Sweating for a new skill

Sometimes I get asked the question prior to an event when all of us photographers and videographers are chilling out, "Why do you need to do stretching?"

When our clients visit our office, they see our mini-gym and the inevitable question, "Do you guys actually work out?"

I was at the gym again on Sunday for an hour. My recent workout doesn't include the push-ups, chin-ups and the leg-raises I do during the weekdays. It's sounds odd when I tell people that as videographers, we need to spend time at the gym. We have to keep ourselves in top physical condition. That also includes doing stamina intensive workouts, not just the muscle building stuff.

Taking up videography seriously involves more than having a good eye for scene composition and lighting. Holding on to a 6 Kgs video camera to get a steady shot for even a short period time takes considerable effort. Hence the time spent at the gym. Hence the stretching exercises before I take up the video camera.

I can shoot hand-held comfortably for long periods of time so I realised it's time I advanced my videography skills to the next level. I decided to attain a new skill and become a Glidecam operator.

I had the opportunity to try both the Varizoom Flowcam and the Glidecam. Both are heavy devices even before the camera is attached. Without constant gym sessions they would be very difficult to lift and impossible to wield for any length of time.


My gratitude to Glidecam Industries for its research that contributed to the development of the Glidecam 4000 Pro.

The Varizoom Flowcam looks and feels crude, almost unfinished. I found getting any useful footage from this device is a gamble at best. The Flowcam doesn't age well either, another design flaw inherent in this system.

The Glidecam is an ingenious camera stabilisation equipment that depends on a gimbal, weights and counterweights, letting the videographer walk, even run with the video camera while still getting smooth, steady shots. Glidecam's gimbal has a more free-flowing gimbal compared to the Flowcam. The Glidecam's robust and ergonomically designed body reduces operator fatigue and increases operation time.


The Varizoom Flowcam cannot compete with the superior stabilisation and ergonomic functionality of the Glidecam from Glidecam Industries.

We all know that track-based dollies take a long time to set-up and is rendered useless in narrow areas. The wheel-based dolly doesn't fare well either, depending on a smooth surface for it to glide along. Every turn of the dolly for arching shots produces a slight jerk visible in the video footage.

Until my Glidecam arrives and long after that, I'll still be at the gym regularly for my health, so I fill out my shirts and for my profession!