A Simple Trick to Help Stabilize Your DSLR

We're about to get real here... DSLR filmmaking has made every would-be filmmaker's dreams of shooting a feature that looks as good as a 'professionally shot' Hollywood film a reality. These consumer-level cameras bring with them many advantages, but they also have their disadvantages - namely, they were never intended to be used primarily as video cameras, and so their design doesn't exactly make using them easy or comfortable (especially when you're shooting long takes). Thus, you're gonna get a lot of really shaky footage. In the coming weeks and months The Film Lab is gonna take a look at some DSLR stabilizing solutions to help you get the look you're after but for today, why don't we start with one simple trick to remember when you're out there, camera-in-hand, shooting footage that won't make your viewers puke their guts out (hint: it has to do with focal length).