Camera movement, cont'd...

In sort of a follow-up post to the "9 basic camera moves," I thought I'd put up a few links to some sites featuring instructions on how to assemble your own steadicam at home (unless of course you happen to have an extra $12,000 lying around and decide to go with the pro model instead). The first one, found here, is considered the poor man's steadicam and can be yours for all of $15 in spare parts from the local hardware store (some assembly required...). Its basic, it's metal, but it works...

Another option that turned up during my search is the Stabilizer FLEX, which can be sent to you pre-built for $150, or they'll send the instructions on how to build your own for $80. The video demo shows off the difference between using the steadicam and shooting handheld, and should easily convince you why shooting handheld is never really a good idea (though there are always exceptions to these so-called rules, as we learned duirng our discussion of the jump cut).

Lastly, here's a page featuring pics of a number of other home-made camera stabilization units. Instructions for assembly are provided for many of them, and I know that Biddle has made a few of his own steadicams very similar to some of these, so these are definitely do-able weekend projects.

As a final note, for those of you who will be here in the fall, Biddle is putting together a 2-day steadicam certification workshop that should be scheduled for sometime in September. Though the $375 enrollment fee might be kind of steep for some, this is a great opportunity to get some professional hands-on training. Though I'll probably be out in LA by that point, I'll do what I can to attend...check it out if you're at all interested.