Most people getting started with simple video production have never even heard of a Fluid Head. Some people couldn’t care less. Others will LOVE what it can do for them. Do YOU need one?
Show Notes:
If you’re doing videos for your business you might be surprised how professional you could look with a fluid head…
[intro]
Hey, I’m Larry and I have a fluid head. Check this out.
[footage of a tilt] You’re looking at a video that was shot with a special piece of equipment called a fluid head. Now, not everybody needs one and if all you ever plan to do is videos where the camera doesn’t move at all, you won’t need one. It’s not even one of the early pieces of gear that I’d recommend to people.
When it comes to simple DIY videos done by non-video pros, there are going to be all levels of interest in video production. Some people will want to just do bare bones production. Others will get into it a bit more and enjoy some of the deeper pro tools and techniques, but not go so far as to change career To video.
I love letting people know about a fluid head, sometimes called a fluid pan head, because it’s a relatively simple piece of gear that pros use all the time, but beginners haven’t heard about.
If you’re just starting out and making your gear list, you should be looking at a tripod to hold your camera. Some tripods come with a camera holder that you move and adjust, called a ball head. These are great for still photography and for video shoots where the camera doesn’t move. But if you ever plan to move your camera, to capture a scene or follow as someone walks, you might benefit from buying a fluid pan head instead of a ball head.
There are quite a few of these out there but there are 2 basic groups of fluid heads. Those with a bowl mount which are specifically intended for video tripod legs with a bowl at the top. And the one like I have with a flat bottom on it that’s intended for mounting on a flat topped tripod or video monopod.
The fluid capabilities are both vertical and horizontal. So you can move very smoothly from left to right or up and down with vibration dampened movement. Sure, photography ball heads can move horizontally, but since they aren’t intended for smooth filming while moving, they might be jittery during that panning where a fluid head wouldn’t.
Make sure the fluid head you get isn’t just shaped like this with the long handle. It needs to say “Fluid Pan Head” in the description.
If this kind of advice is helpful and you’re thinking about doing your own business videos, you’ll love the free gift I created for you. It’s a video called “10 Tools to Help Any Business Do Your First Pro-Looking Video In-House.” It’s a 10 minutes long and it will help you get started on your very first video for your business.
Just visit LarryBecker.tv/10free
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