Camera Testing

Our initial idea was to create a dolly system using two hula hoops and a skateboard of some description.  However, this idea was deemed to be unrealistic as actually building the dolly system was difficult to do effectively.

However, we did keep the idea of using a circular mechanism in order to create a smooth 360° shot. First we tested footage of handheld camera work with no circular guide or wheeled object.

This video demonstrates our various methods to achieve our 360° shot.

Firstly, we tried circling around me with a handheld camera. For this, we did not use any guide to make sure that we went around in a perfect, smooth circle. We also did not use any editing software to make it look more stable. 

Next, we sat Aimee, holding the camera, on a wheely chair as Molly pulled her around me in a circle. Again, we did not edit the footage after to make it look less shaky. 

Thirdly, we created a harness system to make a steady circle by balancing the weight of the cameraperson with another person. This was slightly smoother however, as we still had to walk, the footage was still shaky. 

Finally, we used 'Warp Stabiliser' in Premiere Pro to enhance the stability of the video. We found that this created the best final product, however this was filmed with a handheld camera and so we will need to practice walking around our actor smoothly and steadily.