ABSTRACT
Using a handheld camera is not as easy as simply slinging a camera on your shoulder and shooting. We've all seen plenty of home movie footage that's so jittery that watching it makes us nauseous. Techniques for handheld shots require practiced skills and a great deal of body control and strength to keep from looking haphazard or sloppy. In many ways, the small, ultralight DV cameras are more difficult to control because the weight of a camera, especially when mounted on a shoulder, provides some stability. If you decide to go handheld, your movements should be as controlled as possible. Don't worry that it will look like a tripod shot; it won't. It will look handheld. If what you're after are super smooth moves and rock-steady compositions, then don't go handheld in hopes that no one will notice the human movements; they will. Controlled imperfection is the aesthetic point.
