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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 :)

WTB: Something smooth and inexpensive to move RED around with

Yousuf Abbasi

Yousuf Abbasi

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I'm about to start a project that requires shooting while moving the camera around a lot, mostly horizontatl movements with an eye-level axis. Sometimes vertical movements. I don't want to do the Mantis or EasyRig because I want to keep it on some legs that can possibly roll. Movements should be smooth on various surfaces. Ive got a fluid head and legs, but my legs dont have wheels are are too bulky anyway.

Not exactly sure what the item I need is, but I'm sure it's out there and I want to buy it. I know there are a lot of you clever guys on this forum who have used something to get plenty of smooth shots and kept the camera moving, let me know what you got.

Thanks
 
yousef ,first, whats up yo, second the only thing i can say is sounds like steadicam to me ....if its just meant to be subtle small moves to keed the camera moving then a slide'n glide tray...thats what i call them but talk to your Key grip, and lastly depending on budget a good ol fashion hospital style wheelchair...dont steal on though ; ) that would be wrong!!!
 
Actually I think they make something called a "camera dolly" that may interest you.

On the cheap, you can use a dolly with a jib. Something like a Matthews Doorway dolly or a "Round D Round" dolly makes a stable base, and you can throw a jib on to get your vertical motion.

The right tool though is probably a Fisher 11. Its a crab dolly with a hydraulic pedestal. You can have it set up to run on track or on smooth surfaces. On smooth surfaces it can "crab" its wheels and be driven in any direction. You can use the pedestal to raise and lower the camera during the take very smoothly at varying speed and silently.

Much like the wheelchair Sergio suggested you ride the dolly, and someone else pushes you around. Similarities end there for the most part.

Steadicam is a bad idea if you plan on shooting all day and moving the camera that way. It gets VERY tiring, and by the end of the shooting day your smooth moves look like Cloverfield instead.

If you are committed to steadicam style, you can mount the steadicam arm on a dolly, and ride the dolly while operating the steadicam. This has a more limited range than using a jib, and it costs more, but its a lot more compact so you can accomplish it in a smaller room.

Oh and Sergio .... a wheelchair? Seriously? You want to operate a RED from a wheelchair? That is sooooo wrong.
 
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http://www.porta-jib.com/explorer.html - not used it myself, but it looks to have a range of useful features (jib/dolly/slider etc) plus wheels as an option to move it around. Might not be weight rated for your kit (all depends on what you're using). Just another idea for the mix!
 
sergio arguello said:
ok back on the drawing board...a mini technocrane on peewee
Click to expand...

I like the way you think. To be honest that is a really good idea.

By the way, I have a wheelchair in my garage and am not afraid to use it. The only issue I remember with the WC was that the wheels weren't smooth, for some reason there was a noticeable "jump" every rotation.
 
Yousuf Abbasi said:
I like the way you think. To be honest that is a really good idea.

By the way, I have a wheelchair in my garage and am not afraid to use it. The only issue I remember with the WC was that the wheels weren't smooth, for some reason there was a noticeable "jump" every rotation.
Click to expand...

That may be the only issue you remember, but it isn't the only issue. First you are restricted to fairly smooth surfaces. Not only are the wheels not round, they wobble, and the whole chair wobbles as well. You also can't mount the camera properly ... so you are basically handholding the camera on an unsteady platform.

Now, maybe that disaster lends itself to your production, I have never been on a project where I would choose that sort of thing.

I don't think you can get a mini-Technocrane onto a PeeWee ... not by a long shot. Its just that the "mini" in mini-Technocrane is relative.

My current idea is to use the mitchell mount of a seven jib on an 11 or a PeeWee.

In order to keep things light though, I'm experimenting with various means of counter balancing the jib other than a pile of weights.
 
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