Get Better Footage with a Strap, Tripod, or String

There’s nothing better than capturing great footage in-camera, and not having to go try rescue it in post with LUTs, warp-stabilization, and compositing. In this video there are some simple tips on how to get shots without any additional gear.

Sheldon Evans is displaying the execution of the tips he mentions with footage of my home town, beautiful Cape Town, South Africa. And although he’s using a drone to get certain shots, most of it is done with a camera and camera strap, a tripod, or piece of string. There really is nothing else he uses, and there's nothing else you'll need if you want to achieve the same thing. 

It is possible to stabilize footage in Premiere Pro using Warp Stabilizer, but this often gives stabilized footage but with the downside of “wobbly” objects and warping throughout the shot, which can often render the clip unusable when digitally stabilized.

For photographers and video makers, the perfect scenario is to carry as little as possible with you when you’re out shooting. Secondly, being off-the-mark and have the camera ready to shoot as quickly as possible and to deliver great footage to yourself or your client are the ultimate ideals we as creators strive for, and as this video shows, it is inexpensive and easy to do.

This is the video he also mentions about how David Fincher hijacks your eyes:

Wouter du Toit's picture

Wouter is a portrait and street photographer based in Paris, France. He's originally from Cape Town, South Africa. He does image retouching for clients in the beauty and fashion industry and enjoys how technology makes new ways of photography possible.

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1 Comment

Oh! I really can't wait for this trend of jump cuts in talking heads to go out of style. It's so annoying and detracts so much from the content and makes me want to stop watching, which is not what is desired I'm sure. It's like being punched in the face every 10 seconds.
Otherwise nice video.