 Alright folks, the video you saw at the beginning was all shot on the iPhone 14 Pro using the Zion Crane M3s. With the help of Megan as the model and George filming the behind-the-scenes, I challenged myself to create a cinematic portrait video to demonstrate how beautiful your shots can look using a phone and the right filmmaking equipment. So in this video I will give you some tips and tricks on how to make your gimbal shots look epic using the iPhone 14 Pro and the Zion Crane M3s. Before we get into the tips, let's look at the camera equipment I used. As you know I film a lot on the iPhone as it's convenient as I don't have to carry around heavy gear which makes the shooting process more fun. The reason why I like to film on an iPhone 14 Pro is that I can film in cinematic mode in 4K 30 frames per second. Being able to film in 4K provides me with the highest quality possible also allowing me to reframe my shot in case I didn't get the composition right. Cinematic mode only allows me to record in 30 frames which is just good enough to slow down the footage to 80% to get that familiar dreamy feel. Now I would say around 90% of the video was shot in cinematic mode. The other 10% was filmed using the standard video mode as I wanted some shots to be filmed in 60 frames per second. Now the beauty of using cinematic mode is that I can create a creamy blurry background which helps create that dreamy look in my video. Now to create these smooth camera movements I use the Zion Crane M3S which is a compact lightweight gimbal perfect for running gun shootings. Now what makes this gimbal so special is its versatility. For mobile filmmakers who need heavier setups such as when mounting a third-party lens this can come in handy as most other smartphone gimbals on the market are designed to be solely used with just your phone. The gimbal itself weighs 700 grams which I like because having a little bit of weight especially when filming with a smartphone helps reduce the shakes in a video. So let's now dive into the tips and tricks to making your gimbal shots look epic. My first tip is to get to know your gimbal just because you bought a gimbal doesn't mean your videos will automatically look cinematic. You will have to learn how to balance your phone on the gimbal get to know the basic button functions and learn about the different shooting modes available so that you can operate more efficiently and create the shots you need. Most gimbals on the market work similarly once you get the hang out of one it will be easy enough to transition between different brands. However each gimbal has its unique features. What I like about the crane m3s is that it comes with an led screen making it super easy and quick to navigate between different modes as well as settings. This saves me from not having to download and use third-party apps as most smartphone gimbals require. It also shortens the learning curve for those who do not necessarily need all of the extras that come with using a third-party app. Tip number two is to move steadily. I know this may sound simple but in the shooting process too many beginners get a bit too excited when they first get the gimbal and want to just go wild with it. However it's important to remember that slow and steady moving shots are key to creating those cinematic looking videos. You want to hold your gimbal with both hands keep it close to your body and hold your breath while you perform the gimbal move. Now if you're walking make sure to bend your knees and walk heel to toe at a constant speed. Now you don't always have to be walking when operating with a gimbal. You can also stay in the same position and move your body to create small camera movements. Too many beginners underestimate this and by just following these rules you will be able to create much smoother gimbal shots. Tip number three is to start with simple camera movements. One simple camera movement would be the push-in shot where you move the camera in a linear direction towards your subject and a subtle push-in movement not only as dynamic but also captures the audience attention towards a specific point in the scene. I also like to create subtle push-in shots where I have the camera close to the subject to help connect the viewer with the character. Also a tracking shot is fairly easy to create where you follow a subject to show off the scene or the location. And last would be the slide shot where you're moving the gimbal in a lateral direction which can be used to reveal a subject or a location. So these are some simple camera movements that you can start using with your gimbal to take your videos up a notch. Tip number four is to get creative. So once you have some of the basic camera movements in check you can get creative and start experimenting with your shots. One of my favorite gimbal shots that came out pretty well was the top-down crane shot. For that I used an extension pole and simply set the gimbal to lock mode so that the focal point would stay fixed. Because the crane M3S has no movement restrictions I was able to create the crane with ease. A cool mode the crane M3S has is vortex mode where I was able to combine a push-in shot with a rotational shot creating a dynamic inception effect. I also used the vortex to create a low POV shot of Megan blowing the dandelion with a handheld effect applied. I also inverted the crane M3S to create a unique low perspective that would normally be hard to achieve when done handheld. So as you can see you have unlimited possibilities when it comes to getting creative gimbal shots. However as I mentioned in tip number one it does require you to know your gimbal so that you can take advantage of all of its features. So my fifth tip is to use external light. The crane M3S comes with the Fiverr A M40 as a combo which is a powerful LED light that can even be used when filming outside on a sunny day. It is that powerful. The M40 Pocket LED can be very useful to help light up the subject especially when the subject is being backlit. Here's an example of Megan without using the external light and here is one with. You can see that it makes a huge difference and not only improves the quality but also helps focus the attention more on the subject. The crane M3S does have a built-in light however I don't like having the subject being entirely lit from the front as it creates more of that flat look so with the M40 I can be more flexible in terms of positioning the light for a more natural looking shot. Ideally I like to shine the light slightly from above more to the side as it creates a more three-dimensional look. Now to wrap things up I've put together an edit where you will see the final shot including the behind the scenes put side by side so that you can see how I achieved each shot. So I hope you enjoyed that split video now if you're interested in the colors I used to create the final look they're from my premium mobile LUT pack that include 10 unique LUTs that you can instantly apply to your videos to make them stand out. You'll find the link in the video description below. Now as for my final thoughts I must say that I'm very happy with the results the shots came out smoothly which was important for the concept of the video as having a lot of shakes would have taken away from the dreamy feeling. I can say that the crane M3S has performed well in this project offering a lot of creative possibilities to capture unique shots. I think it's perfect for professional mobile filmmakers who are looking for a more powerful yet compact gimbal to achieve smooth and creative shots. Because of the crane M3S compatibility and strong motors it can be used for many years to come but I want to know from you guys what you think because your opinion matters too and make sure to leave them in the comment section below. Wow it's gotten really dark. Now if you're interested in the full editing breakdown it's available inside my course smartphone filmmaking.com where I walk you through the entire editing process from start to finish and you can even download the project files and raw footages to follow along. With that said before I leave I want to thank Megan and George again for helping out you can also check out their Instagram in the video description below to show them some love. Other than that thank you so much for watching guys I'll see you in the next video