Consumer-level gimbals have changed the quality of videography for smaller productions for the better. Now, everyone from indie film enthusiasts to vloggers can have smooth, dynamic footage in their work. However, using a gimbal is more of a skill than it might first seem.
Before I had used a gimbal, I mistakenly believed it was tremendously straightforward to get great shots. Not only could you effortlessly get stable footage, but with the tracking features, you could also do more dynamic shots. I'm a little annoyed at myself about this. While I was right in the most basic sense, it was akin to saying that great photographs are made by great cameras.
If you want to get a simple, stable, slow-moving shot, it is reasonably easy to do with a gimbal. However, if you want to create some of the stuff you've seen on productions or better YouTube channels, it is a skill in and of itself. I found this out to my peril on a shoot in a beautiful, cliff-side location in the south of England. I had the idea that I would run along the path, down the cliff, and shoot it as a sort of PoV short. In my head, that was a straightforward request for a gimbal, and perhaps there are gimbals that could easily do it, but mine struggled, and I believe that was user error. Without a subject to track, I had to manually move the camera with the joystick and my first attempt was riddled with jerky movements and boring, linear shots.
In this video, learn 13 great tricks to help you master your own gimbal.
Yeah, same here. When I bought a gimbal, I thought I'd easily get those super smooth dolly shots just by leisurely walking forwards or backswards. In reality, you'd need to learn how to walk with a gimbal.
I agree.
Thanks for the tips.
Can you provide a location to purchase the gimbal arm extension.
Youtubers usually add an equipment list in the description of the videos. In this case, "Gimboom":
https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=Gimboom
Thank you!