Have you ever wondered why your home videos look dull? Do you sometimes feel disconnected from the videos you create to remember those special moments?

90% of the time this is because the shot is completely static, like viewing a security camera through an office monitor while sipping away your morning coffee. The story your video is telling is always the first priority and there is no question about it. However, adding dynamic movement to a video that involves a slider or dolly solution can drastically retain audience attention.

Try watching the next television drama or movie with more scrutiny; pay attention to how the camera moves within the frames of every shot, and you may notice the majority of the shots have some degree of movement involved.Whether it’s a tripod shot that doesn’t have pan or tilt locked off while tracking actors within the frame, or a dolly/Steadicam shot in which it follows the movement of the actors. These little moves help to keep the audience engaged and prevent the separation of attention.

You might not like the idea of buying more equipment to just add “movement” to the shot of your baby crawling around the hardwood floor, but when you try it out…man…are the results rewarding. Typically, we use huge rigs with dollies and jibs that cost tens of thousands of dollars like these:

This doesn’t mean you have to go out and spend an arm and leg to get a similar style of shot though. For a simple dolly move indoor at home. All you need is a simple slider and decent video fluid head. Something like the Sevenoak Camera Slider with a Manfrotto 701 HDV head shown below:

With the slider you can achieve side to side movement either on the ground or above ground by attaching the slider to two support stands or tripods. That means zipping the camera side to side while your baby craws curiously towards his toy or catching that moment while your cat performs its YouTube destined acrobats across the room. Although these will not give you the same results as what professional Dollies on set can do, but for a fraction of the cost and a size, you can achieve some pretty spectacular results.

Next time you go out and shoot a video. Give the slider a try, or move your camera by tilting or panning it to follow your subject. You will be properly rewarded.

By Peter Lan