5 Creative camera jib (mini crane) tricks

We got the iFootage M1-III crane and decided to make a tricks and tips video about it. When using your creativity, we found out there's a lot more to do than just moving up, down, left and right.

In the first trick we let the camera point to the opposite side, where the mini crane operator stands. But instead, we'll place the actor/actress there. We now get a nice POV shot from an different actor standing on the other side.

The next trick is rather simpel, but gives great results. We'll let the actress come in from the side. The actress is looking to an area the camera can't see yet. But as she starts moving again, we follow her movement and reveal the area she was looking at.

In the third trick we position the camera above the actress who's laying down on the ground. Now, we push down the jib from a long shot to a close up. This creates an effect where the actress could receive an idea from the heaven :-)

The fourth trick closes in on the actress to create a dramatic isolated shot. Rather than making big movements with the jib, you want to make small but aggressive movements and keep your actress in a medium shot while she's doing an action.

And in the last trick, our actress will find a camera laying on the ground. AS she pick it up, she puts the camera perfectly stable to make a selfie. This can only be done with a tilt head on the end of your jib. The magic happens when the viewer sees the camera go from handheld to fix.

Links

• iFootage mini crane M1-III Review Video
• Buy the iFootage mini-crane M1-III