freefly Archives - DIY Photography

This drone video uses the Hitchcock Zoom technique for beautiful but dizzying results

April 25, 2016 by John Aldred Leave a Comment

The Hitchcock Zoom, also known as the dolly zoom, the Vertigo effect, reverse tracking shot, triple reverse zoom, the trombone effect, as well as countless other names, is the process of simultaneously moving the camera while zooming the lens to keep your subject a constant size within the frame while the environment gets larger or smaller.

This is not an easy trick to pull off, which goes a long way towards explaining why we’ve never seen this effect used with drone footage before. Now, thanks to a collaboration between Tim Sessler, Brandon Bray, Brooklyn Aerials, and Freefly Systems, titled Balance, we can finally see this beautiful effect used from the air.

[Read More…]

This Remote Controlled BuggyCam Looks Like Even More Fun To Use Than A Drone

December 16, 2014 by Tiffany Mueller 3 Comments

This is what you get when you put a BBC wildlife cameraman (Rob Drewett) and a buggy racer/design engineer (Andy Nancollis) together in the same workspace: a really sweet looking 4WD buggy that can pack your camera over all sorts of terrain at speeds of up to 40mph. Collectively called Motion Impossible, the two based the BuggyCam design on a race proven remote controlled vehicle, and as though that wasn’t cool enough, Drewett and Nancollis made it even better by developing their V-CON camera mount system to pair with a Freefly Movi M15 stabilizer ($11,995), which means you can use it to get professional quality photos and smooth video.

It also means it’s sturdy enough to carry professional grade photography and cinematography equipment. In fact, in the two clips below, you can see the guys using it to tote around a RED while shooting on location in a forest and also capturing some great footage of a peregrine in flight.[Read More…]