When do you use the wheels and when do you use a fluid head?
There are many factors that go into deciding which equipment to use, but in my personal case, much of that decision is made for me due to circumstance. At this stage of my career, I work primarily in television, operating the B camera. As such, if there is a gear head on the show, it is on the A camera. That being said, during my career, I have worked on all imaginable types of show, from the smallest to the largest, and have some preferences when given the chance.
First of all, even though gear heads aren’t as prevalent on set as they once were, it is imperative for up-and-coming operators to learn the wheels as soon as possible. Even if you don’t have a Panahead or Arrihead on the camera truck, chances are good that you’ll end up on a remote head at some point, be it on a crane or some other device. I’m the A camera operator on my current show, and my camera is mounted on a Ronin (dolly or Miniscope) 100% of the time – knowing how to operate the wheels is a critical skill, and even if you aren’t working on big shows, you never know when you might get that call, and it will be expected that you have that skill. Camera rental houses will let you hang out and set up a camera on a gear head and spend the day turning your hands in circles. It is important for this to become second nature, as actual camera moves on set are very different than tracing your name or doing figure 8s on the wall with a laser pointer, and the more comfortable you are, the easier a time you’ll have nailing the shot.
Now back to the question. I came up doing music videos and commercials back in the 90’s, and fluid heads were used on almost every show. There are definitely shots where the gear head will save you, but I learned to use a fluid head for most things, so that typically is my go-to. As a B camera operator, I am often added to a shot at the last minute. It is hard enough getting all of the pieces into place before the AD starts rolling, so I don’t want to swap heads every other shot – it adds time and stress to my team, and I can make a fluid head work for most things.
That being said, there are definitely times to use a gear head. If you are doing a fast dolly shot with hard stops and starts, a gear head will save you – especially on push-ins and pull-outs. The sudden acceleration/deceleration will frequently cause a bump in the image with a fluid head, and you are usually forced to resort to locking the brake on the head during those moments and turning up the head's tension. You won’t have that problem with a gear head. Gear heads are also better for standups, when the actor rises out of a chair.
Just as there are good reasons to use a gear head for certain shots, there are also times to use a fluid head. I prefer a fluid head with a lot of tension for shooting long lens/telephoto shots. This is a personal preference, as I know other people that prefer a gear head for this purpose. I also like a fluid head for fast whip pans – I can personally go faster with the pan handle, and feel more comfortable with it. Many TV shows these days utilize sliders on dollies, especially on the B camera – I always use a fluid head on a slider. I also prefer a fluid head if I’m doing a zoom on a Microforce with a rock & roll handle – I’ve seen some that can zoom with a Microforce while using a gear head, but that’s too much eye-hand coordination for my brain to handle. Lastly, I recently had a shot where the director wanted an actor to bend over and pick up boxes off the floor and stack them up on a shelf above his head during a long scene while conducting a monologue. Terrible blocking aside, the shot was fine on the Ronin in the master, but when we went to shoot the closeup, I switched to a fluid head, as I anticipated the constant rapid bending and standing at irregular intervals to be difficult from my monitor/wheels station in the adjacent room – being on the dolly and connected to the camera was easier for me to get the shot without fuss.
There are no hard and fast rules - it all comes down to personal preference, but the more comfortable you become with all of the equipment, the more you'll be able to quickly access the right tool for the shot.
What are wheels? Do they have those on cars with a manual transmission?
The wheels are a tool that have so many advantages if learned properly; Easier boom ups, hard dolly stops, for when your dolly is changing direction a lot, for snacking during the take…😁
Let’s remember that remote heads use wheels(mostly, but you won’t catch me using a joystick)
Fluid heads are great for stepping around the dolly, whip pans, smaller profile, arguing about how tight the tension is set, renting to production and probably some other stuff
Fluid head off the bat unless you have been using wheels in your basement for tens years. Impress people with great operating, not the tools you use.
When you re ready, use the wheels when it’s the right tool. Everybody is different but here’s my list.
Any kind of fast dolly move, sudden change in direction, anything where momentum is going to effect the frame - use the wheels.
Fast action moves, changing on a dime, whip pans - use the fluid head.
Long lens - usually people of fluid but sometimes people go wheels. More precise on wheels but easier to see loping.
Perfectly repeatable moves - wheels. You can count your turns and remember, neutral is your friend as you can set it so the wheel starts at 12 o'clock or whatever works.
All of these are thoughts. What works for you is what works for you. Start here and expand.
Whichever one you have on rental with production.
