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  • Hey all, just changed over the backend after 15 years I figured time to give it a bit of an update, its probably gonna be a bit weird for most of you and i am sure there is a few bugs to work out but it should kinda work the same as before... hopefully :)

very slow dolly move

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Mike Dominic

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Does anyone have any tips or tricks for making a dolly move very slowly yet smoothly? I want to do a 90 degree arc (basically using standard curved track) but want the move to take around 90 seconds. In my experience, trying to move a dolly that slowly usually results in jerky stop/start movement and uneven speed. Motion control for this type of move seems to be difficult to find, and probably pretty expensive even if I found the right rig. If anyone has any DIY tricks for moving the dolly manually at such a slow speed, I would be very interested to learn.
 
What would it look like if you do your dolly move normally but shot at a very high frame rate and then played it back at 24 fps or whatever.
 
its easy for straight track if you had something like a Kessler Cinedrive to program the motion control move. Curved track is where the difficulty lies. But ya Matts solution would work too depending on the look of the shot your going for.
 
One option is a bigger diameter arc with a longer lens, but that changes the look of the shot. What is the shot of?
 
it's a shot that starts facing an actor head-on, and ends in a profile. due to the limited size of the space, it will probably be a wider angle and a tigher arc (like a standard curved track from a typical rental house). i don't think the director wants to use any slow-motion, but i might be able to convince him to do it at 48fps (and have the the actor sing the song in double-time)

that stingray thing looks very interesting... i will look into that.
 
There are two sizes of standard curved track, narrow radius (10' outside) and wide radius (20' outside). Narrow requires 4 sections to make a complete circle, and wide requires 8. For 90 degree move, you would want to add an extra piece for the chassis of the dolly to occupy, and an extra piece to continue through the end of the move without stopping abruptly. So in the small radius, 3 pieces and in the large, 4 sections required. Larger radius track with longer lens would grant more runway.

There is a feathering in/ acceleration at the start, and a deceleration at the finish, subtle as those may be for such a slow move. You must decide whether you want this change of pace within the exact 90 degrees or on the outer edges of it.

A skilled dolly operator with good quality wheels can do this move smoothly and consistently. Reducing dolly weight helpful. Place talent at nodal point (center of circle) and it becomes a non-operated lock off shot. Therefore, neither operator nor AC (with remote focus to find the eyes) need to ride.

By marking the ground at intervals like a clock, the dolly operator can come within a few percentage points of perfection every time.
 
thanks for the tips. i still have to measure the space, but i agree a larger track is ideal. i don't think the actor is going to be at the center of the arc for this shot (the final frame will have the actor frame-right in profile, and a prop frame-left), so i'll have to operate the camera too. i might be able to get away with a straight track laid at a diagonal to the scene, combined with a pan, although it would change the look of the move. do the motion-control sliders come in longer lengths?
 
As many people and sandbags you can fit on the dolly and then get a few rubber bands and pull on those why everyone stays perfectly still... works well. The more weight the better.
 
Use a heavy dolly. A Fisher 10 would be my choice. Make sure the track you rent is in great condition (same with the skate wheels) and then give the grips plenty of time to set it up so there are no bumps at the joints and it's buttery smooth. Load a bunch of sand onto the dolly to add weight. I would leave the AC off so there's not another body moving around on the dolly. Use a geared head to get a slow pan (if that's what you need to do) and leave off any RO or Ubangi to prevent any bounce. Find a good dolly grip and then time it out with marks.
 
The milo can do a perfect half circle on a straight track that up to 3,3 meter in radius and do it at speeds between super slow down to less than 10 seconds. This we did at 10 seconds per half lap a while back, shitty quality on the link.

https://vimeo.com/144126320

The good thing is that the straight track can leave you with less track in picture when on a wide lens and as it is moco you can shoot 2 clean plates with no track at beginning and end to use to remove the track.
 
Björn Benckert said:
The milo can do a perfect half circle on a straight track that up to 3,3 meter in radius and do it at speeds between super slow down to less than 10 seconds. This we did at 10 seconds per half lap a while back, shitty quality on the link.

https://vimeo.com/144126320

The good thing is that the straight track can leave you with less track in picture when on a wide lens and as it is moco you can shoot 2 clean plates with no track at beginning and end to use to remove the track.
Click to expand...


Fun work there on that Ikea! So much you can do with the milo.
To the OP, what kind of shot is it that you're after?
Narrative scene? Commercial trickery? Somewhere in between?
 
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