Camera Mount/Movement Equipment

Camera movement equipment are camera support

equipment on which we mount camera and move it in
various directions. Pictures that are shaky, bounce
around, or lean over to one side are a pain to watch. So it
is worth that extra care to make sure that camera shots
are steady and carefully controlled. Camera placement
and movements usually require the use of specific
camera mounting devices in order to record steady
image. Mounting devices for video cameras range from
pistol grips to cranes. Using of camera support will reduce
fatigue and especially prevent unnecessary and
distracting camera motion.
 Monopod
The monopod is a single
pole, or a single pod onto
which we can mount a
camera. It is designed to
take the weight off our
shoulders by letting us
balance a small to medium –
sized camcorder on a single
pole. It is easy to carry and
can be set up in less than a
minute. It provides relief
during a long shoot to
camera-person. However it
is used only with light
weight camera
 Tripod
A tripod is three legged camera support /movement
equipment. It is one of the most basic camera supports
and is used extensively in field production. There are two
main parts of tripod- head and legs. The head is the
mechanism on which we mount the camera and which has
pan and tilt controls. Legs are used to make a balance.
There are two common types of legs available: wooden
legs and metal legs. Standards legs are about 4 feet tall
and extend from that height to around 7 feet. Standards
legs are used for eyelevel shot or thereabouts. Baby legs
(about 2 feet tall) are used for low shots. Spreader is
another part of tripod which helps camera to provide
stability and make it balanced. It may be inbuilt or
attachable.
 Jib
Jibs the smaller version of cranes are used to swing the
camera out over an area. We can use it to shoot a high
angle shot in small room. The short jib arm is a
counterbalanced camera mount designed for shooting on
location. We can clamp it onto a doorframe or any suitable
surface and tongue the camera sideways and boom it up
and down. We can not only perform smooth camera
movements but also pay full attention to panning and
zooming and the general composition of our shots. The
long jib is a crane like device with longer arm which can
be swing at 360 degrees. With the long jib, the camera
operator can dolly, truck, and boom the camera up and
down and simultaneously pan, tilt, focus, and zoom. Some
jib arm camera mounts are specially designed for
fieldwork. We can carry it easily. It can be quickly and
easily collapsed.
 Steadicam or Brace
Steadicam is a camera mount which allow us to
walk or run with the camera while keeping the
pictures perfectly steady. It is a stabilizing system
which is worn by camera operator. This camera
mount uses various springs to absorb the wobbles
and jitters while we run with camera. During the
shot, we can watch the scene in small viewfinder
mounted bellow the camera. The counterbalance
mechanism keeps the camera so steady that even
when we run upstairs or on a mountain trail, the
camera shots will come out as though we had used a
large camera crane. It demands experience to get
best result.
 Beanbag
This canvas bag filled with synthetic material
(foam) adjusts to any camera and any object on
which the camera is mounted. Both bag and
camera can be easily secured with nylon rope. It
can be tied to the hood of car. Spring-loaded,
shock-absorbing car mounts are usually attached
with suction cup. We can use this bag mount on
cars, bicycles or boats.
 Track and trolley
This equipment has a track and a platform on
which the camera is mounted. It requires a great
amount of practice to work on the track and
trolley since speed and control of the camera are
a crucial factor in executing track shots. Track
and trolleys are used for truck shots like dollies.
Track and trolley
 Crane
Cranes are large pieces of camera mount that can
move the camera from very low to very high above
the set. Most cranes also move forwards,
backwards, sideways, and in arcs. Cranes are
normally used outdoors or in huge studios to capture
top-angle shots. Crane is larger than jib and can
support a heavy camera. Besides the camera
operator, cranes need one or two extra people to
operate the crane dolly and boom. Crane is usually
used in film production. It is quite heavy.
 Studio pedestal
Studio pedestal is a camera mount which can support
heavy studio cameras and permit extremely smooth
camera movements, such as dollies, trucks and arcs. The
camera can be also raised and lowered. We can steer the
pedestal smoothly in any direction with a large horizontal
steering ring or steering wheel. By pulling up on the
steering ring, we move the camera higher, or pedestal up.
By pressing down on it, we lower the camera, or pedestal
down. With a studio pedestal, we can move a camera in
all directions. There are also pneumatic pedestals that can
be adjusted to the light weight cameras. It can be taken on
remote locations for field production purpose.
 Robotic Pedestal
The robotic pedestal is fully automated and
needs no camera operator. All necessary camera
movements and functions are computer
controlled.