I obsessed for years on how to achieve the absolute best handheld, and it's the aspect of my work I'm most proud to this day, but I'm continuously trying to improve it. For years my I shot with a Manfrotto tripod w/ fluid video similar to how you show here (typically a 35mm lens on fullframe). However, what I did was typically fully rest the handle on my shoulder, dependent on the type of shot (like if I was tilting with a character) kept the tilt on the head slightly looser, I'd have my right hand on the base, and keep my left hand on the lens for manual focus and also an added stability. I was primarily a director and began shooting my own work out of necessity, so my priority was always the characters and the acting. We all have different taste and opinions on what makes something "cinematic" but for me the films that I resonated the best were character-driven and I saw myself, the cameraman, as another actor and tapping more into the reactive rhythm of my handheld to highlight their acting choices. I now currently mostly use a cinesaddle which is extremely helpful for my heavier camera builds, but finding a good way to balance it on your shoulder with heavy batteries on the back and monitor in front of your face is still usually the best for long tracking shots. However, this monopod option is an incredible one that I may revisit again, and is perfect for these small cameras. I'd also like to recommend some other handheld films and cinematographers to you. I think truly good handheld shouldn't necessarily distract and if anything helps immerse you into the story and the headspace of the characters. Also as an indie filmmaker, it is sometimes the most economical and efficient way to shoot a scene, needs less crew, less gear, and can keep the focus to the directing of actors. First I'd recommend Cinema Verité documentary work who were some of the first to try and perfect handheld in the 50s and 60s. At a certain point 16mm cameras became light enough where they weren't bound to tripods and some of the most famous cinematographers came from newsreel/documentary work. Raoul Cotard's work with Jean-Luc Godard, first on Breathless were one of the first big films to show how you could free the camera and make it handheld, and he came from a newsreel background. DA Pennebaker and the Maysles also shot amazing documentaries, with barely any crew, and going as far as to modifiy and design cameras that were better for handheld work. The Aaton series of cameras, what many consider the best handheld cameras of all time, were designed with a lot of this movement in mind. However more contemporarily, I think some of the best handheld work is seen in the Dardenne's Brothers films of the early 90s. I recommend La Promesse and Rosseta. Sean Bobbitt in Place Beyond the Pines has incredible work as well, he has an hour and half long handheld workshop on youtube from 2013 I used to watch religiously to perfect my handheld. He mentions his past as a news style cameraman for years. He makes a very strong point about how handheld should be as stable as possible, and dislikes when directors tell him to purposefully shake the camera more, I think if there's a narrative reason for it, like you're running after a character, then it makes sense to run and the camera will organically shake, otherwise keeping it as stable as possible is preferred. Robbie Ryan's work with Andrea Arnold on films like Fish Tank and Wuthering Heights were incredibly informative to me at a young age. Agnes Godard is another great female cineamtographer working with Claire Denis, I recommend Beau Travail. And last but not least, Robby Müller's work on Breaking the Waves that he did with Lars Von Trier, is in an incredible masterclass in handheld cinematography. Apologies for the long list, but my only critique with this video is that there's so many more incredible examples of camera movement in cinema and I wouldn't relegate it to just fight scenes! Also, as a quick aside, if you like stabilized work, the most inspiring use of steadicam I think is on Alan Clarke's work, he was one of the first to film entire movies in the 80s entirely on steadicam. Some Eastern European Directors as well have similar take on steadicam/dolly movement like Bella Tarr. And my personal favorite as a kid was Elephant by Gus Van Sant, shot by Harris Savides which is almost entirely shot in steadicam tracking shots.
This is a very thorough explanation, thank you for the contribution! I don't think I can address every point but I do mainly agree with you. I actually use handheld for 90% of my shots and i usually bring a cinesaddle with me. Actually nearly every video I have on youtube is handheld, and i enjoy the more natural cadence and i believe it allows me to get away with other things like missing focus and shallow depth of field (this could be saved for another video topic), fight scenes are definitely an oversimplification, i simply think if I had the choice for crane like shots or handheld with all logistics aside, Id opt for stable shots 80% of the time. I'm a very economical shooter, you'd be surprised how efficient i am, i rarely buy lighting, my cinesaddle is essentially a camera bag, although it discounts handheld, i agree it has a more visceral element to it, which I personally enjoy, but cant help but think my shots would improve with slightly more stable shots
@ghostchili I totally understand what you mean as well. I lean into handheld because I like the idea of "your lack of resources becomes your aesthetic" and I think keeping the gear to a minimum, as you do, leads to better connection with your subjects. That being said, I found myself shooting only handheld for far too long and one of my favorite purchases in the past few years was my Sachtler FlowTech Legs with Aktiv Head. It was a huge expense but made shooting tripod shoots as a solo shooter such a breeze and motivates me to shoot more on tripod which I love as well. So I totally understand what you mean about wanting more stable shots, and I'm always looking into economical ways of recreating the steadicam look. I don't love the looks of gimbals either but even something like the DJI Ronin 4D is an interesting modern choice that feels closer to the z-axis movement of a steadicam.
Very interesting video and topic. I think adding a lot more weight to your camera (rig) could do the trick of reducing the jitters. I prefer handheld over gimbal shots as well. They usually have way more character but it's kind of sad that most people prefer gimbal stabilization. Speaking of rigs, have you tried building your own? I am interested if it will really help that much by adding weight to make shots smoother. Thanks.
Rigs make it less likely for me to bring my camera out, i don’t find them fun to use, if I do rig out a cinema camera it would just be a handle, audio and maybe a monitor. Weight does help but my main lens is already massively dense at 1.3kg, actually with ibis and post stabilization added I find handheld on my camera to be perfectly acceptable, though some may disagree
You are right. I am using two rigs (one around a X-H2s, the other one around a GFX 100S): The Rods, a baseplate, monitor, MatteBox plus a V-mount battery brings the weight to 3,5 to 4 kg. Using these cameras handheld allows for some very smooth moves, as the weight stableises a lot on top of the iBIS etc. .... And a little natural shake makes the footage better if you ask me.
@@fauland_photography good. I have started rigging up my X-T3, which sadly lacks IBIS and has a worse rolling shutter than your X-H2s. So your comment scared me a bit when you said you need 3-4kgs with IBIS on. Do you think i will still be able to stabilize my X-T3 enough if I add more weight somehow? It’s only around 2 kgs if not less atm, but i plan adding more parts
@@ggslav No. Don't worry. It's a personal thing: I like the bit higher weight. You will find out how to hold it and walk. I am using two Peak Design ankers on the rear side of the rods and then with a slide around your neck you can do super smooth left-right pans ....
I agree with your weight comment. I used to have a Nikon D800 long ago and while compared to today, video capabilities are not great on it, the footage seemed more stable. I always wondered if more weight added stability compared to today's light weight mirrorless cameras. @@cleverghostchili
I think it fit the morally ambiguous nature of the show as well, i believe the directors said they purposely didn’t want the color grading to be overly cinematic. Definitely a gritty style
I obsessed for years on how to achieve the absolute best handheld, and it's the aspect of my work I'm most proud to this day, but I'm continuously trying to improve it. For years my I shot with a Manfrotto tripod w/ fluid video similar to how you show here (typically a 35mm lens on fullframe). However, what I did was typically fully rest the handle on my shoulder, dependent on the type of shot (like if I was tilting with a character) kept the tilt on the head slightly looser, I'd have my right hand on the base, and keep my left hand on the lens for manual focus and also an added stability. I was primarily a director and began shooting my own work out of necessity, so my priority was always the characters and the acting. We all have different taste and opinions on what makes something "cinematic" but for me the films that I resonated the best were character-driven and I saw myself, the cameraman, as another actor and tapping more into the reactive rhythm of my handheld to highlight their acting choices. I now currently mostly use a cinesaddle which is extremely helpful for my heavier camera builds, but finding a good way to balance it on your shoulder with heavy batteries on the back and monitor in front of your face is still usually the best for long tracking shots. However, this monopod option is an incredible one that I may revisit again, and is perfect for these small cameras.
I'd also like to recommend some other handheld films and cinematographers to you. I think truly good handheld shouldn't necessarily distract and if anything helps immerse you into the story and the headspace of the characters. Also as an indie filmmaker, it is sometimes the most economical and efficient way to shoot a scene, needs less crew, less gear, and can keep the focus to the directing of actors.
First I'd recommend Cinema Verité documentary work who were some of the first to try and perfect handheld in the 50s and 60s. At a certain point 16mm cameras became light enough where they weren't bound to tripods and some of the most famous cinematographers came from newsreel/documentary work. Raoul Cotard's work with Jean-Luc Godard, first on Breathless were one of the first big films to show how you could free the camera and make it handheld, and he came from a newsreel background. DA Pennebaker and the Maysles also shot amazing documentaries, with barely any crew, and going as far as to modifiy and design cameras that were better for handheld work. The Aaton series of cameras, what many consider the best handheld cameras of all time, were designed with a lot of this movement in mind.
However more contemporarily, I think some of the best handheld work is seen in the Dardenne's Brothers films of the early 90s. I recommend La Promesse and Rosseta. Sean Bobbitt in Place Beyond the Pines has incredible work as well, he has an hour and half long handheld workshop on youtube from 2013 I used to watch religiously to perfect my handheld. He mentions his past as a news style cameraman for years. He makes a very strong point about how handheld should be as stable as possible, and dislikes when directors tell him to purposefully shake the camera more, I think if there's a narrative reason for it, like you're running after a character, then it makes sense to run and the camera will organically shake, otherwise keeping it as stable as possible is preferred. Robbie Ryan's work with Andrea Arnold on films like Fish Tank and Wuthering Heights were incredibly informative to me at a young age. Agnes Godard is another great female cineamtographer working with Claire Denis, I recommend Beau Travail. And last but not least, Robby Müller's work on Breaking the Waves that he did with Lars Von Trier, is in an incredible masterclass in handheld cinematography. Apologies for the long list, but my only critique with this video is that there's so many more incredible examples of camera movement in cinema and I wouldn't relegate it to just fight scenes!
Also, as a quick aside, if you like stabilized work, the most inspiring use of steadicam I think is on Alan Clarke's work, he was one of the first to film entire movies in the 80s entirely on steadicam. Some Eastern European Directors as well have similar take on steadicam/dolly movement like Bella Tarr. And my personal favorite as a kid was Elephant by Gus Van Sant, shot by Harris Savides which is almost entirely shot in steadicam tracking shots.
This is a very thorough explanation, thank you for the contribution! I don't think I can address every point but I do mainly agree with you. I actually use handheld for 90% of my shots and i usually bring a cinesaddle with me. Actually nearly every video I have on youtube is handheld, and i enjoy the more natural cadence and i believe it allows me to get away with other things like missing focus and shallow depth of field (this could be saved for another video topic), fight scenes are definitely an oversimplification, i simply think if I had the choice for crane like shots or handheld with all logistics aside, Id opt for stable shots 80% of the time. I'm a very economical shooter, you'd be surprised how efficient i am, i rarely buy lighting, my cinesaddle is essentially a camera bag, although it discounts handheld, i agree it has a more visceral element to it, which I personally enjoy, but cant help but think my shots would improve with slightly more stable shots
@ghostchili I totally understand what you mean as well. I lean into handheld because I like the idea of "your lack of resources becomes your aesthetic" and I think keeping the gear to a minimum, as you do, leads to better connection with your subjects. That being said, I found myself shooting only handheld for far too long and one of my favorite purchases in the past few years was my Sachtler FlowTech Legs with Aktiv Head. It was a huge expense but made shooting tripod shoots as a solo shooter such a breeze and motivates me to shoot more on tripod which I love as well. So I totally understand what you mean about wanting more stable shots, and I'm always looking into economical ways of recreating the steadicam look. I don't love the looks of gimbals either but even something like the DJI Ronin 4D is an interesting modern choice that feels closer to the z-axis movement of a steadicam.
Loving the frequent uploads, the king is bacccccck
Just filler content for my Japan trip… ✈️
Very interesting video and topic
Very interesting video and topic. I think adding a lot more weight to your camera (rig) could do the trick of reducing the jitters. I prefer handheld over gimbal shots as well. They usually have way more character but it's kind of sad that most people prefer gimbal stabilization. Speaking of rigs, have you tried building your own? I am interested if it will really help that much by adding weight to make shots smoother.
Thanks.
Rigs make it less likely for me to bring my camera out, i don’t find them fun to use, if I do rig out a cinema camera it would just be a handle, audio and maybe a monitor. Weight does help but my main lens is already massively dense at 1.3kg, actually with ibis and post stabilization added I find handheld on my camera to be perfectly acceptable, though some may disagree
You are right. I am using two rigs (one around a X-H2s, the other one around a GFX 100S): The Rods, a baseplate, monitor, MatteBox plus a V-mount battery brings the weight to 3,5 to 4 kg. Using these cameras handheld allows for some very smooth moves, as the weight stableises a lot on top of the iBIS etc. .... And a little natural shake makes the footage better if you ask me.
@@fauland_photography good. I have started rigging up my X-T3, which sadly lacks IBIS and has a worse rolling shutter than your X-H2s. So your comment scared me a bit when you said you need 3-4kgs with IBIS on.
Do you think i will still be able to stabilize my X-T3 enough if I add more weight somehow? It’s only around 2 kgs if not less atm, but i plan adding more parts
@@ggslav No. Don't worry. It's a personal thing: I like the bit higher weight. You will find out how to hold it and walk. I am using two Peak Design ankers on the rear side of the rods and then with a slide around your neck you can do super smooth left-right pans ....
I agree with your weight comment. I used to have a Nikon D800 long ago and while compared to today, video capabilities are not great on it, the footage seemed more stable. I always wondered if more weight added stability compared to today's light weight mirrorless cameras. @@cleverghostchili
Monopod has a sway to it like being on a boat. A weight at the bottom may help
Yep, I used the fluid head handle but yes, then you’re really getting closer to steadicam
I watched The Last of Us tv show and all the footage wasn't stabilized at all :D Looks very natural. Better than gimbal footage
I think it fit the morally ambiguous nature of the show as well, i believe the directors said they purposely didn’t want the color grading to be overly cinematic. Definitely a gritty style
Monopod/tripod with one hand without handle! TRUST ME ON THIS!!!
Interesting, I used the handle just for stability in the horizontal axis. Will try again
Nice
Viewfinder nice 👌
I use it all the time, though I feel like I could have performed better with better technique