"Smooth Shooting" : the Breakthru

[KenB]

A good friend and mentor Dave Williams of DVideography encouraged me to share with you some of my story.

Discovered some time ago videography is my genuine passion. My start was taping live music and soon realized that up close and personal was the preferred style of shooting, thus a good share of shakey handheld shots.

 A few years back through a WEVA website happened across some of Dave's work and had to find out how the heck he got those incredibly smooth shots. Glidecam was the answer , made the purchase and in the closet it stayed for 3 months because couldn't seem to figure out how to balance the device ....frustrated !

 Finally with my friends encouragement and the insight he shares on a training piece he produced I was able to overcome the frustration and have been "gliding" ever since.

 The exciting new phase has been to don the Smooth Shooter rig for first time last week and tape an award presentation to a High School football coach by the Arizona Cardinals P.R. person and the team mascot Big Red.

 Literally a first time using the gear the footage was incredible and the rigging felt really comfortable not to mention how "thankful" my right arm was for not having to bear the weight !

That experience was and is a for sure defining moment in my journey.   

Thanks again for letting me share and thank-you Dave Williams for your encouragement.

-Ken B

[HankCastello]

Glad to hear from you, Ken and welcome to the WVDR forums!

Dave is a true master of wedding videography.

[Jordan Berry]

What's your website Ken?

And which smooth shooter / DVD are you referring to?

[Dave Williams]

Glad to hear from you, Ken and welcome to the WVDR forums!

Dave is a true master of wedding videography.

You make me blush, Hank.  Thank you.

[Dave Williams]

Thanks Ken - I love you man!

[BillGrant]

It's interesting to see who lurks where isn't it...?
Bill

[Jordan Berry]

It's interesting to see who lurks where isn't it...?
Bill

Well said Bill!

[Dave Williams]

It's interesting to see who lurks where isn't it...?
Bill

I've been injured and have had more time to lurk.   

[HankCastello]

Nothing serious, I hope.

[Dave Williams]

Nothing serious, I hope.

It's getting better every day.

I was shooting the annual JDRF walk.  Part of the shoot is to go around to all of the sponsor families in the lawn area in front of the Phila Art Museum where the walk starts.  I had the brilliant idea of stepping up onto one of the sponsor tables to get a high shot of one of the families.  I was wearing my rig so the last thing I said to my intern Josh was "Don't let me fall".  My sound guy was there with his boom pole and mixing bag as well as 100 other people standing around in the vicinity watching me.  The table stated to wobble and fall so I stepped backwards onto the chair I used to get up and the next thing I know is my feet slipped out from under me.  I wend down hard hitting my back onto the top of another chair.,  I hear something crunch, felt the pain and what sealed the deal in my mind to not get up was a woman who yelled "Oh my God he broke his back on that chair."  I thought "OK I'm going to be paralyzed."  I didn't want to move and just told them to get me an ambulance.  I spent the day at Jefferson while they x-rayed and cat-scanned to be sure it was just broken bones and not my spleen.  Just ribs #6 and 7 were snapped.

Needless to say I won't be shooting any time soon and have gotten back into some editing to drive my guys crazy around here.  :-)

Lots of slow motion moves and percocet in my future.  Although I'm down to 5 percocets a day now.   

[HankCastello]

Ouch!  I know how much broken ribs hurt thanks to some left hooks, though I've never been attacked by a vicious chair!  About the worse thing that can happen now is laughing.  My "friends" would all tell me jokes when I had broke ribs.  (OK guys, let's keep is serious for awhile!)   

Here's for a speedy recovery for you and your gear (that can't be good for a camera!)

[Dave Williams]

Here's for a speedy recovery for you and your gear (that can't be good for a camera!)

Yeah I instinctively pushed the rig up, saving the camera.  My team finished without me, never missing a beat.  I was very lucky.  Thanks again, Hank.

[Superfly]

WOW!  Giving up the body for the gear.  Isn't that an odd instinct that we tend to posses?  I hope you get better man.  I can definitely relate to that aspect though.

Smooth shooting sounds really good but also REALLY expensive. 

I can speak for both Jen and I that we will probably never shoot again without a tiny handheld like a Vixia.  It's just so easy to keep steady and make nice moves at least for the wedding stuff.  We can charge through a room with it in ways that I could never do with my XH A1 even.

I'd love to play around with that kind of stuff more but I tried a couple handheld things and ended up dumping them due to fatigue.  When it comes to a 12 hour day I like the monopod and the Vixia for now.

Guess I'll have to try this thing some day.  Could you imagine wearing it for 8-10 hours though?

Best,

Todd

[HankCastello]

Actually the Smooth Shooter rig is comfortable enough that you probably could wear it for several hours at a time.  I think it is best utilized for romantic opening shots where those floating camera moves really add to the scene.  Using one for the entire wedding shoot might be overkill.  Any effect, no matter how good, can be overdone.

The biggest drawback to using a Smooth Shooter during a reception is that it adds bulk and makes it harder to wend your way through the guests.