The Groucho Walk

Another little tid-bit I picked up at the Videomaker conference last week.

If you need to walk and film at the same time and don't have access to a truck or any kind of stabilizer. Walk like Groucho Marx. The exaggerated walk helps steady the shot.

I looked for an example of this on the web for you folks who are too young to remember a Marx Brothers film. No luck. I did find a few references to this style of walking for people in law enforcement or the military who are shooting a gun. It does the same thing....keeps your upper body stable.

Essentially, keep your knees bent and your torso a little lower to the ground. Then walk. It looks weird but it works. I've included another tutorial from Videomaker today describing some other techniques for keeping your camera steady.



While searching for the Groucho Walk, I did spend a lot of time reading about Groucho Marx and watching some clips of his movies. It was a fun search. I'll leave you with a few quotes:

“One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas I'll never know.”

“If you've heard this story before, don't stop me, because I'd like to hear it again.”

“I was going to thrash them within an inch of their lives, but I didn't have a tape measure”

“If I held you any closer I would be on the other side of you.”

“I find television very educating. Every time somebody turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book.”

[Image captured at http://www.fredonia.edu/department/english/shokoff/Filmhome.htm]
[Quotes gathered from ThinkExist.com: http://thinkexist.com/quotes/Groucho_Marx/]