If your dreams of becoming a world-class director were crushed the day you realised that the footage from your iPhone 4 was too shaky to be viewable, then chin up, buddy: here’s a little project that can solve that problem for under $30.
Make has posted a video how-to from photographer Spencer Watson that shows you how to create a budget iPhone 4 steadicam that will perfectly compliment your budget iPhone zombie romance film.
The steadicam has a three-axis gimble, with a counterweight at the bottom, and is made from bits of PVC pipe, a skateboard bearing, some washers, some aluminium bars, a phone cup holder thingy, and a Nerf gun handle. It also looks surprisingly easy to make, and the demo shots (embedded below the how-to) certainly look steadier than they otherwise would.
In short, if you don’t mind looking like a doofus carrying this thing around, it will probably improve your videos. Just not as much as a real video camera would.