November 28

Video Production – Tripod Substitutes for Steady Video

CREATIVE VIDEO PRODUCTION TECHNIQUES

Reading any advice on improving your video production skills, one quickly learns that using a tripod is a top priority.

woman with video camera

Tripods assure you steady, clean looking video.  Nothing screams AMATEUR in video production as quickly as a wildly moving camera. Spastic-cam I used to call it.

Something about a video camera in their hands makes people want to pan, tilt and zoom with the enthusiasm of a two-year-old at Christmas.

Slow and steady marks professional video.  Tripod shots locked down, rock solid.

Problem is, tripods can be a pain in the bazookie.

Heavy, huge and cumbersome.

Tripod substitutes to the rescue.

substitute tripod
My video camera put on a stack of DVD boxes to act as a substitute tripod.

It’s amazing what objects can function as a tripod in a pinch.

  • Counter tops of all kinds.
  • Stack of books.
  • A laundry hamper.
  • Trees, rocks, banisters.

I’ve used every one of those.  My all-time favorite is my own lap.  I carry that everywhere!  I sit down cross-legged, all hunched over, hugging my camera, and prop it up on my feet and ankles.  This gives you a cool low-angle bug’s-eye view-of-the-world shot.  Flexible ankles give you as good of control as a medium-quality fluid head tripod.  Of course the older I got, the quality of my ankle-pod more resembled a $25 tripod from Walmart, but hey, what the heck.

Not only is the practice of using tripod substitutes efficient and functional, it also gives a naturally artistic quality to your videoography. Because the best shots are often ones coming from an odd perspective that people do not normally see.   Those out-of-the-way perspectives are usually not large enough to accommodate a tripod either, so a pile of rocks might be your only option.

So the next time you are shooting video and a tripod is not feasible, look around for something to use as a tripod substitute.  Keep your lens on a wide angle setting, as that will automatically appear less shaky due to the inherent properties of photographic lenses.

Thanks for visiting Video Production Tips!

Lorraine Grula

lorraine grula drawing


Tags

how to get steady video without a tripod, how to make video, shoot video, shooting video


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