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Courses > Video Storytelling Intermediate > Discussions

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Video Storytelling Intermediate by Michael Rosenblum

Topic : Tripod vs. Handheld?

Started by MHart on Feb 03, 2012 at 04:18 pm

Is shaky bad (amaturish) or can it be used to enhance the story in a good (professional) piece without being considered too artsy or poor quality filmmaking?

Comments

MHart
4:33 pm Friday
Feb 3, 2012

'An American Heritage' was an experiment. For 3/4 of my shots I framed everything up on a tripod making it steady. To create tension in the film I wanted to try handheld for closeups. In this experiment I had two arguments 1) still closeups while removing snowshoes and 2) handheld (shaky) closups of setting a trap. Removing snowshoes didn't seem 'dangerouse' so I opted for a 'quality' shot. Also, it was early in the film, maybe a quality shot kept the viewer from being distracted from the story setup. I don't know, I'd like your feedback. However, as the story progressed, I wanted the viewer to feel as if they were right there with Shane, even better if they felt like they were setting the trap themselves. I figured that sequence would already bring up the concern, "I hope that trap doesn't spring on his hand." Attempting to heighten that tension, I tried the shaky closeup. As a viewer, Did this work for you or was it a distraction? or, do all shots HAVE to be still to be professional?