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Glidecam Balance Tips

1. First and foremost attach the camera and open up the LCD and swing it out. Put in the battery you intend to use and any matteboxes, filters, lights, microphones, etc. The camera must be set up exactly as it would be when you shoot, so remove the lens cap and try to swing the LCD out to the same spot every time. Even the slightest change later will cause your camera to become off balance.

2. Put three ring weights on the front weight section of the Glidecam, and three on the back side. Try to center the weights as much as possible and screw them down tight. You don't want them moving around.

3. CAREFULLY pick up the Glidecam by the handle and support the center main shaft of the Glidecam with your other hand. You must be careful during this phase as a horribly unbalanced camera can fall in any direction, be extra careful with your opened LCD, it could easily swing against something. Once the camera is balanced, this is not much of an issue, but right now it's a precarious situation.

4. Gently release your hold on the center shaft, but keep your fingertips on it so you maintain control in case the Glidecam decides to fall one way or the other. Most likely it will tend to shift forward or back, left or right, or a combination. Make some quick adjustments (using the Glidecam screws and black plate) to achieve a rough balance. Once your camera is to the point of not falling over the minute you let go move on to step 5. For the next few steps when testing balance, simply repeat these release and hold steps.

5. First balance the forward/back swing of the Glidecam. You do this by unscrewing the side screws and sliding the black plate forward and back. This should be a relatively easy adjustment. During this time the Glidecam will still tend to fall left or right but for the most part we want to balance the forward/back swing. You can tell you have a good balance when the camera is aimed straight ahead and is relatively level.

6. Next we'll balance the left/right swing of the Glidecam. This is the hard part. You balance the left/right swing by adjusting the four screws underneath the plate attachment. With these screws loosened, you can slide the whole black plate attachment left or right. It probably won't large adjustments to achieve camera balance, as even minute adjustments will make the camera fall left or right. You will probably have to make a lot of small adjustments to get things right.

To test the left/right balance of the Glidecam, hold the entire unit by the handle with one hand. With your other hand, grab the weight area of the Glidecam and lift it up so that the center shaft and camera are sideways, parallel to the ground. Then CAREFULLY push the weight area back towards center balance. If you have proper balance, the Glidecam will slowly swing back into it's normal place.

Once your forward/back/left/right balance is achieved, you should be able to hold the Glidecam by the handle and have it sit perfectly balanced without leaning any direction.

Tips for using the Glidecam
Walk heel to toe with small steps when you are operating the Glidecam, it will help minimize the up/down jolts in your footage. This takes some practice, and it's also good to take steps that are almost directly under your body, in other words, don't take large strides.

Hold the Glidecam handle in one hand and support the center shaft with the FINGERTIPS of the other. You can use your fingertips to spin the camera as well when moving around corners or panning a room.

If you want to dutch/tilt the camera, grab the lower part of the center shaft and hold it to keep the camera at a tilt, OR rebalance your Glidecam to the proper tilted angle using the adjustment screws under the black plate. You can have the Glidecam perfectly balanced at an angle but this method probably isn't worth the effort.

Try the Casanova, this is a reverse shot with the Glidecam. Reverse the LCD on your DVX and point the camera over your shoulder facing actors that are walking behind you. That way you can walk full speed (forward) while filming actors behind you that are also walking forward. This is a much better alternative to actually walking backwards.

Other Glidecam Accessories
Don't get the Body Pod if you expect to walk around with it, it's not that useful. It looks like it would be but without a nice hydraulic arm to absorb the bounces, it merely becomes an amplifier for the steps you take. I'm convinced that that Body Pod is NOT for taking steps in. However is it pretty great to do standing pans where you swing the bar and turn your torso left and right. It's smooth and neat looking, I'll have to post some footage of this. Plus you can get really different angles if you have the Body Pod and the extender bars. The Body Pod is also a great place to hang the Glidecam while you're not filming, Glidecams end up being heavy, so toting them around is no fun.

Get the arm brace, it's a lifesaver. It shifts the Glidecam weight down the length of your arm and helps make this thing manageable. You can do without the brace but you'll tire out much quicker.

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