Set up GoPro 3 & 4 on the Hague Steadicam

• published: 08 Oct 2014
• views: 310

This tutorial outlines what I consider to be the best way to set up the GoPro Hero 3 or 4 on the Hague Mini Motion Steadicam. EQUIPMENT YOU MAY NEED: NEW Hague Steadycam (around £60) http://www.cameragrip.com/hague-mmc-mini-motion-cam-camera-steadicam-stabilizer/ Hague 'Go' Adaptor (around £14) http://www.cameragrip.com/hague-go-adaptor-for-the-mmc-mini-motion-cam/ GoPro Universal Tripod Adaptor (around £3) http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B002RCLYXG/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp;=1634&creative;=6738&creativeASIN;=B002RCLYXG&linkCode;=as2&tag;=danjacocrea-21&linkId;=W6CLGSJIH2BDB74A GoPro LCD BacPac (around £90) http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00G4771KA/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp;=1634&creative;=6738&creativeASIN;=B00G4771KA&linkCode;=as2&tag;=danjacocrea-21&linkId;=7MDB24JVG63XHH5S GoPro Battery BacPac (around £60) http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00JG59X9O/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp;=1634&creative;=6738&creativeASIN;=B00JG59X9O&linkCode;=as2&tag;=danjacocrea-21&linkId;=JQC3YJXDXT5YO3JZ GoPro 'The Frame' (around £30) http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B009PK9QGU/ref=as_li_tl?ie=UTF8&camp;=1634&creative;=6738&creativeASIN;=B009PK9QGU&linkCode;=as2&tag;=danjacocrea-21&linkId;=3QW3ZV3FDDMKU34L MY SETUP: First you have the Hague Steadicam. Then, on the top, you first screw on the Hague ‘Go’ Adaptor - this is an extra accessory you need to give the steadicam the extra weight - this is needed because the GoPro is such a light camera. Screwed onto the top of that is the Universal Tripod Adaptor GoPro mount. Then fixed into that mount is the GoPro itself with the LCD bacpac, encapsulated in the Frame housing. This all needs to be secured 3cm from the back of the steadicam. On the bottom, you need to add 4 of the large weights to get it to balance correctly. This gives me my ideal setup. The Frame housing gives me the best possible picture, the LCD allows me to line up my shots, and the extra weight from the ‘Go’ adaptor makes the whole thing very stable. DIFFERENT CONFIGURATIONS: Now there are different configurations you can use, such as not using the LCD bacpac, or using the Waterproof housing instead of the Frame - so I’ve created a simple document to show you these different setups and how to balance them. http://www.danjacobs.co.uk/Downloads/GoPro-Hague-Steadicam-Setup.pdf TIPS ON USING THE STEADICAM: The best way to frame a shot is to use the LCD bacpac to monitor what you are filming. I frequently glance at it to make sure I’m happy with the angle it’s pointing in and helps when working by the rule of thirds. When filming a subject, try doing the same shot from different angles so you can stitch them together in post. Panning out with the steadicam can produce interesting results. Showing the view and then revealing someone taking in the view gives the viewer a sense of being in the scene. Panning from side to side is fairly simple - just try to be as steady as possible. More here... And if you can, repeat what you are trying to achieve numerous times. Then at least when you get back home, you’ll have a couple of different versions you can choose from. POST PRODUCTION: I enhance my steadicam footage further in post using After Effects. I have a tutorial explaining some of the techniques I use. Tutorial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vBBcL9ksKzA Subscribe to my channel for more! http://goo.gl/MOQgvU Follow me on Facebook! http://fb.me/DanielJacobs