Handheld Filming - The Great Advantages

Let me explain why handheld shooting can improve your videos!

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The past ten years, I’ve been working as a freelance filmmaker. And what I’ve seen is that more an more clients ask me to document events. Events where I don’t have much time to rig, where I don’t have time to direct people and stage scenes. It’s all about scanning the location with your eyes and finding the moments you want for the video. Even though I bring my steadycam and shoulder rig, I often end up using just my hands. Why is this? Because when you see an action you want to capture, you may only have seconds to shoot it. You have to be able to get the camera in the right position, drag focus and adjust exposure before the moment is gone, forever. Place your focus on what is happening in front of the camera, and not the camera itself.

So why not shoot just handheld? Well, there is a reason why we have tripods and steadycams. They can do things that is almost impossible when shooting handheld, and they can tell your story in different ways. My point is: shooting handheld gives you the ability to shoot fast, in an easy, affordable and very flexible way. You will be able to shoot more, have time to experiment and move quickly around. And that may again be crucial to capture the right moments. The only downside is that the shots can get shaky, but this can be solved with techniques and stabilization (warp stabilizer) in post.

If you want to be the king of handheld shooting, get yourself an easy rig. I recommend the Easyrig Minimax which can handle rigs up to 7kgs. It distributes all the weight to your entire body so you can shoot an entire day without getting tired. It keeps the camera stable in the position you want, and if you need two hands, you can just let go of your camera. The Easyrig will hold it for you! You can buy the Easyrig minimax here (affiliation link): https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/produc...

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