A jib — also called a crane — is a device that enables cinematographers to get smooth moving shots. With a jib you can tilt and pan horizontally and vertically, or even a full 360 degrees. There are many reasons why you'd want to use a jib, which we'll explore in depth later. For now, let's just say working with a jib can make your finished product look ultra professional, like this video from Steven Dempsey:

Before we jump in, let’s address a fundamental question: Is there a difference between a jib and a crane? The answer is not really — the terms can be used interchangeably. A crane is an arm that lifts something, and a jib is the name for a crane used in the film industry. However, we should note that large pieces of lifting equipment are often called cranes, and smaller ones are sometimes called jibs. You can also cover all your bases and call them "jib cranes." But enough semantics — let's talk mechanics!

A jib is made up of an arm with a camera attached to one end and a counterweight attached to the other. The arm is then attached to a tripod, or some other supporting structure. The whole thing works like a seesaw, but with the balance point located closer to the end with the counterweight, so the camera has a larger range of motion.

Jibs come in many different sizes — here’s one on the larger end of the jib spectrum. Photo courtesy of Shutterstock.

While you'll find large cranes primarily on the sets of big Hollywood productions, smaller jibs are actually relatively affordable, and are used on smaller-scale productions all the time. Kessler Crane is a big name in the crane and jib industry, and the company’s Pocket Jib is a relatively small, fully collapsible, and totally affordable piece of equipment. If you're strapped for cash, don’t worry — you can make your own jib. Check out this video by Olivia Esperanza in which she demonstrates a jib that was made for around $25:

Olivia's crew made this jib out of square tubing and angle irons. They attached the counterweights with zip ties and mounted it on a basic tripod. Sounds easy enough, right? Remember to use a fluid-head tripod so that your pans and tilts will be smooth as silk. Because of its lightweight construction, this tripod can be used only with small cameras, but with some heavier duty materials and larger counterweights, the possibilities are vast.

As Olivia demonstrates in the video, jibs are often operated simply by guiding the back end of the arm. You can tilt the camera up and down, pan it right and left, or go wild and do both at the same time! With many jibs, you can do this with your hands; however, some are operated by remote control, and large cranes sometimes require a person to sit in a control seat mounted to the side of the crane.

Now that you know what they are, when should you use a jib or crane?

When you want to track movement
Because a jib has such a wide range of motion and moves so smoothly, it can be used to track moving objects. If you don't want to spend the time, effort, or money on a dolly, a jib is a perfectly good alternative. So when you find yourself shooting a conga line snaking around the dancefloor, pull out that jib.

When you want to make a shot more interesting
A nice sweeping jib movement can add visual interest to a shot of a stationary object. You know all those car commercials in which the camera slowly moves around the vehicle, revealing every gorgeous crease? Lots of those are made from jib shots!

When you want to add height
A jib can reach much higher than your normal tripod. Its sweeping motions also create a feeling of grandeur and vastness. Try using one next time you shoot a big crowd of people, or the next time you need to portray a giraffe’s perspective.

Now that you've got some background on jibs and cranes, put one to use. Consider using one to achieve that epic establishing shot you've been thinking about for your next video!