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I have been tasked with filming a new road bike for casual cyclists. We have a rather low budget. Does anyone have any tips on how to deliver quality footage without spending too much money? I'm am using a Canon 5d Mark III SLR to shoot. I'd appreciate some tips on how to get good wide and detail shots while the bike is moving.

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Something that might make your life considerably easier is a gimbal stabiliser.

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These let you get good quality moving shots easily, without the bunmpyness that you'll get even in a car. I worked on a shoot where we even filmed a skateboarder with the camera operator on inline skates (he was a pretty good skater though, wouldn't suggest it if you're like me).

They're not super expensive to buy, but if you don't want to be buying gear you could hire one. For the time it will save and the added quality it will give it's well worth it.

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  • Thanks yes i had thought about hiring something like this but wasnt sure if it was overkill but they do look pretty cool and arent that expensive to hire. Are they easy to use and setup. I have tried stadicam ones before but were a night mare to balance
    – iamlukeyb
    Commented Sep 27, 2017 at 8:25
  • We have that model where I work. The learning curve is fairly low, mainly it's getting used to how it steers. An off-board monitor for the camera is really useful, because with the gimbalarms in the way you aren't able to see the camera's LCD very well, so it's worth getting one. They look like a cool gadget, but they're actually a very useful addition to the kit.
    – stib
    Commented Sep 27, 2017 at 11:06
  • i took your advice on this and the results were phenomenal great piece of kit which you can see here youtube.com/watch?v=TPbWp-p_zlo&t=7s which if you have any feedback would be good. Just a general query that you may be able to help with. Have you ever used one in adverse weather conditions such as rain and how do i protect it and the camera
    – iamlukeyb
    Commented Oct 23, 2017 at 10:19
  • I'd be wary about using it in the rain. Just guessing but I'd say it is not very weatherproof at all. I'd ask as a separate question, someone might have experience of this.
    – stib
    Commented Oct 23, 2017 at 23:58
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Here are some suggestions:

  1. Film the bike from a moving car.
  2. Have two people in the car, minimum: One for driving and one for filming.
  3. Shoot through open windows of the car, not through glass.
  4. Get every shot from every angle you need separately.
  5. Do all of your editing after recording, not in camera, using video editing software.
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  • Do you have any tips on how to stabilise the camera in a car on a budget?
    – iamlukeyb
    Commented Sep 27, 2017 at 8:31
  • If budget is really low, than I will advice a stadicam and record with bigger resolution, to stabilize in post-production. But pot-production stabilization can "eat" a lot of footage, so don't really count on it, if shot is too shaky
    – Shultc
    Commented Sep 27, 2017 at 11:40

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