Robots Taking Over!
Over the past week I have learned a lot about video production. About two weeks ago I got the DJI Ronin-S stabilizer I have been talking about for the past two months and since then I have been pouring hours into working with it and my Sony a7iii trying to get more comfortable with both. With this I have been looking up all the ways you can use a stabilizer to get different types of unique shots and I learned a lot from that too.
One thing that I came across that amazed me was these robotic based camera controlled arms such as the Cobra and the Kira. The cobra is found here: https://cameracontrol.com/cobra/ and here is a video talking about what it and the Kira are and how they work. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UIwdCN4dV6w&t=97s
The Cobra and the Kira are essentially a camera on a gimbal mounted on a steadicam. This is part of a robotic arm that is connected to computer software that controls the motion that the camera goes through. The examples in the video do a great job at showing the range this really provides. This robotic arm can produce shots not possible with the human hand which leads me to my next piece of technology, https://www.arri.com/en/camera-systems/camera-stabilizer-systems/trinity and the video that shows this off, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JLbVQNS74w&t=400s
There is a clear difference here in the range of motion capable by these two pieces of equipment. There is also a difference in production quality and feel of the shots. The most interesting part of this, to me, arises from the reality that this computer programmed robotic arm can do things we can’t and get shots we can’t at a level of consistency and precision that is not possible for us. At the same, the fact that the shot is controlled by a programmed motion is evident, as there is no “static” movement or any tiny human error. The resulting shots from the Cobra or the Kira are eerie in this way. They are perfect with no human error and no natural motion.
The question that this raises is “is this where the video industry is headed?” Are these programmed shots utilized through robotic arms going to replace what is normally shot with the human hand? I don’t think they will. I think that these machines are great for a few specific types of shots, but I don’t think that they are necessary and given their hefty price tags I don’t see them being a huge player unless you are at the top of the top of the video industry.
Besides we can still do some pretty amazing things. Check this out from La La Land, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-4uP9K7OlM
That’s a shot that right now wouldn’t be possible with one of these robotic cameras and that’s because the cameraman is whipping back and forth based on the tempo of jazz music, something that wouldn’t be recognizable by the Cobra or the Kiri or the software behind them.
These things are still really cool though, and the shots that they are able to get are amazing. While I won’t be getting to use one anytime soon, I look forward to seeing more of their work in the near future.
