Hello, looking for some tips and guides on proper techniques on using the MCR. Newbie here so please be gentle with me. When doing your moves/shots do you use your arm to turn/pan or you use the gimbal response/movement? Any other tips for smoother moves?
Re: moves: I find I use a bit of both techniques. You learn to anticipate what the MCR is going to do. As for smother moves: Walk in a low crouch like Groucho Marx -- practice with a cup of water full to the brim. The MCR only removes motion around an axis, but not along the axis. Andy Forensic Software & sUAV / Drone Analyst : Photographer : Videographer : Pilot (Portland, Oregon, USA): Trees=2, Ground=1, Props=11. The Ground Is The Limit™ ---------- Forensic Drone Analyst : Forensic sUAV Analyst : Forensic Unmanned Aircraft Analyst : Forensic Drone Expert
There are many videos showing gimbal techniques like “the ninja walk” and many others on YouTube. If you search for it, you will definitely find something that is relevant to your filmmaking style and desired effects. Actually FF has a bunch as well.
My tips and thoughts: Decide if you want the Movi to be fast and precise or slow and gradual. (or somewhere in between) I've been running it with a slower response time and wider window to smooth things out outdoors and my bad operating technique. (Along with adding stabilization in editing) Hard footsteps and jolts that get transmitted to the rig can cause nasty rolling shutter distortions in the footage. Feel liberated and free to hold and grasp the Movi one handed not only by the handle but also on the base or however it feels comfortable. If I'm trying to do a lateral shot follow- filming people walking along across the street as I kind of pace them, I hold the MCR by the palm of my hand on the base (with the unit in FREEZE mode). I can continue walking forward normally, while the iPhone is looking sideways.
I have done a day's shooting with a narrow window and fast response at 30fps only to realise that a lot of the footage is faar to choppy. Going forwards, even for action stuff I would tend to have a wider window and medium response.
Ah, well that's the thing. Using the MOVI app I didn't really have any control over it as I had no ND filter attached, so yes, it would have been pretty fast, so not ideal.
That is why so many of us rejoiced when the Filmic Pro got integrated with the MCR. If you use just the Majestic mode, it is very useful and gives you almost all the control of the video you want. I hope it is working on Android as well, I don't know. I also don't know what the android beta does, I do have couple of Android phones so I should try. Anyway, the latest beta on the iPhone allows you to set the shutter at 50% of the frame period ideal to give you more smear and less jitter.
From what I have read here today, I really need to be looking at Filmic Pro... I only every really need Majestic mode, but to have full control of frame rate, bitrate and ISO etc seems invaluable. I was using OpenCamera until I got the mcr, but then it seemed simpler to go with the Movi app.
One of the features I like is the "log" and "flat" capture. It'll give you some extra dynamic range. They also provide you with LUTs. Costs $15 though. On iOS the basic version is free, on Android it was asking for $15 right away.
Unfortunately not.. After spending the second half of 2018 on Android, the team is back to development on iOS.
For an extra $10, you can also get Filmic Remote. We're talking about a small fraction of the cost of the Movi CR and an iPhone Xs. I spent more than Filmic Pro + Filmic Remote on a couple of SMALLRIG Ballhead Super Clamps. And with Filmic Remote you get remote control from another iPhone, for example in SmartPod mode.
"You can also see it up to control it with those little "Volume Up" Bluetooth devices. Very well supported indeed. Thanks for the reminder. I got one of those free along with a phone tripod mount.