These Clever Camera Shots Were Done on a Tiny Budget

Karen X. Cheng made this 1-minute video that shows 5 creative camera shots filmmakers can do on a tiny budget. All you need is a little creativity.

“Shots that used to take tons of expensive equipment and rigging can now be done much more easily, thanks to some developments over the last year — cameras getting much better built-in stabilization and 360 cameras allowing you to reframe shots in post,” Cheng says.

Here’s a breakdown of the 5 shots Cheng did with cameras given to her by Insta360:

Low Budget Fight Scene: “The camera is strapped to a chest mount.”

Low Budget Dolly Zoom: “There’s no gimbal in this shot, so I’m relying on the optical stabilization of the camera itself. The dolly zoom effect was done digitally in post production (zoom in while walking backwards, or zoom out while walking forwards). Google “digital dolly zoom tutorial” to learn how.”

Low Budget Stairwell Shot: “You might’ve noticed the camera is spinning, but the footage is stable. That’s because I’m using a camera that is doing a bunch of gyro and optical stabilization, made possible because it’s a 360 camera.”

Low Budget Interstellar Shot: “This shot is inspired by the famous ocean wave scene in Interstellar. The reverse tiny planet effect was actually edited on my iPhone!”

Low Budget Drone Shot: “The camera is on a 10-ft stick, and all the tilts and pans you see in camera are actually added in post-production, since the camera is 360 and afterwards you can edit to make it look in any direction.”

You can find more of Cheng’s work on her website, Facebook, and Instagram.

(via Karen X. Cheng via Shutterbug)