First, we turned in our certification contracts. We're official now, so we can borrow the cameras and reserve editing machines for our projects.
Then we did some test shooting with my new steadycam. I built one of those Johnny Lee amazing "$14 Steadycam" things.
http://www-2.cs.cmu.edu/%7Ejohnny/steadycam/
It's a very simple weighted tubular contraption that significantly reduces the jiggling and bouncing you get when using a hand-held camera. There are a few things you need to do with this device. Practice. A lot. It takes work to make this system function properly. Also, you need to bend your knees when moving. A slight crouch helps dampen a lot of movement. And you have to experiment with positioning your hands on the unit to get the best use.
It's actually quite tiring to use it for more than five minutes at a time. You can hear us panting on the test footage! But you can see the difference when compared to regular hand held shooting. It's not perfect, but it certainly is acceptable. And yes, it DID cost $14...actually, it came to $14.66, but I bought a few extra nuts and bolts. I bought all the parts at Home Depot, except the weight, which I got from Wal-Mart for $ 1.46; Johnny Lee deserves props for accuracy in his online instructions.
Next job - a $14 dolly, then a $14 crane.
Hey, I can dream, can't I? Huh?
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