How to build a cheap-ass steadicam
A common sign of low budget movies looking low-budget is shaky or erratic camera work. While this is fine if you’re trying to parody The Blair Witch Project or Battlestar: Galactica, it’s usually just a good way to annoy or frustrate a viewer (and if they have sensitive stomachs, you could make them motion sick, too, but Syrup of Ipecac is much cheaper if all you want to do is make people barf.)
So, it’s important to steady that camera!
The easiest and cheapest way to do it is to use a tripod. Just get that camera up on the sticks and leave it there. You can move it around using the gimbals and such, but keep it on the tripod. If you don’t have a tripod, then acquire one. You can get tripods practically anywhere, and for any price. I’ve found them free or dirt-cheap at garage sales and thrift stores. Borrow a tripod.
It’s worth it.
Assuming you have a tripod and you want to steady it a bit more, then you can always take this fella’s approach — strap weights to the closed legs of the tripod:
Joren Clark Steadicam
If you have the weights handy, this can be pretty cheap.
I’ve used the extended-but-closed tripod legs as a bit of steadying
influence and it works better than I thought it would.
If you want to spend a few dollars, you can build a cheapo stabilizer for less than twenty bucks, following this guy’s suggestion:
$14 Steadicam
I’ve built one of these and after a bit of practice, you’ll get the hang of using it and it’ll help your shots tremendously.
Just because you are shooting low budget doesn’t mean your shots have to look low-budget. Practice the shots you can make smooth and do ‘em whenever you get the chance. Play to your strengths and no one notices your weaknesses.
Jason said,
December 27, 2007 @ 7:14 pm
There is now a newer version of the homemade Steadycam, it’s lighter stronger and much more versatile.
They also have a tutorial on how to make your own.
Check out the sample footage, visit:
http://www.Steadycam-Pro.com
admin said,
August 14, 2008 @ 3:14 pm
Well, it’s not so much a “newer” version, except that it uses a tripod head, which could be scavenged for a homemade system, too.
The “professional” system costs about $150, which is about ten times as much as the pipe version. On the plus side, it looks more professional. On the minus side, it looks more valuable to people who want to rob you.
When I walk around with a complicated steel pipe assembly that has a big weight bolted to the end, people get the hell out of my way just kinda’ automatically.
These bonuses aren’t normally talked about, in polite company.
Ben willard said,
June 6, 2009 @ 10:44 am
These steadicam’s are cheap for a reason. They are not steady for shit! its just pretty much like building another handle for your camera. This 14$ shit doesn’t make your video more steady what so ever.
admin said,
June 6, 2009 @ 3:59 pm
There is certainly no arguing that you get what you pay for. But I’ve seen and known some folks that get much steadier shots using even such primitive rigs than they would otherwise. Mass is mass.
It does take a bit of practice, though.
kris said,
July 12, 2009 @ 9:00 pm
Ben Willard, have you actually tried one of these cheap steadicam alternatives? They’re not just handles, they’re mechanisms for attaching weights to your camera. If you don’t attach weights to them then indeed they make no difference, but with the weight on the smaller movements of your hand are reduced, giving a steadier picture.
The inventor of the $14 steadycam has lots of video examples on his site showing the difference it makes. It’s not as good as a real steadicam, but it’s better than using a tripod or camera on its own. And a real steadicam costs thousands so that simply isn’t an option for 99% of people.
No one is pretending you can just pick these up and instantly get perfectly steady shots, but in the long term these kinds of devices do make your camerawork noticeably steadier.