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Fig Rig refers to a circular, handheld device used to stabilize and control a small film camera to catch motion while also reducing the chances of shaky footage. A fig rig allows a director or photographer to have more control over their chosen filming device and results in more stable film footage. [1]
In an interview conducted by the Directors Guild of America, Mike Figgis, an English film director, discusses his experience and the hassles that came about when dealing with tripods and film dollies on set. Figgis decided that he needed something to stabilize his camera without taking up valuable workspace on a hectic set. With the help of designer Ben Wilson and inventor Cline Sinclair, Figgis developed the idea of a device that would create a stabilized film shot by gripping the handled sides and holding it still or moving it slowly. The concept initially started as a pair of handle bars with the camera sitting in the middle, but later evolved to a circular frame with the camera mount in the center. [2]
The main body of a fig rig has a similar diameter to a steering wheel, providing enough space in the middle to place the film camera as well as being comfortable for the user to hold. The circular frame is typically made of a lightweight metal which allows the film camera to be properly supported as well as light enough to hold. A little below the center of the circular frame, there is a rod where the film camera can be mounted securely. On opposite sides of the circular frame, there are two handles, typically padded, to allow the user to comfortably grip the fig rig. [3]
The fig rig has become an important instrument when filming steady shots. While Monfrotto, an Italian camera brand, has commercialized the fig rig, it hasn't stopped amateur film makers from replicating them. A fig rig can easily be made using common household items like pvc pipe. [4]
In cinematography, a tracking shot is any shot where the camera follows backward, forward or moves alongside the subject being recorded. Mostly the camera’s position is parallel to the character, creating a sideway motion, tracking the character. Tracking shots differ in motion from dolly shots, where the camera follows behind or before the character resulting in an in-worth or out-worth movement. Often the camera is mounted on a camera dolly which rides on rails similar to a railroad track; in this case, the shot is referred to as a dolly shot. A handheld steadycam or gimbal may also be used for smaller scale productions. The camera is then pushed along the track while the scene is being filmed, or moved manually when using a handheld rig. The effect can be used to create a sense of movement, to follow a character or object, or a sense of immersion to draw the viewer into the action.
A movie camera is a type of photographic camera that rapidly takes a sequence of photographs, either onto film stock or an image sensor, in order to produce a moving image to display on a screen. In contrast to the still camera, which captures a single image at a time, the movie camera takes a series of images by way of an intermittent mechanism or by electronic means; each image is a frame of film or video. The frames are projected through a movie projector or a video projector at a specific frame rate to show the moving picture. When projected at a high enough frame rate, the persistence of vision allows the eyes and brain of the viewer to merge the separate frames into a continuous moving picture.
Slow motion is an effect in film-making whereby time appears to be slowed down. It was invented by the Austrian priest August Musger in the early 20th century. This can be accomplished through the use of high-speed cameras and then playing the footage produced by such cameras at a normal rate like 30 fps, or in post production through the use of software.
Steadicam is a brand of camera stabilizer mounts for motion picture cameras invented by Garrett Brown and introduced in 1975 by Cinema Products Corporation. It was designed to isolate the camera from the camera operator's movement, keeping the camera motion separate and controllable by a skilled operator.
The Aspen Movie Map was a hypermedia system developed at MIT that enabled the user to take a virtual tour through the city of Aspen, Colorado. It was developed by a team working with Andrew Lippman in 1978 with funding from ARPA.
The Geneva drive or Geneva mechanism is a gear mechanism that translates a continuous rotation movement into intermittent rotary motion.
Garrett Brown is an American inventor, best known as the creator of the Steadicam. Brown's invention allows camera operators to film while walking without the normal shaking and jostles of a handheld camera. The Steadicam was first used in the Hal Ashby film Bound for Glory (1976), receiving an Academy Award, and since used on such films as Rocky, filming Rocky's running and training sequences, and Return of the Jedi, where Brown walked through a Redwood forest with the Steadicam shooting film at 1 frame per second to achieve the illusion of high speed motion during the speeder-bike chase.
A helmet camera, otherwise known as a micro video camera, is an action camera, usually a closed circuit television camera, attached to a helmet allowing someone to make a visual record from their point of view (POV), while keeping their hands and vision free.
Michael Figgis is an English film director, screenwriter, and composer. He was nominated for two Academy Awards for his work in Leaving Las Vegas (1995). Figgis was the founding patron of the independent filmmakers' online community Shooting People.
A SnorriCam is a camera device used in filmmaking that is rigged to the body of the actor, with the camera facing the actor directly so that they appear in a fixed position in the center of the frame. A SnorriCam presents a dynamic, disorienting point of view from the actor's perspective, providing an unusual sense of vertigo for the viewer.
Image stabilization (IS) is a family of techniques that reduce blurring associated with the motion of a camera or other imaging device during exposure.
A softcam is essentially a software-based camera.
Gun cameras are cameras mounted on a gun, used to photograph or record from its perspective. They are typically used on the weapons of military aircraft and operate either when the gun is fired or at the operator's will. Gun cameras are used for training, analysis, or documentation purposes.
360-degree videos, also known as surround video, or immersive videos or spherical videos, are video recordings where a view in every direction is recorded at the same time, shot using an omnidirectional camera or a collection of cameras. The term 360x180 can be used to indicate 360° of azimuth and 180° from nadir to zenith. During playback on normal flat display the viewer has control of the viewing direction like a panorama. It can also be played on a display or projectors arranged in a sphere or some part of a sphere.
An Internet Protocol camera, or IP camera, is a type of digital video camera that receives control data and sends image data via an IP network. They are commonly used for surveillance, but, unlike analog closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, they require no local recording device, only a local area network. Most IP cameras are webcams, but the term IP camera or netcam usually applies only to those that can be directly accessed over a network connection.
A camera stabilizer, or camera-stabilizing mount, is a device designed to hold a camera in a manner that prevents or compensates for unwanted camera movement, such as "camera shake".
Ring LLC is a manufacturer of home security and smart home devices owned by Amazon. It manufactures a titular line of smart doorbells, home security cameras, and alarm systems. It also operates Neighbors, a social network that allows users to discuss local safety and security issues, and share footage captured with Ring products. Via Neighbors, Ring may also provide footage and data to law enforcement agencies to assist in investigations.
The Sony Cyber-shot DSC-HX20V is a digital camera that was released in 2012. The Sony Cyber-shot HX20V is part of the Cyber-shot line of cameras released by Sony. If you are referring to the more advanced, Sony HX200V, please click here.
Freefly Systems is an American corporation that designs, manufactures, and markets camera movement systems and camera stabilizers used in cinematography including unmanned aerial vehicles for aerial cinematography, gimbals, and remote controlled vehicles. The company headquarters are in Woodinville, Washington.
Arashi Vision Inc., doing business as Insta360, is a camera company headquartered in Shenzhen, Guangdong, with offices in Los Angeles, Tokyo and Berlin. It makes action cameras, 360-degree cameras, editing software for mobile and desktop and 180-3D cameras.
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