What is a Gimbal?
If you’re new to videography and filmmaking, you may have experienced the dreaded feeling of filming some content, reviewing it back in the studio, and realizing that most of it is shaky and unusable. Sure, you can attempt to fix it in post production, but the ideal scenario, of course, is to use different techniques and equipment to film stable footage during production. You can certainly film stable footage using just your hands and body when you master a few techniques, but certain shots, such as scenes that require a lot of movement, often require the help of more specialized equipment. And one of the best tools for stable movement shots is a gimbal. But, what is a gimbal exactly?
Gimbal - A Videographer’s Best Friend
The simple explanation is that gimbal is a piece of filmmaking equipment that keeps your camera stable while moving. This can include moving the camera up and down, side to side, in a panning motion, while walking in a circle, or literally running with the camera. It almost looks like a mini tripod that you hold in your hands, however it’s components are much more complicated than that.
Gimbals are comprised of different axis that your camera sits on. These axis move freely and, when you put a camera on one for the first time, you’ll likely notice that it rolls around like crazy (which obviously won’t create stable footage)!
When you first set up a gimbal, the key is to make sure the camera is balanced on each axis point (the process for this varies depending on each manufacturer). Once you have the camera balanced on each axis point, the camera will actually sit perfectly balanced on top of the gimbal. It is a sort of strange phenomenon, as the gimbal’s axis will still be loose, however the camera will stay perfectly still. With me so far?
Balancing the camera on top of the gimbal is just one part of the equation. The next part is the gimbal’s internal motors. These motors help keep the camera smoothly balanced on top of the gimbal when you’re moving around. Since you have already balanced the camera on top of the gimbal, it would likely stay fairly stable through filming even without the motors, but the motors help give it just a bit of extra help to ensure everything stays very stable. Your gimbal will likely need to run through a calibration when you first turn it on to make sure everything is appropriately balanced, and then you should be good to go. Please note, if the camera isn’t properly balanced on the gimbal before using the motor, the motor will have to work too hard to try and keep the camera stable, using up a lot of battery and also potentially breaking down the gimbal itself (not good)!
The other benefit of the motors is that you can actually adjust the camera’s angle and direction on the fly using the gimbal’s controls (sometimes a joy stick), all while keeping the camera balanced and stable.
Once you’ve got the camera balanced and the gimbal turned on, all you need to do is hold the gimbal (with two hands) and start filming epically stable footage. And, of course, ensure that you’re implementing the best camera settings for videos and filmmaking.
Benefits of Using a Gimbal
Obviously, the major benefit of using a gimbal is filming super stable footage. The real benefit, however, is of course being able to film stable footage while on the move.
Some scenes you can get away with handheld video footage or you can use the best stable video techniques that don’t require a gimbal, but you most likely will not be able to film a scene that requires you to physically walk or run without one. You may not think you need these types of shots in your videos, but, as your videography and filmmaking career grows, you will likely, at some point, want the added versatility and ability to capture these kinds of scenes. Especially if you get into filming for athletic or car brands where movement in video is essential.
Potential Cons of Using a Gimbal
Like anything, there are always some potential cons. Most of these aren’t really cons - they’re more so things to be aware of. It’s up to you as a filmmaker to decide whether or not any piece of camera gear is worthwhile for your kit. With a gimbal, however, the main potential con is the cost.
Gimbals are not generally cheap. And I would generally advise against purchasing one that is cheap. As noted above, gimbals require some serious balancing abilities and a motor to help with the process. You will want one that can safely handle your camera, as you surely don’t want to risk having your camera fall to the floor while filming a scene. Depending on where you are in your filmmaking journey or if you have a project that requires one (and there’s a solid budget), it may make sense to get one. If you’re just starting your filmmaking journey, you’d be better off learning the basics of videography first.
The other potential con is how tedious they are to set up. As mentioned above, it takes time to get the camera properly balance and calibrated on the gimbal. And, because the balance is completely dependent on your camera’s weight and the weight of the attached lens, you will need to rebalance and calibrate it every single time you swap lenses (very time consuming).
What I generally do before a video shoot is try to determine what lens I will likely be using when I need to use the gimbal, and then balance the gimbal beforehand. Then, when I show up on set and have to use the gimbal, I just do a quick doublecheck to make sure nothing on the gimbal got altered during transportation, and then I’m good to go. I will say, though, that the process of quickly balancing a camera on a gimbal becomes quicker with experience and as you get to know your gimbal.
Lastly, holding a gimbal during a video shoot can be heavy and tiring. This will obviously depend on the camera, lens and overall size of your gimbal, but generally holding one for a long period of time can become uncomfortable regardless. Most gimbal handles can turn into mini stands, however, so they are fairly easy to set down when you’re not using it and need a break.
So, Do You Need a Gimbal?
Whether or not you need a gimbal will again come down to where you are on your filmmaking journey, and whether your style of filmmaking requires one. If you have the budget for one, they can be a lot of fun to use and will certainly help make any footage more stable. Just remember that all of the axis points need to be stable when the camera is attached to it, and then you need to calibrate it using the built-in motors. Then you’ll be amazed at how stable a gimbal is able to keep your camera - and will probably want to use one on every video shoot!