I've been filming weddings about 7 years now, and only a couple of those have been with two shooters. So I'm fairly comfortable with filming by myself (hey, no matter how many you shoot, the heart still gets racing sometimes!). I own a merlin steadicam and a glidetrack, but never find myself getting to use them often. I've tried thinking of things that would make their use quicker, so as using quick release plates for everything, but with run and gun, if you want to have your tripod and your glidecam or glidetrack, it becomes a lot to carry! Just wondered if there were any suggestions for finding the time to use these tools more often. Mostly I find myself using them to get venue and detail shots before the ceremony, and maybe a little during downtime of the reception, but it's rare that I'd use either during a "big moment", although I'd like to. I film with 3 Canon DSLRs, so it would be fairly simple for me to switch lenses on the go if needed.

Michael, your question is a really good one. I'm a single shooter also, and run three, usually four cameras by myself too.

I've considered getting a stabilizer and/or slider but the very question you pose is why I haven't made the move to do so: when do I have time to use it?

Just kicking this around, but with my one-track type of mind, I would likely do best to have one camera devoted to the stablizer only, and for nothing else. It would seem that would be the simplest approach, at least as I see it. Get to the church, set up my cameras, put the stabilizer cam on the stabilizer, get my detail shots, then put it on the stabilizer stand, until an opportunity during the ceremony to use it again. Then I only have to pick it up, get the shots I want with it while the other camera cover everything with static shots, then quickly put it back on the stand and resume tending to the other cameras.

Since most of my ceremonies are full catholic masses, there would be opportunities to do the above. I'd probably try the same thing at the reception: have the stabilizer on a stand ready to grab at a moment's notice.

Just a thought, not sure how effective the above would be, but it sounds good.

I agree it can be t is certainly more challenging to be creative when you're alone and under the gun, it's really tough at times.

Hi guys - the reason I haven't yet gone down this route (and i've mulled it over) is that working alone it's just so much kit to carry around (I always use 2, sometimes 3 cameras anyway) and I worry about being able to respond to events quickly with so much gear to lug around - I can still manage to film the bridal party setting off from the church AND arriving at the reception venue (a quiet word with the driver) but with even more kit to sort out it would be an issue.

A bit off topic but the best move I've ever made is to stop using a tripod and start using the Manfrotto 561BHDV-1 for everything but the speeches (they do go on a bit) - it's freed me up so much and shots are just as rock steady

Pete

I actually just bought the Manfrotto 561BHDV-1 last week and love it. Only thing I wish it had were a locking mechanism, so that with a small dslr/lens it could stand upright without fear of falling. (I know it can stand, but I never feel very safe that it's going to stay in one place!)

Two guys that I regularly shoot with each use a Glidecam 2000 when shooting weddings singlehanded. One uses a Sony Z1 & the other a Canon 5DII. My wife has edited full weddings that they have done singlehanded & the relatively short shots done with the Glidecam work really well. These aren't classic Steadicam walking backwards down the aisle keeping the B&G perfectly framed type shots but more swoops & floating shots. Just a few seconds of floaty footage is all that is required.

The last big wedding we did my colleague forgot to pack his monopod so used his Glidecam & 5DII extensively where normally he would use a monopod. The results were very good but he is by now pretty experienced using the Glidecam.

Michael, I saw a Manfrotto monopod somewhere recently that actully had little legs that do support it, but I forget where. I'm not talking about the 561, but a completely different one. I just went to their site and cannot find it. It might be a discontinued model.

Edit: I found it: Amazon.com: Bogen 3231 Professional Monopod with Deatchable Legs: Camera & Photo

Reviews are mixed, and it appears to be discontinued. From what I read it's heavy and some complain the legs are a pain to deal with, but it sure looks good on paper.

It used to be the Bogen 682B and having had one for a good number of years it can be a PITA to set up and use. I do still use it but have given up on the legs and use a crutch tip on it now. I had to split the neck of the tip and then none to gently place it on the lower leg of the monopod, then tape it. Lots of tape. I like the crutch tip as it gives a wider base when on the floor.
when I was big on using the legs I found that the thing swayed a lot and even holding it gently could cause some sway and unless you had a tripod head on it which I did for a while and the pan was really loose if you did pan the legs would come loose. the other thing was that if the legs were folded into the lower shaft they rattled around and made noise so I got to running a single piece of tape arpund them and that helped a lot. Yep, it is kind of heavy for a monopod but when I needed to have some sort of support other than the tripod or Multirig then it worked OK as long as you knew the limitations and worked within them,
I still carry it and use every once in a while.

Michael,

This is a great topic for solo shooters and I agree that as a solo shooter myself, I want to have all of the tools at my fingertips incase I need them. I hate carrying extra cases so I knew that I was going to go with a backpack. My solution is in this photo. The Merlin folds which is the main reason why I got it but It folds nicely to fit in the side of a back pack as well. As far as the Glidetrak goes, I "hacked my track" to 1 foot. Smaller slides but WAY more transportable. It takes me 7 seconds to get my camera from my Merlin to a glidetrack, sometimes less.

A Manfrotto 577 quick release base plate on everything (tripod, glidetrack, monopod, Glidecam etc) is the other essential for rapid changes..

I'm a solo shooter as well. I put off getting any kind of slider for a while because I just couldn't see myself taking the time to use it.

A couple months ago, I found a small, inexpensive, used slider on the classifieds here, so I went for it.

I'm very glad I did. I've started to build in a little more time for the slider shots before the ceremony and before the reception. I use them for detail/establishing shots, and it really raises the overall quality of the video. The problem I see with most people who use sliders is that they use them way too much, devaluing the overall impact of the shots. I'm using a handful of slider shots in my videos, and it's turning out really well.

It's not a problem at all to carry around -- it's 24" and very light, and mounts quickly and easily to any of my tripods.

Corey, thanks a lot for sharing your experience with your slider. It is the accessory I most want for next season.

Jeff, the new MobiSlyder looks perfect for the GH2. Good value too.

Mobislyder with Panasonic GH2 - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kj0JipPgqoY)
http://www.glidetrack.com/mobislyder/mobislyder-1.html
Mobislyder - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5lwZH8SAsU&feature=related)

Thanks kindly for the link Nigel. Very cool device. I'm going to be using a XA10 also on this slider at times. I especially appreciate the link cause Glidetrack has other sliders, longer, that I would like also. I'm not sure of the length I want, but I'm thinking 24".

Jeff and others

I picked up the Glidetrack 30" SD model a year ago and I use it far more than my Glidecam. I keep a manfrotto 701 head mounted on it all the time and then throw it on top of my sticks with a 503 head. That way it is quick and easy to use it. I have quick release plates on everything. I use it a lot for corporate stuff, short films, and real estate as well. My only complaint with the GT, is that is does tend to bind sometimes, so you do need to hold the camera/head a little differently. This means that you sometimes have to repeat a move. GT have been talking about a carriage upgrade with bearings for awhile now.

Because of the potential for binding (which causes a judder, or vibration) I use it during the non-critical wedding stuff mostly. Photo shoot, reception, prep.

My Glidecam gets little use as it is a pain to balance when you swap out lenses when you're solo. And if they're not balanced right, they don't work right.

In fact I just looked at my most recent wedding demo, and there was quite a bit of Glidetrack and NO glidecam. I generally only shoot a few weddings a year. Love Stories On Film (http://www.lovestoriesonfilm.com)

Thanks to all for the replies. I guess maybe I need to revisit using my 24" glidetrack on a manfrotto head. I tried a couple times a long time ago, but on one tripod (I usually don't have time to set up two tripods at equal height most of the time), it seems like there would be some shake or movement, as the glidetrack would lean to one side when the camera wasn't in the middle.

Ken, thanks for sharing. I can see the advantages of a Glidetrack, it sounds awesome.

Because of the potential for binding (which causes a judder, or vibration) I use it during the non-critical wedding stuff mostly. Photo shoot, reception, prep.I almost gave up using the GlideTrack SD as the judder was so irritating. It wasn't every shot but always seemed to be at the most inopportune moment. However the new GlideTrack HD Hybrid that I bought is completely reliable & judder free. The carriage has proper bearings rather than relying on friction. It is now possible to purchase just the hybrid carriage to upgrade your GlideTrack SD. It's not an enormous saving over a whole new piece of kit but you get to re-use the track.

Thanks to all for the replies. I guess maybe I need to revisit using my 24" glidetrack on a manfrotto head. I tried a couple times a long time ago, but on one tripod (I usually don't have time to set up two tripods at equal height most of the time), it seems like there would be some shake or movement, as the glidetrack would lean to one side when the camera wasn't in the middle.You learn to brace the tripod with your foot to stop it toppling over. Also a shorter track is better. I know that 1m (39") is not a lot more expensive than the shorter model but you are better off getting the 24" in the first place rather than doing as I did & taking a hacksaw to the longer track. You really don't need a long track for effective movement just make sure that there is an object in the foreground to accentuate the slide.

but with run and gun, if you want to have your tripod and your glidecam or glidetrack, it becomes a lot to carry!

I use 2 videocamera's, 2 dslr's a zoom h1, h4 and a iriver during a wedding day and I have a simple slider and blackbird steadicam and the only thing I hardly use is the slider. I use each tool when necessary and when possible, this means that when the bride is being prepared I use a dslr on a monopod and a dslr on the blackbird. In this way I can move and act quickly and a slider would only get in the way.

Then for the church it's back to the regular videocamera's on tripods and all my audio gear. The dslr, steadicam and slider stays in the car and once at the reception it's dslr again but then one dslr on a tripod, one permanently fixed to the steadicam and one videocamera stays on standby on a tripod. At the reception I do use the slider a bit just to get some eyecandy but once the guests start arriving I put it aside. The videocamera gets used if I know there will be long speeches, if it's just a very short speech from the groom I use the dslr on a tripod and one of my zooms for audio.

I allways try to prevent mixing videocamera/dslr footage, that's why I do certain parts of the day, like the church, with the videocamera only as using a dslr as well it would notice too much.

I almost gave up using the GlideTrack SD as the judder was so irritating. It wasn't every shot but always seemed to be at the most inopportune moment. However the new GlideTrack HD Hybrid that I bought is completely reliable & judder free. The carriage has proper bearings rather than relying on friction. It is now possible to purchase just the hybrid carriage to upgrade your GlideTrack SD. It's not an enormous saving over a whole new piece of kit but you get to re-use the track.

Nigel,

Thanks for the update! I've been waiting for this news for awhile and missed it. I don't think I'll bother with the feet but I will order the hybrid carriage. I'm assuming that it still has the brake to lock it into place when it's not sliding? it's hard to tell from the website video or pictures.

Also, have you used this with a larger lens like the 70-200? I could never do this with the standard carriage as it would always bind because of the weight being so far forward.

Thanks.

Yes, the hybrid carriage does have the lock so you can transport.

I haven't used a large lens on the hybrid track yet but can try it out later today & report back. Bear in mind however that I have the HD Hybrid which is considerably chunkier than the SD. From the way the carriage smoothly flows compared to the old version I really don't expect it to bind at all.

Great subject. Add me to the list of those who have held off on some of these due to being just TOO MUCH to carry around from here to there. Anyway, new year, new frame of thought as I really want to incorporate some different looks. I may hire an assistant to learn simple set up, terms and more importantly carry my gear around and make sure I have what I need in a hurry if needed. Part time, weekend work, even if you pay them $100 cash for 6-8 hours I am sure you could find a reliable person to make it much easier on yourself and make those money shots happen. I am sure there are many of you already doing this, just my thoughts.

Great subject. Add me to the list of those who have held off on some of these due to being just TOO MUCH to carry around from here to there. Anyway, new year, new frame of thought as I really want to incorporate some different looks. I may hire an assistant to learn simple set up, terms and more importantly carry my gear around and make sure I have what I need in a hurry if needed. Part time, weekend work, even if you pay them $100 cash for 6-8 hours I am sure you could find a reliable person to make it much easier on yourself and make those money shots happen. I am sure there are many of you already doing this, just my thoughts.

I agree. Honestly don't know how people find the time to carry/assemble/reassemble/pack up all this gear throughout the day. I have a hard enough time with my camcorder and tripod, i guess its something that comes with time and experience. I think ill be looking into hiring an assistant this year. I wan't room to be more creative past handheld/tripod shots, but as a single shooter i just can't find the time. I am in possession of a merlin and have yet to use it.

I've been a single shooter for 19 years and this year I will be starting to use an assistant to help me out too.

Nigel,

Thanks for the update! I've been waiting for this news for awhile and missed it. I don't think I'll bother with the feet but I will order the hybrid carriage. I'm assuming that it still has the brake to lock it into place when it's not sliding? it's hard to tell from the website video or pictures.

Also, have you used this with a larger lens like the 70-200? I could never do this with the standard carriage as it would always bind because of the weight being so far forward.

Thanks.

I recently upgraded from SD to SD hybrid and the carriage is much smoother, and handles long lenses better, however you will still get the bind from the forward weight, I'd say the hybrid is 30% better at dealing with this but you still need to use your hand to try to level the carriage as you slide.

I forgot they offered the carriage upgrade so bought a whole new one, then dropped it and took a huge chunk out of the track so I managed to re-use my old track and also cut down the new one and make a 30cm long version with the old carriage on.

I was sick of having to hit the old carriage with a hammer and spray silicone spray on it to keep it smooth, but now it's a problem for my 2nd shooter to live with.

Oh, the locking mechanism on the rubber feet is awful on the hybrid, no matter how tightly you do them up one of the feel will always slip through several times a day. Still worth keeping them on there in case you want to chuck it vertically up a wall or something.

with all this talk of monopod can I just ask, I assume it's not possible to adequately use a slider on top of a monopod? That's the only reason I keep my tripod because my slider is permanently on there except ceremony and speeches. The tripod is such a pain to carry around it'd be a dream to switch to mono but I don't think it's possible.

To be honest, even with the shorter sliders, I wouldn't use them on a monopod as it would be too difficult to use either effectively.

yeah that's what I thought. It's a shame as I really like the idea of a mono but I'm one of those use it to death slider fans. Perhaps this is an excuse to move away from it..