- In this video,
we're going through 10 different gimbal moves
to make people look powerful.
(upbeat music)
We're talking about using gimbal moves
to make people
look epic.
Now, one thing to keep in mind
is that you can use any gimbal
with any camera
to be able to do any of these moves.
And when you're doing these gimbal moves
to make subjects look powerful in your frame,
you need to think through shot perspective,
so where you're framing,
and you'll see that I get down low, a lot of times,
with these kind of movements
to, really, give that towering quality to my subject.
If you get down low,
it has a completely different look
than if you're at eye level.
So I don't wanna waste any more time.
Let's get right into the first one.
Move number one is a Low Orbit,
using a super wide lens.
So I put the gimbal in tilt lock mode,
and, basically, I start on one side of my subject
and circle all the way around.
Now you can do this either wide or close up,
but, basically, you're creating the orbit,
just a complete circle around your subject.
However, when you use a wide lens and you're pointed up,
you're gonna get a completely different look
than if you were at eye level.
Shot number two is the Follow Behind.
This is, like, a classic gimbal move
where you're just following your subjects from behind.
But if you use a higher aperture,
or you're using something like a GoPro or a phone,
you're gonna be able to see everything around your subject.
So you can really get a sense of the space,
rather than using a super shallow up the field
where you're just isolating your subject.
It gives that third-person feeling
that you're following someone through a location.
Now let me give you a quick bonus tip.
With any of these moves,
you could shoot in real time,
but if you shoot at 60 frames per second, or 120 or 240,
you can give a completely different quality to the footage.
And if you're trying to make your subject look epic,
then you should try out shooting in these slower frame rates
and seeing how it affects your footage.
Shot number three is a Jib.
So you're gonna need some sort of extension pole
on the end of your gimbal.
I'm using a monopod,
but if you have a light stand,
that will work, as well.
Basically what you wanna do is
get your gimbal far out on the pole
and do a big sweeping motion,
so going from the ground and up into the sky
gives you that feeling that it is a jib.
This is a big cinematic movement
that really shows your surroundings.
And something that I really like to do
with these jibs shots,
is put some foreground elements in front of my subjects,
so that you see the camera moving past something
that's out of focus in the foreground.
All right, let's go back to another classic,
which is Follow in the Front.
This is gonna be a little bit different
than following behind your subject,
because I like to shoot at a super shallow depth the field
and put the full attention on the subject,
and be able to see facial expressions
as they're moving through a scene.
Now a quick bonus tip with this one:
start super wide and push into your subject
or start close up on the face and pull out.
And with this, you're gonna wanna have your camera
on auto-focus
so that your subject stays in focus the entire time,
especially if you're using a super shallow depth of field
on your lens.
Now, the next one is a classic Hollywood
that you see in movies, like "Jaws,"
and that is the Dolly Zoom.
Now this is similar to the last shot,
in that you're going from wide to close
or close to wide.
However, when we get into our editing software,
you're gonna wanna put a quick zoom-in
or quick zoom-out opposite the direction
that you're actually moving.
It distorts your perspectives in the background,
and it also, just, puts a lot of emphasis on your subject.
Shot number six is Feet to Face.
So you're gonna start down low,
and you're gonna work your way up your subject
to their face.
Now, this is an awesome way to do a reveal.
So you can start on the feet,
you don't know who the person is yet,
and then, as you move up, you're getting more information
until you get to their face
and you get to see who they are.
Shot number seven is the Scan Across,
and, this, I like to use a long lens.
So I have an 85 mm on my camera,
and I scan over specific elements that tie in
with what my subject is doing.
So with this scene, I'm scanning across the eyes,
the camera, and the boots,
as he takes off and walks in the other direction.
And each of these are isolated
by the Simple Dolly from left to right
or right to left.
Now because this gimbal move is so close,
you're only getting fragments of information,
so this might be something to use
at the beginning of a scene.
Or it could be used when you really wanna focus in
on some specific element that ties closely in
with what your subject is doing.
Shot number eight is the Fake Drone,
and you can get these cool, aerial-looking shots
by using the same monopod or light stand
that I was talking about earlier.
You just wanna get the camera as high as you possibly can,
and move through your scene as if it was a drone.
Now one thing to really sell these shots
is have some sort of foreground element that you sweep by.
So for this shot, I'm moving past the trees,
and you get the sense that you're flying in the air
versus being a camera on a gimbal.
Now shot number nine is Side Tracking.
So this is similar to the forward or back,
however, we're just moving to the side of your subject.
And I'll put my gimbal in lock mode,
and I'll just move left to right
with my subject following them.
And you can do different styles of shots here,
or you could go just their feet,
just their upper body,
or you could start wide and walk yourself in
to really focus in on one element.
I think what's really cool about these gimbal moves
is instead of just focusing on one movement,
left to right, forward-back,
try to put two together
where you're moving sideways and moving forwards
and that's gonna create more dynamic looking footage.
Now shot number 10 is my favorite,
and it's the Spiral.
So you're gonna be moving from a wide shot into a closeup,
but you're also circling around your subject.
Now this takes a little bit of skill to get right,
so you're just gonna wanna practice this over and over.
But when you're using this move,
you're able to see all of the background
around your subject,
and it's a super dynamic, rotating shot.
Now, I have one more bonus shot for you,
and that is shot number 11.
And this is a Dolly to the left or right
with a pan in the opposite direction.
So this is a shot that I do all the time on my drone.
It creates a nice, cinematic arcing motion,
and it adds a subtle motion to all of your footage,
making it more dynamic.
Now this is great when your subject is small
in your landscape,
and to make this shot better,
have some foreground elements that you're moving slowly by.
Now here's the full sequence
with all of these gimbal shots mixed together.
(mellow music)
Now when it comes to gimbal shots,
just getting shots of someone walking around a forest
isn't super interesting.
But if you could tie some sort of story element into it,
you can make a sequence that looks really cinematic.
So think through an action
that you want your subject to be doing.
So for my sample, here,
Jesse was walking through the forest to get this epic shot
of the lake in the distance.
So what you wanna do is think through that moment,
that ending shot, that climax,
and then work backwards.
So what happened before that shot?
And then, also, think about what happens after that shot.
And when you put all that together,
it creates a sequence,
which is a short story,
and it's more enjoyable to watch than just random shots
of someone walking through the forest.
If you wanna see more videos on how to use your gimbal
and get awesome looking footage,
then check out this playlist right here.
And that's it,
I'll see you on the next one.