Should I invest in a glidecam or dolly/jib set up?

[Todd Terry]

Depends on the camera being used.

The Ronin can fly a big camera, up to a tricked out RED, or an Alexa mini (if you have the Popeye arms needed to operate it), whereas that other stabilizer is for small cameras… a DSLR or smaller.

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[Ryan Elder]

Oh okay, well right now for the current project we are using a DSLR. However, this means if I want to continue using the crane in the future, I would have to continue using DSLRs, if a DP would not have his/her own gimbal.

Also why a gimbal? Wouldn’t the glidecam look better, since I’ve noticed that the gimbal movement looks kind of robotic, and people have complained about this over glidecams, which look smoother?

[Ryan Elder]

Plus I thought that Ronins were built for DSLRs particularly, cause in film school, I remember they tried to put a larger camera, on and the ronin couldn’t turn as a result, as the camera kept bumping into the corner, if you tried to put anything larger than a DSLR on. So I thought it was only built for those therefore.

[Todd Terry]

Despite the fact that I’m hopping mad at DJI right now, if your project is very low budget and if these needed shots are just a minor part of your film I’d recommend looking at the DJI Osmo Pro or Osmo Raw.

Since I started using the Osmo Pro I have completely abandoned my Steadicam. The Zenmuse X5 camera is actually quite good and intercuts with my C300PL footage just fine. A tricked out Osmo Pro/Raw rig (with a decent lens, CrystalSky monitor, focus wheel, all that jazz) is still going to be fairly expensive… but there might be a rental market for them.

And using it is a zillion times easier than real Steadicamming.

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[Ryan Elder]

Okay thanks. I took a loot at the Ozmo before on film riot, but I didn’t like it because it’s an entirely different camera, and I felt that it would be trouble to match the look of that footage, with the footage of the camera that I would be using to shoot most of the rest of the movie though.

Plus I was not able to get a lot of info on how the built in Osmo cam worked. Can you set the exact shutter speed you want for example, so the shutter matches the other camera?

I used a ronin gimbal before on a film school short film project, but I had a lot of problems with it. There were times when it would move uncontrollably. One time during a shoot it started spinning around and around in circles and I could not figure out the problem and it kept doing it. I’m guessing maybe it was the wind, but the breeze was not heavy, just medium. Is a gimbal this sensitive to wind normally? But there are other times when it would move uncontrollably on me.

Another thing is, is that I found the ronin to be very difficult to transport from location to location while shooting. I felt that if I put it down, that it seemed fragile and could break while sitting down in the car. So gimbals just seem a lot more fragile compared to glidecams.

I also hated to have to use my phone with the ronin as the found kept constantly disconnecting from the system. So if I use a gimbal, do I have to use a phone with it, cause I found that to be a real problem, compared to something like a glidecam, where you don’t have to rely on electronics.

[Ryan Elder]

Another problem I had with gimbals, and I read this was a complaint from other users compared to a glidecam, is that because they are motorized, they do look more robotic, and can have trouble tracking fast moving objects, and I’m shooting a large action sequence, that will have actors moving around very fast, like running, and falling to the ground, and things like that.

So would a gimbal be a problem for that, compared to something that is non-motorized?

[Todd Terry]

I use the Osmo Pro with has the micro-four-thirds Zenmuse X5 camera, which I find cuts with other footage just fine

Yes, I always shoot full manual so I control ISO, aperture, shutter speed, color temp, picture profile and all that jazz.

You can use it with a phone like you did with the Ronin, but I use the DJI CrystalSky monitor (it’s basically an Android device but with a screen that is 4x brighter than a phone so it is viewable in sunlight), and I use it hardwired to the Osmo so I’m not dependent on the WiFi connection (you can also use a phone hardwired instead of WiFi).

Here’s a commercial spot and corresponding music video where I intercut footage from the Osmo Pro and the Canon C300PL a great deal with an acceptable match, I think….

https://fantasticplastic.com/portfolio/news060.html

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[Rick Wise]

Todd, love, love your music!

Rick Wise
Cinematographer
MFA/BFA Lighting and Camera Instructor Academy of Art University
San Francisco Bay Area
https://www.RickWiseDP.com

[Todd Terry]

aww thanks Rick…

We don’t do too many music projects, but here’s another that was shot entirely with the Osmo and the Zenmuse X5 camera… it was the only way we could pull off so many cameras serups and do them really really fast.

https://fantasticplastic.com/portfolio/news061.html

T2

__________________________________
Todd Terry
Creative Director
Fantastic Plastic Entertainment, Inc.
fantasticplastic.com

[Rick Wise]

Brings tears to my eyes. Fab!

Rick Wise
Cinematographer
MFA/BFA Lighting and Camera Instructor Academy of Art University
San Francisco Bay Area
https://www.RickWiseDP.com