Though it is uncommon for most home digital video producers, large mounting devices are a great way to get difficult sweeping shots in your project. There is nothing like having an image that comes from above and sweeps down low to see your characters, while the whole time maintaining a fluid motion. To achieve these kinds of effects you will need secure large devices for your cameras, but it can definitely be worth it.
The most well known of these devices is the crane, which is exactly what it sounds like. A crane is a large industrial device that mounts a camera high in the air, and provides seats for both the Director of Photography and the video’s Director to sit in it. It then does moving shots from above, and can get into places and maintain motion in a way that no other video technology can. Cranes are extraordinarily expensive, so much so that most movie studios cannot afford to own them and must rent them instead. If you have a sufficient amount of funding for your video project you may also be able to use a crane briefly.
A more economic option would be a Jib arm, which is essentially a smaller crane. It is at a more “human” size, where the camera is mounted on a long mechanical arm. The Director of Photography sits back and controls the arm, which can do the same kind of high and sweeping shots as the crane, but not on such an epic scale.
A more common type of large camera mount is the body mount. This simply attaches the camera to your torso, allowing you to move and record at the same time. This often creates very shaky and unusable images, so it is better to use a steady-cam mount. The mount uses a counter balance to stabilize the camera while you move with it. This is probably the most useful mounting device for practical digital video recording and filmmaking.
A shoulder mount is often used to give the cameraman mobility, and it is very commonly used in electronic field reporting for broadcast news. This is simply an attachable device that allows the videographer to rest the camera easily on their shoulder. If is not as expensive or intrusively large as the other devices so you could probably just leave it on your camera at all times to facilitate its use.
Though there are a lot of options out there, a tripod is the best bet for most low-budget videographers. If you have a little money to spend there are a number of devices that will change the types of images you can capture.