This New Camera Stabilizer Could Change Cinematography Forever

Gizmodo ^ | 4/5/13 | Michael Hession

[LibWhacker]

A new piece of filmmaking gear was just announced that could completely re-invent the complex process of camera stabilization. It's currently being tested and endorsed by Vincent LaForet, who's given us a little taste of what it's capable of.

The product is called MōVI, created by Freefly, longtime maker of crazy camera-drone equipment and stabilizers. LaForet is presenting a short film and behind-the-scenes video to illustrate its abilities, which consists of a completely custom-made gimbal and 3-axis gyroscope that digitally stabilizes the camera (a Canon 1DC in this case). It looks to be very light and portable, a far cry from giant metal arms, vests, and weights that almost the entire camera support world is based on.

Anyone who has ever picked up a camera knows that one of the most frustrating things is getting footage that isn't shaky. That smooth gliding movement is one of the hallmarks of good production value. At the pro level, stabilization is the focus of entire companies, like the ubiquitous Steadicam, which provides beastly and expensive equipment to Hollywood, TV, and independent production houses for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Some of cinema's most famous shots have utilized this type of gear, such as this iconic Goodfellas scene:

Shots like these are based on a counterweight system, where heavy weights are suspended below the camera, which sits on a low-friction gimbal. The new system gets rid of the counterweight completely, allowing the camera person to move around much easier. For added control, the camera's movements can be operated remotely via joystick.

Let's be real though—this is very much a professional-level piece of gear that is currently priced at $15,000, with a $7500 option coming in the near future. That is to say, out of the price-range of most individuals and small businesses. But the very apparent break with old technology will no doubt trickle down into more consumer-friendly devices as time goes on, and hopefully make those awe-inspiring camera shots possible for anyone to pull off.

[raybbr]

Also, add in the replay of an action from different angles. I don’t need to see the car explode from seven different angles.

[St_Thomas_Aquinas]

It's eliminated pitch, yaw and roll, but there is still x,y, and z axis movement, which appears to be damped.

Pretty amazing.

Now what are these amazing camera shots that they're talking about? Camera movement through a crowd?

[UnwashedPeasant]

If they can get the price below $500, this will revolutionize youtube cat videos.

[Zeneta]

I tried this not to long ago and found it nearly impossible.

While watching a relatively recent action movie, count how long and how many clips or cuts are in just one scene.

Most are less than one second.

You can have a 60 second scene with a hundred or more cuts.