As you prepare to put camera equipment to use, think of how it’ll work together. An overhead rig works well for food photography and DIY videos, as well as detail shots in narrative films. Here are the types of cameras that work best with overhead rigs. Which camera best fits your production? Smartphone You carry a lightweight camera in your pocket every day, so put it to use. A lightweight overhead camera rig has three main components, all perfectly portable for your convenience. The swing arm helps you move the phone, the ball head offers range of motion, and the...

As you familiarize yourself with your camera-mounted teleprompter, get to know its basic components and how they work together. When you know the machine inside and out, you can use it more effectively and produce superior video footage. Check out these standard features of teleprompters. Software First, let’s look at the journey those words take, from the writer who types them to the speaker who reads them. The software can accept something as simple as a Microsoft Word document. With a mirror setting, the computer can invert the text of the speech. That way, when the words are reflected on...

In the 1970s, the filmmaking world was changed forever by the invention of the Steadicam. For decades, filmmakers and camera operators searched for new ways to move their cameras to capture different shots in varying styles. Camera operator and commercial director Garrett Brown was tired of having to hold heavy equipment up to his eye to frame a shot properly. He searched for ways to make that job less stressful, and by 1974, he had created a rig that would revolutionize the industry. This new stabilizer combined a supportive vest with a moveable arm and a sled, which is an...