[Todd Terry]

I never said that gimbals were better than Steadicam-type stabilizers. In fact, a real Steadicam rig, in the hands of a real master operator, absolutely can’t be beat.

What I said was that learning to use that type of stabilizer is not nearly as easy as some people think, and it can take quite a bit of training and even more practice to get really really proficient at it. It’s not a take-it-out-of-the-box-and-use-it piece of gear. It’s just like becoming a proficient DP, or director, or editor, or chef… it takes a lot of work, time, and dedication.

What I said was that gimbals tend to be much easier to learn and a bit more forgiving for novice operators. While it might take months or years to become a great Steadicam op, you can get quite nice shots from a motorized gimbal stabilizer (Movi, Ronin, Osmo, etc.) with only a fair little bit of practice.

I think I’ve about exhausted the advice I have on this… so wish you well and hope you have a great shoot no matter what gear/methods you choose.

T2

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

[Todd Terry]

I’ve never felt my stabilized shots looked robotic, nor ever heard of anyone complaining about that.

No patience to watch that dude’s video, but not sure that he fully knows what he is talking about. I don’t know the capabilities of that particular stabilizer, but most of them (as well as the Osmo) have adjustable sensitivity, and different modes, ranging from less stabilization that is very responsive to your moves, to much smoother and more “mushy” for a more fluid look.

Maybe the Zhiyun’s capabilities are limited (after all it is an inexpensive and low-end clone) but every gimbal I’ve ever seen/used/heard about can do curved shots, of course… including the Osmo. The Osmo will only correct and make a curved shot locked-down-straight if I purposely tell it to (in the case of the Osmo that means depressing and holding the main trigger). And as for not being able to follow things, he either has a cheap unit with limited capabilities, or just doesn’t know how to operate it and anticipate action properly.

T2

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

[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

[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

[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

[Todd Terry]

You rent it on location and have it delivered…. and picked up when you are done.

T2

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

[Todd Terry]

Might be something out there, but I’m not aware of any legit camera dollys that have any kind of shock absorption. All conventional dollys (Matthews, Chapman, JLFisher, etc.) all have the wheels basically hard-attached to the frames, as they are made for use either on a solid smooth stage floor, or on solid dolly track.

If there is something like that, it would likely be something from the non-film world appropriated for film use.

For a smooth shot over rough terriain, that’s usually when a stabilized camera will come in to play… Steadicam, Movi, Ronin, Osmo, etc. Or a cable-cam system where a suspended camera runs on a line (sort of the cinematic version of a zip line). Or, these days as often as not it might be a drone shot. I’ve done lots of ground-level drone shots in the past year or so that in previous years would have been dolly or Steadicam shots.

T2

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

[Todd Terry]

On a rough or uneven surface the track would usually be chocked/supported with wedges every so often (at whatever distances are needed) to keep the track good and solid at all points throughout the length of the run.

T2

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

[Todd Terry]

[ryan elder] ” Is their normally this much vibration in the track?”

Nope. Obviously some issue going on there.

T2

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