Steadicam Merlin Setup And Operation Manual page 41

WARNING:
Stunt shooting
and leaping over cliffs with
the Steadicam is tempting but
remember: it's only a movie.
We don't advise trashing a
thousand-dollar camera or
breaking your leg—even for
the "Shot of the Century!"
Home Shooting Tips
BIRTHDAY PARTIES
Sit
on the floor among very young children as
they play around you. Relax and take the load
off your arm by bracing your elbow on your
knee. Watching both inside and outside your
frame for the next good moments—remember
you are free to move your camera nearly five feet
from side to side with your arms without even
getting up!
Circle
the birthday table, mid-telephoto. Once
the kids get used to you, you can cruise up on
wonderful spontaneous moments, the sound will
be excellent because you aren't shooting from
across the room.
Hold
the camera out right into the middle of the
action. Party games look great with Merlin, and
intimate wide-angle shots at your kid's eye-level
can hold the birthday boy or girl and a number
of friends in the frame at the same time, with the
relative emphasis you select.
HOLIDAYS
Christmas, Hanukkah and summer vacations
all provide priceless opportunities for Merlin
shooting. Go caroling, hunt Easter eggs, run
on the beach—document your life in a way that
looks more like the movies and less like amateur
night. Traveling shots made on professional
dollies and cranes can look terrific, but the very
bulk of the equipment makes intimacy difficult
to achieve. You can have closeness as well as
smoothness, and effortlessly be there for the
moments that really count!
SPORTS
Whether you're covering professional sporting
events from the stands in shoulder-mode, or
shooting family contests or even watching
yourself dribbling the ball, Merlin offers unique
advantages. It can be moved with great speed,
yet isn't massive enough to be dangerous. You
only have to remind yourself now and then to not
pull too many "g's" as you follow the action right
up to the basket!
FAMILY TRAVEL
Family travel becomes a group activity again
for the whole family when the person with the
camcorder isn't left behind. You can keep up,
shooting what everybody sees as they see it,
holding back just enough to let them enter your
shots as you capture all the
dialogue close up. A camera
which is mobile from within
a group has a much more
intimate and friendly feeling
than one on the sidelines.
Trains, cars and buses
become magical platforms for
seeing the world smoothly,
instead of the bumpy
vibrating embarrassments that
plague typical screenings.
Professional Uses
The advent of DV and HDV formats have
thrust camcorders into contention for high-end
professional applications. Cameramen who have
spent their lives working with large crews are
becoming fascinated with ultra-light cameras and
their auto-color-balance, auto-iris, and auto-focus
circuits that, if used intelligently, can deliver
excellent results. The resolution is "broadcast
quality" yet the small size encourages an entirely
new style of shooting. Steadicam Merlin is the
most compact and versatile way for the pros to
get the smooth traveling shots they're used to.
WEDDINGS
Nuptials are seldom photographed with moving
cameras, except those involving hereditary
monarchs, heads-of-state, film stars and friends
of Steadicam Operators!
Walk
up the side aisle, mid-telephoto, parallel
with the bride and her father as they move up
the center aisle. You will pass rank upon rank of
wedding guests craning to see them – those near
you are looking away from camera, those on the
far side are looking toward you, and the bride and
her Dad reappear between each row as the central
motif of your shot, glowing and emotional in a
way that could not otherwise be recorded.
Basic Set-up