10/04/2019

Steady as She Goes

AVMR goes to the movies and discovers who killed shaky-cam…

Video is exploding all around us. News TV features on the spot reports, often shot on a phone by the reporters themselves, where previously a phone call and still would have sufficed. And YouTube is groaning with fresh, original content, made by creators unbound by the shackles of budget or corporate message. There are more than 500 hours of content now being uploaded to YouTube every minute – you could spend a lifetime watching the content uploaded in just one day. But with that amount of video jostling for attention, how do today’s ever more ‘pro’ creators take it to the next level?

Close Up

Recent years have seen the rapid adoption of low-cost, lightweight camera gimbals which hold the camera (or phone) in a grip which damps movement to deliver a more professional wobble-free shot. Mounts such as the Ronin MX from drone-makers DJI give upcoming pros the same super-stable shots that cost Hollywood thousands. While their Osimo hand-helds do the same for blogger’s camera phones. Add these to the increasing power of in-built stabilisation – be it physical mounts on the lens or virtual image smoothing – and your video is looking better than ever.

Far Out

But what about the really tough stuff? Where do you go when the terrain is going to shake your shot no matter how much tech you put in between? The answer is you come to AVMR, or more precisely the work we’ve done with our friends at Vibrostop and their amazing W-PAC camera suspension systems.

The W–PAC allows directors to mount a camera to a vehicle and enjoy stunning steady shots on any terrain. It can be specced with elastic mounts for lighter loads or for more pro rigs (and sterner locations) go for the CAVOFLEX wire-rope mounts which we developed for them.

W-PAC uses four CAVOFLEX mounts to keep the camera in a tight grip with just the right amount of insulation. When combined with a winning gimbal such as the Ronin MX the results are nothing short of remarkable.

Check out their test video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=5&v=3P0vgUBRpeY. Then give us a call to find out how we can work similar magic for you.