38
One-handed
operating can be quite
comfortable, can allow you to reach higher
with the camera and further out to the side. It
is essential for opening doors, or for including
yourself in a shot!
Hand-offs
(passing the Merlin 2 to another
camera person) can be useful, but please practice
and be careful not to drop the things in the
process.
Shot geography
thrives on familiarity. Scout
the terrain, visualize your shot by eye, sneak
furniture and props out of your way, be aware
of lights that might encroach, and rehearse,
rehearse, rehearse until you can get through it
blindfolded.
Control
the size and speed of foreground
objects in your frame. Use your eyes. Watch the
monitor closely and make the dynamics of your
frame as satisfying as your composition. The
moving camera makes two-dimensional images
appear to be three-dimensional.
Panning, Whip-Panning & Dynamic
Balance.
Panning accurately is an art, and
panning rapidly is pure magic, when you
can start and stop on a dime, even in during
a complicated move. Here are some useful
techniques:
• Establish a pan rate
and go with
it! A good trick, not explained in the
DVD, permits ultra-smooth telephoto
shots circling 360 around, for example, a
dancing couple. Try a mid-telephoto focal
length such as 20mm. Begin circling at a
distance that looks promising. You have
now automatically established a “pan rate”
which the Merlin 2 will continue on its own
if you were to let go of the guide. Continue
circling, and use your walking speed to keep
your subjects centered in frame! The camera
will continue its slow pan – you just have to
keep up!
• Practice Whip Pans
(lightning fast
pans). Start with slow 180˚ pans – always
from a given start frame to a consistent
stop frame, and gradually speed them up.
Do hundreds of them! (I’m serious!), and
master the technique at each speed before
going faster; and faster; and faster!
Whip Pans are extremely difficult, even
on a tripod, but are particularly satisfying
and useful on the Merlin 2, since you have
the option to change the cameras height or
position during the whip!
Starting a rapid whip is relatively easy. Be
sure that your thumb and finger pressure
to start the Guide turning is level and
consistent. The trick is stopping the pan
where you want, and without backlash due
to flex in the skin of your fingers – success
requires releasing all finger pressure at the
instant you stop the pan so the inert Merlin
2 will sit still on your desired frame!
Whip pans are a terrifically dynamic
technique and worth ardent practice to
master. Even a Steadicam Master can
sometimes be seen having a few ‘practice
swings’ to get his hands and eyes adjusted
to the day’s exact conditions, since even the
humidity can affect whip pan performance!
• Dynamic Balance
helps keep fast pans
from ‘precessing’ off level. If your camera
also tilts a bit when panned rapidly, dynamic
balance can be experimentally achieved by
opening the Dovetail Locking Lever and
sliding the camera slightly forward or back
on the stage. Then re-lock and then re-trim
the Fore-and-Aft Trim Roller the reverse
distance to restore level trim. Try adjusting
camera position on the Stage in small
increments until it ‘behaves’ when panned
rapidly. Good Luck! Keep at this one – it’s
worth it!
Wind.
Professional Steadicam operators
get nervous when they hear a windy weather
forecast. It is an “outside” influence that can
make your camera hard to control. The only
way to help the Merlin 2 in wind is to shield the
camera by using your body or someone else’s,
or by staying in the lee of buildings etc. When
shooting directly into the wind, try to stand
in front of large objects (or several people) to
“backstop” the wind so it doesn’t rush directly
past your camera.
Technique
