Perrone Ford
November 27th, 2008, 12:31 PM
By now, I am sure most people are familiar with the FigRig and it's DIY variants. So I won't waste a lot of time going over the particulars of the unit.
A lot of people are quick to dismiss the FigRig as it does not offer the type of stabilization that a Steadicam or similar stabilizers do. And while that is true, it brings some other things to the table.
In looking at recent movies and TV work, I found some interesting trends in the things I was enjoying watching. Hollywood has progressed from all locked off shots through much of the last century, to a mix of locked off shots in the 80s and 90s, to primarily stabilized, or moving camera work these days. The camera is hardly still any more. This tends to transition the audience from casual observers watching a performance on a screen, to more active participants in the action. The camera has become an integral part of the scene instead of just offering a seat at the show.
The true stabilizer allows us to float inside that dramatic space. It offers us a dreamy and surrealistic way to be involved in the action. In narrative, this is often exactly what is desired. But sometimes we'd like to connect the audience on a more visceral level. Especially when we are doing POV work. And it's here the handheld camera really begins to come into it's own. It's ability to remove the sheer layer of objectivity of the steadyicam, and move into the world of reality.
Most of my work is event work and corporate/training video. A lot of work locked off, or with simple pans and dollies. But lately, I've wanted to incorporate the ability to move the camera through space. The look of steadicam footage was a bit to smooth for me. As I wanted the audience to connect with the work in a more "reality-based" way. So the FigRig began to look good to me. The sheer flexibility and simple design appealed to me. The fact that I could do walk and talks, pan, tilt, dutch angle, crane, and other camera moves simply and easily also appealed to me. It was the right solution to get the "feel" I wanted.
So many positives, but what of the negatives? The primary negative in my view is that you most certainly cannot be discreet with the unit. It does tend to draw a lot of attention. This may not be much of a problem on a set, but in event work, it's certainly going to draw attention. Another negative is that is a handheld solution. When shooting my DVX, it's not really too bad. But long takes with the EX1 or heavier cameras REALLY give the arms a workout. Another drawback is that using the unit for low shots is a bit tricky. I've made it work ok thus far, and I need plenty of work, but it's not as smooth as low mode on a true stabilizing system.
So is it right for you? This is very subjective of course. But I was absolutely astounded at how smoothly I could go up and down stairs, do walking shots, do those 360 degree pans, and so forth. You get just enough shake and variance to add some "realism" and tension to the shot but not enough to put off an audience. For the price, I felt it was a bargain. I still feel that way.
I'll be using the unit on an upcoming training video, and I may put up some footage from that. I will also be doing some camera tests in weeks to come, and I'd like to post some of that as well.
Hopefully this bit of a review is hopeful to someone who might be on the fence about the unit.
A lot of people are quick to dismiss the FigRig as it does not offer the type of stabilization that a Steadicam or similar stabilizers do. And while that is true, it brings some other things to the table.
In looking at recent movies and TV work, I found some interesting trends in the things I was enjoying watching. Hollywood has progressed from all locked off shots through much of the last century, to a mix of locked off shots in the 80s and 90s, to primarily stabilized, or moving camera work these days. The camera is hardly still any more. This tends to transition the audience from casual observers watching a performance on a screen, to more active participants in the action. The camera has become an integral part of the scene instead of just offering a seat at the show.
The true stabilizer allows us to float inside that dramatic space. It offers us a dreamy and surrealistic way to be involved in the action. In narrative, this is often exactly what is desired. But sometimes we'd like to connect the audience on a more visceral level. Especially when we are doing POV work. And it's here the handheld camera really begins to come into it's own. It's ability to remove the sheer layer of objectivity of the steadyicam, and move into the world of reality.
Most of my work is event work and corporate/training video. A lot of work locked off, or with simple pans and dollies. But lately, I've wanted to incorporate the ability to move the camera through space. The look of steadicam footage was a bit to smooth for me. As I wanted the audience to connect with the work in a more "reality-based" way. So the FigRig began to look good to me. The sheer flexibility and simple design appealed to me. The fact that I could do walk and talks, pan, tilt, dutch angle, crane, and other camera moves simply and easily also appealed to me. It was the right solution to get the "feel" I wanted.
So many positives, but what of the negatives? The primary negative in my view is that you most certainly cannot be discreet with the unit. It does tend to draw a lot of attention. This may not be much of a problem on a set, but in event work, it's certainly going to draw attention. Another negative is that is a handheld solution. When shooting my DVX, it's not really too bad. But long takes with the EX1 or heavier cameras REALLY give the arms a workout. Another drawback is that using the unit for low shots is a bit tricky. I've made it work ok thus far, and I need plenty of work, but it's not as smooth as low mode on a true stabilizing system.
So is it right for you? This is very subjective of course. But I was absolutely astounded at how smoothly I could go up and down stairs, do walking shots, do those 360 degree pans, and so forth. You get just enough shake and variance to add some "realism" and tension to the shot but not enough to put off an audience. For the price, I felt it was a bargain. I still feel that way.
I'll be using the unit on an upcoming training video, and I may put up some footage from that. I will also be doing some camera tests in weeks to come, and I'd like to post some of that as well.
Hopefully this bit of a review is hopeful to someone who might be on the fence about the unit.