Beautiful Cinematography with a Glidecam.

A Glidecam is a counter weight device used in video production. If you've ever watched a movie and wondered how they got those smooth shots while running or chasing someone though the woods, it's was probably with a Glidecam or Steadicam. I use a Glidecam 2000 Pro with my Canon T2i. I use it hand-held, as you can see to the right. It does get heavy on the wrist after awhile, but Glidecam does make other products that makes working with the Glidecam 2000 Pro much easier. They have a forearm brace and also a vest that you can buy to make long days of shooting easier. Below I have a video of my setup. Balancing the device is always a concern for newbies. I've made a video below that helps explain what I've done in the past.

Balancing the Glidecam 2000 Pro can be a pain, but the video below gives you some tips on how to do this. I've found that the first thing you want to do is to have a good quick release plate for the top of your Glidecam. Doing this will make it easy for you to mount your camera on and off the Glidecam without having to rebalance the entire device every time you use it. Also, choose the lens you will most likely be shooting with and also mount your microphone if you plan to use one. This will ensure that everything is balanced correctly. If I decided to shoot with a 50mm prime lens, you will have to rebalance the entire devise because the lenses are different lengths and weights.

I had an assignment to shoot and edit a short sequence (1-3 minutes) using basic film grammar to articulate "following." Clearly articulate who's scene it is: someone being followed or someone doing the following. Try to escalate the tension in the sequence with the camera. You must reveal something within the scene. Remembering that tension for the audience is the delayed answer to a strong question created in the storytelling. I chose to shoot this using my Glidecam 2000 Pro and my Canon T2i. See below for the short film "The Follow".

Shooting a great film is all about having fun. If you don't ever get out there and do it, it will never come to fruition. It takes a lot of practice to get good, and as you can see i still have a long way to go myself. I hope that this hub has shed some light on the Glidecam 2000 Pro experience and I hope to see some of your work here sometime. If you have used a Glidecam, feel free to post your work below in the comment box. I look forward to seeing what you've created. Cheers.