The internet is so inundated with video content right now that standing out from the pack can be extremely challenging, even if you have useful information to share or a great story to tell. The bar for viewer engagement is higher than it’s ever been, so as technology becomes more accessible, it’s creativity that will help you stand out from the pack. Whether you’re broadcasting, live streaming, or even just recording a production, remote controllable PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) cameras can help you take your shoot to the next level and impress your audience. Seen across reality TV, sports, music festivals, and high-end content creation, these four strategies are proven, potent, and ready to be deployed.
1. Tall Spaces
There’s a reason so many PTZ cameras have a compatible ceiling mount! Whether you’re attaching them to paneling, trusses, walls, or poles, getting your PTZ up high is a fantastic way to add production value to your shoot and really establish the space for your viewer. The rigging process can be dangerous though, so make sure to use safety cables and study up before you set up the ladder, ideally having at least one other person to help. Mounting a PTZ high up and close to the action can look a bit too much like a security camera though, mostly getting the tops of people’s heads, so try to place them high but a bit away from your main subjects so the PTZ can still catch their faces. If you want to then zoom in from afar and get some closer shots, make sure you pick a camera with a solid optical zoom range and a 1” sensor. Shooting from the rafters with a small sensor can give you noisy, smudgy video.
2. Tight Spaces
Sticking PTZ cameras in all the nooks and crannies of your location is a good way to embrace remote control while nabbing some truly original perspectives that people have never seen before. Staircases, tight corners, lighting rigs, all these things often spell doom to a camera operator. Yet throw a PTZ in this close quarter scenarios and you can still pan, tilt, and zoom to your heart’s content. This is when a familiarity with a space (and having extras cameras to utilize) can really pay off. Now that viewers are used to all your standard wides, mediums, and close-ups, it’s the “under-stage trapdoor” view or “stuck- up-in-the-tree” view that’s going to really knock their socks off. If you can run an Ethernet cable to it, you can stick a PTZ there, though some advanced mounting skills may be required.
3. Evolving Spaces
If your location or talent are moving around, so too can your camera. We often see permanently installed PTZs, but there are also tons of unique configurations that involve PTZs on dolly, gimbals, cranes, jibs, electronic pedestals, and more. By moving your PTZ around your shooting space, you can add the pivotal fourth dimension to your shots and create some truly special footage. Most PTZ cameras can’t be totally wireless, so your rigs may still be incombered with at least one cable, but PTZs are typically lighter and smaller than the cinema cameras that are often thrown onto cranes, gimbals, and the like. Especially with no one needing to have hands on the camera, PTZs have a ton of flexibility for on-the-fly changes and being zipped around a space mid-shoot. Get them to a new position, then use your remote pan, tilts, and zooms to make the shot sing.
4. Secure Spaces
Let’s not forget how many similarities there are between the security camera and the PTZ. Like security cameras, PTZs can be put in tough scenarios that traditional cameras can’t handle—extreme heat, cold, pyrotechnics, etc.—though they’ll often require some sort of protective housing. Still, put a traditional camera in protective housing and you’ll have to set it and leave it while you run and hide. Stick a PTZ in its own little shell and you’ll still be able to make countless adjustments from afar. As long as you can shield your camera and cabling, you can basically make your own remote controllable action camera with a better zoom range and a larger sensor. No operator getting in the way of risky reality TV challenges, oil-splattered influencer cooking sessions, or sweat-soaked sporting activities.
What are your favorite creatives ways to use PTZ cameras? Let us know in the comments section, below. And if you have questions about PTZ cameras, feel free to give us a call, start a chat, or come visit us at the NYC SuperStore.
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