Hand held camera effect

Question

hi,
I think i've worked this out but i wondered if there were any other tips.
I want to create a hand held camera effect in differing amounts from a very subtle one that looks real and would work well on say a talking head that has been shot on a locked off camera. to a more extreme version that could be used for a more edgy effect and when you don't mind nauseating your audience.
i've got it looking ok by changing the footage to 3d and using a camera. then using wiggle on point of interest with a few manually typed in z rot changes.
has anyone got any tips for this kind of effect. even mentioning what magnitude and frequency you use would be useful. as well as the kf animation types to get a natural feel
cheers

Answer 1

For the keyframes: Short intervals and linear. Even the best hobby filmer will not be able to hold the camera perfectly still for more than a few seconds and when your hand goes into a "fall", reaction is mostly abrupt and aimed at retaining the original centering. For the wiggle, you usually have two types interacting: A general, soft and slow swing for your entire arm, where the elbow or shoulder are the pivot, and then a more rapid jitter from your wrist and hand, further influenced by your pulse... At an average pulse of 85 bpm, this would be about 1.3 Hz. Your wrist can move vertically (hand aligned with body's vertical axis) about +/- 30 degrees, horizontally about +/- 80. Depending on how far the object is away, this can translate to just a few centimeters or meters based on how much jitters you have. You should however consider, that far shots are more stable due to how it better serves stereoscopic perception. And of course just like any other camera, wind and tremors e.g. from passing cars would also add an ever so slight variation... Generally there is no recipe, though. I would not overdo, as exactly this may look fake. As so often: subtlety is key.
Mylenium