CAMERA GEAR
Twelve Camera Gears Used in Live Action to Capture an Array of Shots.
Handheld
Handheld Shots use Shoulder Rigs, which is when the camera is placed over the Operator’s Shoulder, or an Easy Rig and the camera is held in the Operator’s hands.
This Camera Shot is used to capture a shaky effect. This is commonly used to heighten the intensity of a scene, establish intimacy between two or more characters, or both.
Tripod
Tripods (alternatively known as “Sticks”) Shots are when a camera is placed on a three-legged support system.
The Tripod is excellent for capturing static shots or shots with movement, if movement is necessary. It is used when attempting to visually focus on the subjects within the frame without any attempt at compositional distraction which include: dialogue scenes, emotional single shots or shots which require attention to blocking and staging.
A “Fluid Head” Tripod allows for the camera to smoothly Pan left and right, or Tilt up and down.
Pedestal
Pedestals are mechanisms which move vertically to capture a scene.
The Pedestal is used for capturing small vertical movements, such as that of an actor, establishing the world, building suspense, or revealing new information.
Crane & Jib
“Cranes” & “Jibs” each place the camera on the end, and use arms to extend outwards to Push In or retract inwards to Pull Out. They also Pan left and right in addition to Tilt Up or Tilt Down.
“Cranes” and “Jibs” are terms used interchangeably for the same movement, but of different sizes. A Jib captures larger movement than the Pedestal for larger heights, but the Crane carries even greater distances, especially with large scale environments.
It can be used to capture an emotion of a shot, or to follow characters through a very large environment for Establishing Shots.
Overhead
Overhead Rigs lock the camera onto a beam above the subject. It is typically used as a substitute for “Cranes” or “Jibs” where the location or budget does not allow for it.
This Gear is used to translate details in Insert Shots to the audience, Point of View shots or Overhead Shots. It also communicates the idea of the omniscient.
Dolly
Dolly Rigs lock the camera onto a wheeled apparatus placed on tracks placed to capture the specific movements. These tracks can be straight or curved.
This Gear is mainly used to capture movement and precision. More specifically, smooth movement of Push In, Pull Out, or Trucking. The Dolly is very important to achieving specific effects like the Dolly Zoom.
A disadvantage to Dolly Rigs are their weight and operational effort, as they will require more than two people to operate. An alternative are Camera Sliders, which achieve the same effect as a Dolly, but on a much smaller scale; or, to cover long distances (such as a car’s movement) a Cable Cam is used, where the Camera is locked onto a Rig sliding down a cable at specific speeds.
Stabiliser
Stabiliser Rigs lock the camera onto a rig (bodily attached to the operator) with counter weights (such as in a Steady Cam) or motorised gimbals (which rely on battery power) to compensate for unwanted camera shake.
It is ideal for long takes, moving organically through large sets, or complex tracking shots.
This Gear moves more organically with the movement and blockings of the actors than a Dolly Rig which is limited by being locked onto tracks. It allows cameras to move steadily along terrains, like the Dolly Rig, and allows the operator to move freely in any direction.
Snorricam
Snorricam (commonly referred to as “Chest Cam,” “Body Cam,” or “Body Mount”) is a device that rigs the camera to the body of an actor.
This Gear creates a subjective and dynamic camera movement dependent on the actor’s movements. It can create imbalance, vertigo (similar to the Dolly Zoom), dizziness, panic, or sympathy with a character’s point of view.
Vehicle Mount
Vehicle Mounts lock the camera onto a fixed point on a vehicle: cars, bikes, helicopters, etc. This Gear is used instead of a far less accurate operator following the vehicle’s movements with the camera.
This Gear aids in capturing the intensity of a vehicle’s movements for the narrative.
Drone
A Drone is a camera locked into a box which is attached to propellers which allow for the camera to fly in the sky remotely.
This Gear is most effectively used to capture aerial shots and (grand) establishing shots, typically found in chase scenes and Extreme Wide Shots. This effect was previously achieved using helicopters.
Motion Control
Motion Control Gears are cameras locked onto a crane which moves to accomplish several composition and layouts. It allows for precision in control of all camera movements, and exact repetition of camera movements for additional shots.
Although this Gear is commonly used for visual effects, it is used to capture time lapse shots, and remains as an industry standard for stop motion animation.
Underwater Housing
Underwater Housing is a protective case allowing for control of the camera when fully submerged underwater.
This Gear makes shots more immersive, anxious, or intimate than with an alternative camera. It is effectively used for immersive shots where characters are floating and the audience feels as though they are floating with the characters as the frame partially is covered by water.
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