One of the biggest challenges for filmmakers is smooth camera movement. The right gear is important, but using it properly is essential. Here is our breakdown of the key points to make sure you get the smoothest possible movement in your video and timelapse photography. Camera Setup
Proper camera settings are the first step to smooth video. A slow shutter is the first place to start, this enables the frames to blend together more naturally and makes the transition between frames smoother. While recording video, the shutter can only be set as slow as about 1/30 second, but timelapse photos can be captured much slower. A neutral density filter can help you get slow shutter speeds in bright conditions. Also, a wide angle lens delivers the smoothest video simply because more magnification compounds camera shake. A wide lens provides more dramatic camera movement also. Lenses with image stabilization also improve video smoothness at the cost of battery consumption.
Dolly Moves
One of the most effective ways to achieve smooth camera movement is with a dolly, a rolling camera platform. All dollies are certainly not created equal; soft wheels and smooth, quite bearings are crucial to provide a smooth roll. Three wheel dollies are preferable to four wheel versions for smaller dollies as they can create small radius arcs and rotate in perfect circles. Four wheel dollies are often used for large riding dollies to provide more support and balance for heavy loads. Alignment of the dolly's wheels is important so that there is no shudder, and any dolly shot is limited to the surface it rolls on. So a smooth surface or track is necessary.
Motor Control
The best way to get smooth repeatable motion is with a quality motor control system, like CineMoco. With motor control, you can move your camera at a constant speed and smoothly ramp into and out of a move. Motor control can provide smooth moves for video and fire your camera at intervals for timelapse photography. CineMoco has several move styles. Video mode enables the smoothest movement for live action, Continuous gives the smoothest motion for timelapse, and Shoot Move Shoot (S-M-S) stops between moves so several photos can be fired for high dynamic range (HDR) photography and can be more energy efficient.
Camera Mounting
Camera mounts are another tool for capturing smooth video. Mounts with multiple contact points like the CineSquid suction cup mount and CineVise clamp mount provide secure connections with minimal vibration. Using the Vise and Squid with a GorillaPod creates a versatile mounting solution that can be attached in a variety of places. Stretching out the GorillaPod legs and making the center point of the GorillaPod tripod create a fourth contact point creates for the most stable arrangement. And getting the camera to have a low center of gravity in relation to the entire mount minimizes vibration. For a more rigid connection with CineSquid, use the SkatePlate frame as a base. If you are mounting your camera to a vehicle, you are limited to the smoothness of the ride, so a smooth road can go a long way.
Video Editing
After taking care to record your video as smoothly as possible, you may find that it still is not as perfect as you want. Careful editing can go a long way. The first step is clip selection. Take time to find the smoothest clips, then you can work to perfect them further. Final Cut Pro has a filter called Smoothcam that does an excellent job, and other video editing softwares have similar features. Retiming clips can also have an impressive effect, usually by speeding them up.
Hopefully the tips above will help you to improve the smoothness in your videos! Please share your comments and results with us on Facebook, Twitter and Google+.
Image Credit: The Director by Joe Penniston
