Another thing to consider is that this attachment might not work for future iphones, while if you buy a light meter it works forever.

Same principles applied to covering on event (a recording of a band):

https://vimeo.com/122160970

More details in an earlier comment.

I lot of information can be obtained from blogs, like this. But two books I got a lot out of are Save the cat by Blake Snyder, for screenwriting and Painting with Light by John Altman for lighting.

Here's my attempt:

https://vimeo.com/122160970

This was not planned in advance, so I had to improvise. In Birdman, most transitions I remember are 1) swipe cuts, 2) someone/something coming across the camera 3) camera movement stops on something, from where you can continue in the next shot. I used all three methods, but, because it was essentially an event coverage/BTS footage, some of the swipes etc. are a bit unmotivated. Nevertheless, it was fun to try :) The band will make their own video from the footage in a more traditional way, I just made this for myself.

As far as software, I just matched frames by hand in PP. Most important is that I kept exposure the same, so only the geometry needed to be matched. If shots are planned out, everything should be easier, and you can attempt slicker moves, like going into time-lapse, etc...

It might be an unorthodox thing to say, but I love the glidecam: it gives a range of looks from dreamy/wavy to true handheld depending on the touch of my left hand fingers, and an in general, I like the connection with the camera, that feels like an extension of my body: like handheld, but smoother when necessary.

https://vimeo.com/122160970

I don't claim to be the world's best operator, but I do like the range of looks it gives me. Having said that, I also like the electronic gimbal. I would rent it for certain projects, but it is a completely different look. Much colder (some would say less organic), and it is almost like a crane, and therefore it seems very unforgiving, it needs crane-like precision in movement. I don't own one, I tried a small one once (like the nebula), the connection to the camera feels less direct to me. If I had the budget, I would have both :)

My main problem is that my wrist gets tired after two hours. I am considering a vest: anybody care to chime in on what vest to get that would work with both glidecam/gimbal? Chinese knock offs, glidecam, Merlin or steadicam? Would all of them work, or the premium ones are worth the price? (don't mean to hijack, but I think this is an extension of the original question)

IMHO, the only meaningful camera body upgrade from the t2i class on an $800 budget is the BMPCC used. And that is a big upgrade. The exception is if you need stills, than the 5dm2 is a great choice, but not much of a video upgrade. If you just want to spend $800 and the t2i gives you good enough IC, buying lenses depends on your upgrade path (super16, m43, super35 or full frame), but you could easily buy some quality hardware (great fluid head, sticks, C-stands, lights), I find those are the most future proof things to get...