So, you just bought your first Gimbal. You’ve just put your camera on, and you are just like eager to get out there and start shooting different videos. But there are a couple of techniques that you need to know when you’re operating your mode to get those really smooth shots, and that is exactly what we are going to cover.
If you're still struggling to get a gimbal, you can read this article on the best phone gimbal out there to get super smooth shots.
If you already have a gimbal, you’ve probably been told that you have to learn the ninja walk to get amazing gimbal shots. I totally disagree on that, but even if you can do it. You are probably making your life much harder than it actually should be.
Because you are doing the same mistakes as 90 of all others people do, and I constantly see so many beginners make at least one of these forgivable mistakes, that will keep you from getting amazing gimbal shots. But the good thing is that, it’s super easy to correct. You just have to know how to fix it.
1. The Ninja walks
when working with a gimbal, you have to see your body as a set of Springs. The first set of Springs are the ones that are in your feet and your legs, and the second spare set of Springs are the ones that are in your arms.
So, when working with a gimbal, it’s these two Springs that has to work together to absorb the impact that you create when you are walking. So, if we only move the springs that are on legs, the gimbal will move with us. But if we move the springs in our arms, the gimbal will stay in place, and this is why it’s so hard to get smooth shots when you’re walking.
Because, if I’m moving those Springs correctly, the footage will be swaying or jittery. So, all you have to do to walk correctly, is use the Heel To Toe method and use the springs in your legs to absorb the impact and correct with the springs in your arms when you’re walking forward. This is the reason the ninja walk doesn’t work well.
Because, when you do the ninja walk, you are a super bend over, and the Springs in your body don’t have any room to move, and absorb those impacts that you create when you walk. The other thing is that, you will also be much more likely to get injuries, and you’re low on your upper back as well as your knees.
So instead, use your body as a spring so that you can absorb those impacts that we create. It’s actually super simple, just think of yourself as having a string that you’re hooked up to so that your body will be more upright, and then you just walk forward, and you use that spring to absorb the impacts when we walk.
2. The Grip
The next mistake that most people do is that, they’re not holding the gimbal correctly. Meaning that, you’re not using a side grip or a dual grip for your gimbal.
So normally, when you have a gimbal, you’re probably holding like a stick, but the problem is that it will be too Sway, and so super easy for it to sway because your body is tucked in.
But if you use the side hand, you get more open, and you have more room , kind of, to maneuver around once you walk forward. This also has another benefit, when you hold it with the left hand. When you hold it firmly with the left hand, the impacts that come from our feet won’t transition into the Gimbal, and create those micro Jitters.
3. To Upright
The third mistake is that, you’re holding the gimbal too up right. You don’t want to do that, because you’re not engaging the Tilt model. You want to slightly angle the gimbal, son that you can Engage The Tilt motor when you walk forward, and of course use the Heel To Toe when you walk. So slightly move the gimbal forward like that, then the motor will work for you, when you’re shooting.
So don’t use it upright, slightly tilt forward has another on a bit of on a benefit as well. When we are in here, we tend to move the gimbal out here, instead when we slightly move it forward, we have it closer to our body. I don’t know why, but I just see this happen and having it closer to your body means that, you won’t put that much stress on your back.
4. Too Slow
so the last mistake I see a lot of beginners do and my students as well do this. It is that, when they want a super smooth shot, they try to do it in slow motion.
So what they actually want, is the super slow steady shot, and they try to do that shot. But you have to keep the gimbal in Motion in order to get a smooth shot.
By doing this, you can shoot in 50 or 60 FPS, also 120 and then slow it down in post. So when I want a smooth shot, I take a couple steps back, and then I’ll walk into the shot, keeping the gimbal as steady as possible, and then I slow it down and post once I get back to the editing.
So if I try to move slowly, there are some problems, my body starts to wiggle, and I also start to shake the gimbal. So it’s actually much harder to try to move slowly than move the gimbal in real time. The same goes when I’m shooting real estate.
