To set the tone, please watch this short clip from a cinematic masterpiece known as “Ferris Bueller’s Day Off”. Here’s the link.
As we can see, young Cameron here is having a hard time relaxing, he is caught in a moral and psychological dilemma about whether or not to accompany his pal Ferris on a day off from school. Cameron is already excused from school because of a subtle illness, but none the less, is no worse for the wear; there is no excuse not to join Ferris and Sloan on a gorgeous, Spring-day in Chicago. Cameron though, is still wound a little tight, so tight in fact, that Ferris claims Cameron can personally and physically assist in the process of converting a lump of coal into a diamond.
The moral of this story is, you’ve got to keep it loose. There is no sense in being wound so tight, or constrained beyond reason. The same can be said about your tripod head. David Dalasta of FiveSix Productions once imparted a bit of knowledge to me about keeping a loose and fluid tripod head when shooting anything from b-roll to some interviews (follow the link to view some FiveSix footage). Having a locked off tripod often can result in boring, and lack-luster shots, causing the audience to lose focus; by continually having slight movement and freedom in the shot, a much more organic and natural product will materialize.
Now, this technique is obviously not appropriate for every situation, but keep the thought on the back burner and don’t be afraid to give it a try, you might just like what you find.
Ferris Bueller: Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it.