use a shoulder rig for aesthetic purposes?

S

SeanP

Member
hello, i have a noob question which i did search for. for those more experienced with professional camera operation, when, if ever, would you choose to use a shoulder supported rig for aesthetic or stylistic purposes for narrative work or a music video?

i just purchased a redrock micro eyespy rig ,which aside from my tripod is the first piece of support gear i've purchased. i figured this would be a practical and versatile first piece of equipment to buy, and i also plan on a getting a slider dolly soon, but when i watch films i have to wonder how often this type of rig would actually be used. i should note my current rig consists of a 5d and generally a 50mm 1.2 lens only, but i may add a follow-focus and monitor eventually.

i'm a tight budget so i have to choose my gear wisely, but i'm interested to know if this is something you would use even without strict budgetary constraints on a project, purely for aesthetic purposes. thanks!
 
When I'm handheld for an 8 or 10 hour day, I prefer a shoulder-mount camera with grips. Microforce controls are nice, but Varizoom and other grips that run your zoom and start/stop make shooting a lot easier.

For smaller cameras, I won't operate without rods and grips - it's just too uncomfortable and, honestly, I get too shaky. There are many systems built around "lightweight" rods, which are 15mm diameter x 60mm on center spacing.
 
Handheld (which the shoulder rig is) is useful for POV (walking/chase). And any time you want the viewer to feel like voyeur, peeking from behind a hedge or a bookcase to see the action... this can even put the viewer in the place of a character (again, POV) who is spying on the action, or the monster that is stalking the leads in a horror film.

It's also used for gritty documentary look (even "The Office", which is shot to look like it's a documentary). Look at "Law & Order" and other similar series. They're shot with lots of hand-held.

Traditionally, the big film cameras (Arri, etc.) are big enough that they are naturally a shoulder-mount size. With the advent of compact cameras that were able to shoot higher-quality images than before (miniDV, then HD and DSLR), the shoulder rigs gained popularity to convert these little, hard-to-handle cameras into something more traditionally shoulder-mounted. To get the most out of it, you'll need to counterweight it. Front-heavy shoulder rigs are more trouble than they're worth, and very tiring.
 
C2V totally nailed it. A lot of it is used for that voyeuristic look, though it can also be used to add a frenetic energy quality to the scene. Chases, fights and any fast-paced scene - even quick dialogue - can benefit from shoulder work. It can be completely transparent and really add a lot to how a scene feels or totally destroy a scene if done improperly!
 
Sean you use a shoulder rig for aesthetic purposes when - It helps drive the story.
 
Some notes

- being free of grip enables very fast and accurate composition, coming from a handheld stills background I often find it hard to get a tripod where I want it (but that is really a time constraint)

- POV, doco style shots

- works best when.. you are using 35-50 and have defocused the back ground
- your subject is live (a person)

Works worst with a static subect like a building - horrible

Sticks and particularly well operated steadicam, create the feel of an external viewer, HH creates the view of a camera operator who is 'in' the action

S
 
thanks for that info, also helpful.

i watched "Ballast' the other day which i think was probably shot with a shoulder rig or something similar. the running scenes were a little jarring but otherwise an interesting aesthetic for this film
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