DIY: Skater

[tbanucci]

Anyone want to make an attempt to create a DIY project of this new device? It's called the Skater, looks pretty damn cool with the video it generates.

The product page is here:

Skater Mini (http://www.pstechnik.de/en/skater-mini-camera-dolly.php#)

While the demo of what it does can be found through here:

Skater Mini Trailer (http://www.pstechnik.de/en/skater-demo-dvd.php)

I'm assuming this works with heavier film cameras and that it is expensive, which brings to mind making this a DIY project for a low budget version suited for the DVX.

Thoughts?
Ted

[pookie_old]

At $ 6,225, there might not be too many beating a path to their order desk.

DIY is the way to go.

[Taylor Moore]

This definitly would make an awesome DIY product....

[Shadow]

Look very well done, but the target price is frightened. :(

[The Dark]

that trailer was really great!!!

i wonder, and this could be a stupid question. If i made something like that from scratch and used it on a production that got bought up, would i be sued?

[tbanucci]

Depends if it has any patents, and what they are for. In general, I think you can only be sued if you try to sell the device to the public and it infringes on some patents. If you make a DIY version for yourself, no one can sue you.

[Barry_S]

I've seen the Skater promoted pretty heavily recently, but that's the first I've seen of the trailer--and it's amazing. I think that's the best product trailer I've ever seen. It's hideously expensive, but you've got to admit the footage is really impressive. Definitely a worthy DIY project.

[Oli.S]

I hate this embedded-into-a-website video stuff, so here goes the link to the trailer for downloading: www.ready2roll.de/Skatertest/Quicktimes%20SKATER/01Trailer.mov (http://www.ready2roll.de/Skatertest/Quicktimes%20SKATER/01Trailer.mov)

(right klick and save target as...) :thumbsup:

regards,
Oli

[DEATHTOPRINT]

3/4 Of the way into the Trailer, Right after the Jim Beam Add of the glass of alcohol, is the girl on the floor reading from a paper. A DVX100A is mounted on the "skater" for that shot, and it looks damn good too... I guess it doesnt "HAVE" to be a heavy camera. that shot looks damn good. check it out. THE DVX EVEN HAS ANOTHER TFT DISPLAY ON TOP OF IT.

[Neil Rowe]

... for DYI, i think you could just cut the same shape out of wood or a couple sheets of ply or something, and buy some decent sized wheel casters with soft rubber wheels and drill some holes where the wheels go stick the catser shafts up though the holes and viola! you could just set the cam on there most of the time in something like a cinesaddle or home made little mount with a strap to hold it on or somthing , or you could mount a small tripod post or head to the center. it might cost you a whole 62.25 if you trick it all out instead of 6225.00

[trypt0phan]

That camera after the Jim Bean Ad is actually the Sony HDV camera, not the DVX.

[DEATHTOPRINT]

shit. u could be right. but eithe rway, same weight/size.

[Leigh Wanstead]

I think that requires perfect flat surface. I doubt if it work on carpet. I checked the video. It seems that wheel is not rubber covered, just normal wheel.

Regards
Leigh

[tbanucci]

It's a rollerblade skate wheel.

[Leigh Wanstead]

It's a rollerblade skate wheel.

Where can I buy this rollerblade skate wheel?

TIA
Leigh

[crazyczech]

Check out www.pushcam.com for a cheap alternative. The Fluid model seems the best for $299. No curved moves but you can dolly and pivot/pan. Their video clip is impressive too.

[tbanucci]

PushCam looks pretty cool. Definitely a lot less expensive. I like the fact that the Skater is lower to the ground and it can rotate on axis. The PushCam is basically a skateboard with a fluid head bolted in the middle.

Leigh- You can type rollerblade wheel into Google and find many sites, like this one:

Wheels (http://www.hockeygiant.com/wheels--bearings----misc--inline-hockey-wheels.html)

Ted

[thisiswells]

Thank You~!

http://www.pushcam.com/images/video/heli004.jpg
For a savings of $5926 it doesn't turn. Big deal.

[chum...p]

four c-stands, a piece of plywood, a level, some sandbags and a bit of care to make sure the camera doesn't fall and you have adjustable height.

[Brian Broz]

The fact that the pushcam doesn't turn is a big deal...not that the skater can't be replicated as a DIY.
nice thing about the skater is you can do a 360 "dolly" around a (small) object at close focus and not have to worry about pulling focus. Of course there are more applications than we can imagine.
FWIW

Brian

[Leigh Wanstead]

PushCam looks pretty cool. Definitely a lot less expensive. I like the fact that the Skater is lower to the ground and it can rotate on axis. The PushCam is basically a skateboard with a fluid head bolted in the middle.

Leigh- You can type rollerblade wheel into Google and find many sites, like this one:

Wheels (http://www.hockeygiant.com/wheels--bearings----misc--inline-hockey-wheels.html)

Ted

Hi Ted,

Thanks

Regards
Leigh

[thisiswells]

Remember in the SkaterMini video the clips of the woman sliding across the floor in her socks? That was a straight tracking shot which did not involve any turning. I think that effect alone would be worth a few hundred bucks to the right person.

This is one of the coolest accessories I have seen. I even mentioned the price on here a couple of months ago as being absurd and joked about a "Guerilla" or "Micro35" version if it weren't for the patents protecting the design. I may consider building one for my own use at some point.. We'll see.

http://www.dvxuser.com/V3/showthread.php?p=202263&highlight=skater#post202263

[DEATHTOPRINT]

this is a pretty damn easy diy. mount a roller blade wheel inside of a bearing. make the bearing lock w/ a tightenable nut. attach em to anything, and for the pivot, theres tons of mounts u could use depending on what you have laying around.. come on, that 6K shit is retartedly ridiculous. This is so easy to make. U could even make ur own markings for the wheels certain angles the same way they did. its so simple. damn. i am gonna definately have to build one of these.

[tbanucci]

Do it, and you will be my hero. But if you fail all of us will ridicule you forever!!! MUHAHAHAHA!

[craigbowman]

this is a pretty damn easy diy. mount a roller blade wheel inside of a bearing. make the bearing lock w/ a tightenable nut. attach em to anything, and for the pivot, theres tons of mounts u could use depending on what you have laying around.. come on, that 6K shit is retartedly ridiculous. This is so easy to make. U could even make ur own markings for the wheels certain angles the same way they did. its so simple. damn. i am gonna definately have to build one of these.

Hey you're 1/3 of the way home right there!

[Oli.S]

Check out www.pushcam.com for a cheap alternative. The Fluid model seems the best for $299. No curved moves but you can dolly and pivot/pan. Their video clip is impressive too.

And their video clip can be downloaded here:
http://www.pushcam.com/Pushcam%20Demo%20Video.wmv

The clip is quite impressive.

regards,
Oli

[dolby]

Built my pushcam copy tonight and plan to build a skater copy that will do curves later this week.

http://southerndiscomfort.net/photos/DLY1.jpg
http://southerndiscomfort.net/photos/DLY2.jpg

[Jim Brennan]

I planned a shot for my next film that follows two people walking down both sides of a bar. I put a screw though to mount my tripod head. The test shots looked great. Cost me about 3 bucks, including the used skateboard. It doesn't turn, but that ain't worth an extra 6K.

[Leigh Wanstead]

Built my pushcam copy tonight and plan to build a skater copy that will do curves later this week.

http://southerndiscomfort.net/photos/DLY1.jpg
http://southerndiscomfort.net/photos/DLY2.jpg

Nice work :happy:

Will it work on glass? Will rubber wheel better on glass? I found skater wheel slip on glass.

Regards
Leigh

[tbanucci]

You can buy skate wheels in different durometers. A hard durometer like 86A is for rough surfaces, while a soft durometer, like 72A is for smooth surfaces. Try a 72A wheel or something low like that for glass.

Something like this:

http://www.hockeymonkey.com/redstarrebelwheelred.html

[Leigh Wanstead]

You can buy skate wheels in different durometers. A hard durometer like 86A is for rough surfaces, while a soft durometer, like 72A is for smooth surfaces. Try a 72A wheel or something low like that for glass.

Something like this:

http://www.hockeymonkey.com/redstarrebelwheelred.html

Thanks

Regards
Leigh

[dolby]

The wheels I have are 82A but I have not tried it on glass. So far only concrete, wood and formica, which all rolled VERY smoothly.

The wheels I bought are from K-mart and were 9.99 for 2 100mm razor skooter wheels including bearings. They're much larger than the inline skate wheels I have seen online.

I should have a new model that does what the P+S does but need to get some more wheels first.


dolby

[KHendrix2]

Hey Dolby,

Please forgive me if I'm stating the obvious. Now all you have to do is cut your home made pushcam in half and put a pivot point in the middle. The "articulated pushcam" will then do everything the Skater Mini can do at thousand of dollars less!

[235 Studios]

I think that the key to the whole DIY skater is figuring out how to get the wheels to rotate and lock into position at an accurate angle. I'm still a little baffeled about that part of the design. Everything else seems straight forward ...

[Ernest_Acosta]

Dolby it looks good. On most of the video, they are using a smooth piece of board that is levelled to do those shots. The tracking shot of the car moving down the street is one example, so I think basically you can use any in-line skate wheels as long as you bring a smooth surface, level it and practice your move. The guy with the gun inbetween the cars is another example. This is just an idea: how about creating a goove surface on the outside of the bearing. The wheel is permanently bolted to the bearing. Whenever you want to change the angle of the wheel, then you would pull up the bearing out of its groove and rotate to the next groove. Theoretically, it should work. But I agree that 6 grand is a lot to pay when I can get skate wheels for less that $10 bucks.

[ttt]

the trailer is killer, makes you want one of these things badly...
but 6k is insane.
definitely a potential DIY...

t

[235 Studios]

So is anyone else having trouble downloading from the links at the download page?
http://www.pstechnik.de/en/downloads.php

[tbanucci]

OliS has posted direct links in this thread if you read through the whole post.

[Leigh Wanstead]

Can anyone tell me why curve move of the video camera looks so nice compare to the straight line movement of the camera?

TIA
Leigh

[Barry_S]

Here's my crackpot theory of why a curved dolly shot can look better. :laugh:

1) The transformation of perspective in the scene is more complex and can be more interesting. When you have near and far elements in the shot, it gives a more complex parallax shift as the camera moves.

2) The more complex parallax shift is better at revealing the three-dimensionality of a scene, thus better approximating a human's binocular vision. Parallax is an important element that contributes to depth perception.

3) The complexity of the move better approximates a person's view moving through a scene. How often do you walk and look in exactly straight lines?

Can anyone tell me why curve move of the video camera looks so nice compare to the straight line movement of the camera?

TIA
Leigh

[Leigh Wanstead]

Thanks for the reply.

I also notice that not always the same speed movement of the camera will add more feeling like music. Also slow movement seems better than fast movement. What do you think?

Regards
Leigh

Here's my crackpot theory of why a curved dolly shot can look better. :laugh:

1) The transformation of perspective in the scene is more complex and can be more interesting. When you have near and far elements in the shot, it gives a more complex parallax shift as the camera moves.

2) The more complex parallax shift is better at revealing the three-dimensionality of a scene, thus better approximating a human's binocular vision. Parallax is an important element that contributes to depth perception.

3) The complexity of the move better approximates a person's view moving through a scene. How often do you walk and look in exactly straight lines?

[pmark23]

Moving a camera gives your brain distance cues, so it's able to figure out the 3D-ality (just made that word up) of the scene. A curved track (because you're getting coordinated X and Y movement) gives your brain more information to work with.

[235 Studios]

OliS has posted direct links in this thread if you read through the whole post.

It is not the video content I was talking about (I can access that just fine)- but rather the downloads page. You can download the calculator as a palm program and an excel sheet. These links seem not to work and I was wondering if it was just me.

[DEATHTOPRINT]

I got mine from Wal Mart - $20 for an 8 Pack w/ Bearings. U probably can't get any cheaper. and hey, brands really don't matter, we're talking about rollerblade wheels here. better and smoother than any other type of usually expensive wheels u see at hardware stores. I used em for my DIY Dollie w/ tracks... they work great. All i found when looking for RB Wheels, is that they're WAY OVERPRICED b/c of the cost of finding bearings, which are also expensive. Kill 2 birds w/ one stone, and check out walmart. Sporting goods.

[qemart]

I just finished building my "mini-stealth" (home made skater) and it was reasonably simple and inexpesive (less than $100 including tools).

I will am including some pics and if anyone would like more information, let me know.

http://www.elevations.ca/skater/skate1.jpg

http://www.elevations.ca/skater/skate2.jpg

[tbanucci]

Good start qemart-

I don't think this will hold up though with smooth moves as the wheels will be moving all over like a shopping cart. Here is an idea to add to your design. If you take springs and put them in between the wheel hub and the MDF board, then before the washer on the other side of the board put two gearheads so that the wheels will lock into place. Then, if you want to adjust the wheel angles, you can simply push on the wheel and turn it to let it lock into place.

We also need to come up with how to mount the camera so that it remains low by the ground.

This is an awesome start though- good design! I will draw up what I am talking about for the locking mechanism.

[pmark23]

Hmmmm... Very interesting...

Definitely need to lock the wheels somehow. From your design, it looks like they're locked by tightening the nuts on the carriage bolts. True?

What if you put a big hole in the middle, to serve as a base for the ball of your existing 75mm head? It looks like there'll be enough clearance underneath.

[bokser]

I just finished building my "mini-stealth" (home made skater) and it was reasonably simple and inexpesive (less than $100 including tools).

I will am including some pics and if anyone would like more information, let me know.

http://www.elevations.ca/skater/skate1.jpg

http://www.elevations.ca/skater/skate2.jpg
hey, what program are you using to draw up the design?
Thanks.

[qemart]

Guys, read closely. I just finished BUILDING this. I designed, built, and tested this thing and it works like a charm. The wingnuts lock the wheels in the intended angle allowing for all types of shots. I also mounted a manfrotto head to the top so it has a quick release as well. I will post some photos and video clips later to demonstrate just how sweet this is. :-)

(also, the carriage bolt as secured to the the wood plates with a nut, metal washer and rubber washer making the whole thing very solid. Anyone want one? ;-) )

http://www.elevations.ca/skater/pic.jpg

[Shaw]

Sweet stuff man :).

[danslak]

that trailer was really great!!!

i wonder, and this could be a stupid question. If i made something like that from scratch and used it on a production that got bought up, would i be sued?

You could only be sued if you made one and then tried to sell or rent them. This thing is AMAZING. Wish I'd thought of it! The reason it's so expensive: I'm sure by the time they got through the patent process, they spent close to $100,000 just for that. Then there is R&D and manufacturing. Frankly, I'm surprised it doesn't cost more. It will take them years just to break even.

qemart: Sweet! Keep going with it. I think you'll have even greater success if you can find a way to get the camera to ride lower near the ground for a lower center of gravity. (Ooops, just noticed that tbanucci said the same thing. I've really got to start reading all the posts!)

Dan
www.DVcameraRigs.com

[spidey]

wondering if i could mount any type of tripod head.

[gritsngumbo]

Nice job GEMART. I have a shoot this week that this will work great for -- on my way out to the shop as we speak. Thanks again for your innovative project.

[235 Studios]

Very interesting. It looks very promising. Could you try out some of the same move that they do in the promo for this and then post the clips for us to see?
I'm very interested in seeing the results.

[235 Studios]

wondering if i could mount any type of tripod head.

You should be able to mount anything you want. After all it is just wood - all you have to do is buy the right size screw to connect it to ... (Most of them are 3/8" I believe - Check that first though)

[Jarred Land]

yes, and if you drill a 75mm hole in the middle then use a router around the hole it will make a base for a ball head, which will keep you low.

[qemart]

I finished painting my little toy and added a few dials for reference (the dials were done in illustrator, printed on photo paper and glued in place). I am including pics and a (very) quick and dirty curve shot I did this morning in my sons room.

This thing is not meant to be nearly as precise as the skater, but for my purposes - it's perfect.

http://www.elevations.ca/skater/fin1.jpg

http://www.elevations.ca/skater/fin2.jpg

http://www.elevations.ca/skater/fin3.jpg

Here is the clip...

http://www.elevations.ca/skater/curve.mov

Lastly, the software I used for creating the design is called "Sketchup". Incredible software definitely worth checking out.

[235 Studios]

qemart-

Thanks for the clip, it looks great - lot o production value. Some more questions for you:

1. What are the dimentions of the triangle and circle pieces?

2. Would you be willing to post the illustrator file? (Why reinvent the wheel?)

[kikndrummer]

I wasn't able to view it....I'm trying to check it out from work. What version of Quicktime are you using? I have 6.5.2 installed.

[235 Studios]

I wasn't able to view it....I'm trying to check it out from work. What version of Quicktime are you using? I have 6.5.2 installed.

It's a H.264 file, you'll need QT 7.

[kikndrummer]

thanks...downloading it right now. ...I couldn't tell what version I needed, it only mentioned there was incorrect compression.

[Barry_S]

That's really nice work, it looks really great with the paint job and calibration marks. Thanks for sharing your plans.:thumbsup:

[qemart]

No problem. I thought it was about time I gave something back as this site and it's participants have helped me out so much on so many occasions.

http://www.elevations.ca/skater/d3.jpg

http://www.elevations.ca/skater/d4.jpg

http://www.elevations.ca/skater/d5.jpg

[235 Studios]

That's awsome, Thanks.

Any chance you could post the Illustrator file so that we could print out the calibration marks?

[qemart]

woops! sorry about that...

http://www.elevations.ca/skater/dial.zip

(illustrator v.8 file)

[kikndrummer]

yeah, awesome job gemart, I was trying to put something like the skater together myself and I was not sure how to go about the measuring dial....you pretty much nailed that!! ...thanks for sharing! :beer:

[tbanucci]

qemart- It looks awesome! Thanks for the initiative and the great video sample. This would work great for most of our applications.

[craigbowman]

Great Job qemart! Love the video!

[235 Studios]

Thanks for all your work. I can't wait to build mine ....

[spidey]

darn does windows have a qt7.0 yet?

[tbanucci]

QT 7 for windows is in beta, but you can download it from Apple's site:

http://www.apple.com/quicktime

[spidey]

keeps giving me 6.5

[tbanucci]

Gotta look around my friend.....

http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/preview/

[spidey]

found it :-p

[ttt]

NICE WORK!!!
the paint and the measurement marks polish it off nicely!
congrats bro, looks killer...
t :grin:

[bokser]

darn does windows have a qt7.0 yet?
yes.
http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download/preview/

[bokser]

the video seemed to be a bit choppy... was that the dolly move or just the compression you used...?

[ttt]

i watched it in qt7 and it was smooth...
t :laugh:

[Sirius_Doggy]

I just don't get why the P+S Technik is so darn expensive. I mean, I get it, but I don't. Yes I understand the whole patent costs and the fact that the stuff is incredibly well engineered but PLEASE.....
I guess the "steadybag is gonna cost $493.25? Come on, it's just a sandbag with a plate velcroed to it.

Gemart! You are the MAN! That rocks. Bet you have less the $100 in parts in that?

[Anthropophagous]

Anyone want one? ;-) )

http://www.elevations.ca/skater/pic.jpg

yes please :)

[JasonFox]

Gemart- That is awesome! I must build one this weekend. Which leads me to one question: how does one cut a circle? Coping saw?

Fox

[Hectorxd]

They have attachments for drills that will allow you to cut different size holes. There are expensive ones and cheap ones. I got some pretty cheap ones at a place called harbor freight tools. If you only are going to use them once than get the cheap ones. Its what they use to cut holes in doors so you can put a door knob in. But they have many different sizes as well.
brian

[qemart]

As far as parts are concerned, yes - much less than $100. I will post the breakdown later but even with the wheels (I had to buy a pack of 8) it came to less than $100. Another note, the paint wasn't just for show. Because I used MDF, I primed with a serious primer and then painted with porch & floor outdoor paint to try to help protect from water which as we all know makes quick work of MDF.

[qemart]

Oh yeah... if you want to really maximize your potential with this tool, pick up a set of portable work stands ($45 @ home depot) and a 9' x 2' board and you will be able to reproduce the "bruckheimer" shot on location :-)

[JasonFox]

Well, yeah. Duh. Thanks.

They have attachments for drills that will allow you to cut different size holes. There are expensive ones and cheap ones. I got some pretty cheap ones at a place called harbor freight tools. If you only are going to use them once than get the cheap ones. Its what they use to cut holes in doors so you can put a door knob in. But they have many different sizes as well.
brian

[gritsngumbo]

Gemart: I don't have illustrator and can't open the file. Any way you can put into another format? jpg, pdf, etc. Thanks.

[gritsngumbo]

Gemart: Got it. I just downloaded the Illustrator tryout and opened it up. Thanks again for your innovative work.

[qemart]

Dial in PDF...

http://www.elevations.ca/skater/dial.pdf

Dial in JPG...

http://www.elevations.ca/skater/dial.jpg

Enjoy. Also, I am reconsidering the ruber washer idea as it appears to leave a little too much play in the wheels. I am also thinking of redesigning the center board to have a dropped plate in the middle which would bring the camera down about 5-6 inches.

Has anyone else built this yet? Any thoughts?

[JasonFox]

I'm hoping to build one this weekend. Had the idea of lower the platform by extending the wheel towers out beyond the platform. Might require bending some aluminum strips for brackets (haven't been to Lowe's yet to look for parts) since L-brackets won't work in that config. Let me see if I can get a quick pic in here to show what I mean:

http://www.jasonfox.net/SkaterDolly.jpg

Fox

[limehouse]

This is an excellent DIY effort. Very impressive, qemart.

[pmark23]

I'd just put a big (7.5 cm diameter) chamfered hole in the middle to act as a bowl, but you're using a different type of head.

[JasonFox]

Harbor Freight didn't have a 6-inch. The only 6-inchers I've found are $35+. Might have to go the hand-cut route after all. Oh well, I still have my crane to build this weekend, anyway.

Fox


They have attachments for drills that will allow you to cut different size holes. There are expensive ones and cheap ones. I got some pretty cheap ones at a place called harbor freight tools. If you only are going to use them once than get the cheap ones. Its what they use to cut holes in doors so you can put a door knob in. But they have many different sizes as well.
brian

[gritsngumbo]

Try hobby shops such as Hobby Lobby or Michaels for round wooden discs. Not sure if they have 6" size or not. It's worth a look.

[JasonFox]

I'll give that a shot, thanks.

Fox

Try hobby shops such as Hobby Lobby or Michaels for round wooden discs. Not sure if they have 6" size or not. It's worth a look.

[Jarred Land]

and wow did painting it make a hellla difference. You could almost sell those.

[dop16mm]

I think the posted design could be scaled up to make a kick-ass tripod dolly, maybe using the larger scooter wheels.

[eastofprov]

I was just wondering if we could have a consice parts list, i think i have everything down but i wanted to be sure

thanks,
pat :cheesy:

[tigeba]

I just built one and here are the parts I used (roughly)

6 2" X 5/8" corner braces (I found these in hardware near the drawer hardware)
3X 2" 1/4-20 carriage bolt (one for each corner)
3X 1/4-20 wing nut
9X washers that fit the 1/4-20 bolts
6X 1/4-20 jam nut (like a regular nut, but thinner. a regular will work)
12X 8-32X3/4 machine screws with nuts and washers.

1 hex bolt to attach your camera, or a small ball head. I had a small ball manfrotto ball head around that I use with my monopod for still photos.

3/8 of a set of roller blades :) I purchased these for 17.99 at Target. They have some 12.99 blades, but the wheels on them felt kind of sucky.

Some wood.

I have access to a variety of hole saws, so I just made those myself. I'm not sure about how to obtain pre-cut circles.

Thanks for the design and photos. It was very easy to build. I added an additional tripod mount hole closer to the side of the dolly but I don't know if it will be that useful.

[dustino]

I'm hoping to build one this weekend. Had the idea of lower the platform by extending the wheel towers out beyond the platform. Might require bending some aluminum strips for brackets (haven't been to Lowe's yet to look for parts) since L-brackets won't work in that config. Let me see if I can get a quick pic in here to show what I mean:

http://www.jasonfox.net/SkaterDolly.jpg

Fox

You could screw two L-brackets together to make the Z shape you have posted. AWESOME WORK by the way!

[Neil Rowe]

...i'm gonna make my suggestion again. just take a pecie of wood, and buy some cheap but well made smooth rolling rubber wheel swivel casters for like 1- 2.00 a peice at a hardware store.. drill some holes for the shafts of the swivel casters in the peice of wood where you want the wheels.. stick caster shafts into holes.. (if you bought casters with screws to mount them with a mounting plate.. just screw them on) then stick you camera on it on one of those mini tripods or whatever you want to mount it with. viola.. a device that can do what the skater mini does. should cost you 10.00 or less. and take you about 2 minutes to make. i mean the main working part of the device is swiveling rubber wheels.. and thoose are readily available for very cheap. ..why take the time to build them? if you buy nice looking ones it wil likely look like a pro mini dolly pending how nice you make your platform design.

..if you observe this near 800.00 tripod dolly you will see the same basic ingreient
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/images/items/244493.jpg

or this near 2000.00 tripod dolly.. whie nicer looking.. and some added function ..still only amounts to caster wheels.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/images/largeimages/78869.jpg

[Baluardo]

... buy some cheap but well made smooth rolling rubber wheel swivel casters for like 1- 2.00 a peice at a hardware store..
It's not exacly like that. In the skater design the wheels don't go around freely. they can be manually orientated and locked in position to be able to track exactly the same trajectory (curved or straight).

Andrea

[XCheck]

All right - this is my next DIY project - I only saw the trailer now.

The cheapest alternative I can think of is one of those planter wheels you can get at Home Depot for $9, plus a mini tripod or a sandbag.

Great footage in the trailer...

[Neil Rowe]

It's not exacly like that. In the skater design the wheels don't go around freely. they can be manually orientated and locked in position to be able to track exactly the same trajectory (curved or straight).

Andrea

k, i get ya.. i know the skater certainly has a dozen features that a board and some casters do not ...but i dont think that my shots would suffer without being able to lock the wheels ..you could always lay down some tape and follow it a straight or curved line if for some reason the operator wasnt able to do a decent job without being locked down guided. i mean .. steadicams dont lock into position.. But, if you did want to lock the wheels, you could easily drill a hole into the platform from the side horizontally into the caster pole hole, and stick some set screws in there. then you could fasten the casters into place too. with a couple twists on a hand knob bolt. put a dial on it for easy angles and such , all depends on how much work you want to do. id be fine without the locks, and just getting the shot freehand without spending extra time dabbling with positioning wheels and working out exact path of travel. just do a couple practise runs and start rolling. but thats just me. people all have their own way of doing things:beer:

[tigeba]

I put together a little clip with the DIY Skater I built from this thread. Thanks again for the plans, it is a really killer little dolly. Enjoy :)

Go Here (http://www.2629.com/?p=7)

P.S. I really don't think you could pull something like this off with a 3 wheel tripod dolly like discussed above. I tried a couple shots with my DVX on one of my chairs down here in the studio, and it was not even close to being smooth, especially when doing something like changing directions, or doing a 360.

[JasonFox]

Thanks, although it's just a variation on the original. I ended up building a quickie version last weekend to film our new puppy. Unfortunately, I didn't have a hole saw (and those get pricey quick), so it's a pretty low-rent version with rectanglular pieces of wood where the circle should be. Still works, though.

When I redo it I'm going to try using pneumatic tires instead of the blade wheels as our hardwoods are just bumpy enough to notice in the shots. And I can put down a board for smoothness and chase the dog at the same time.

Fox

You could screw two L-brackets together to make the Z shape you have posted. AWESOME WORK by the way!

[yohenk]

Nice!

Here's another suggestion: Use marbles instead of wheels. I think that if you make a plate to place the camera on, glue a similar plate under that plate where you cut out a perfectly round circle and place these two on marbles you can glide in any direction you want and very, very low to the ground. I'll be trying this soon as I have made my next deadline.

If anyone has suggestions or tries this, please keep us all posted.

[limehouse]

Nice!

Here's another suggestion: Use marbles instead of wheels. I think that if you make a plate to place the camera on, glue a similar plate under that plate where you cut out a perfectly round circle and place these two on marbles you can glide in any direction you want and very, very low to the ground. I'll be trying this soon as I have made my next deadline.
Do you mean just roll a platform over a bunch of marbles scattered on the floor? If so, that's either the smartest or dumbest idea ever. Either way, I, for one, like it.

[yohenk]

:-)

The edge of the bottom plate should at least prevent the marbles from shooting away, but yeah...basically that is what I mean. Just place your marbles, put the plates on top of it and start gliding. Not sure whether it would be smooth and bump-free, but if it is...then you can glide in every freakin' direction your hands go and as low to the ground as you could possible go.

[limehouse]

If you compartmentalized the bottom so all of the marbles wouldn't be rolled to one side and tip the thing over, that theoretically would totally work as a free-rolling dolly. It wouldn't be able to pull off the perfectly smooth curves or lines of a skater, and the ground would have to be totally smooth and flat, but it's an interesting idea to play with. Might work well on a table-top, where things are a bit more scaled-down and controllable.

[Baluardo]

...but i dont think that my shots would suffer without being able to lock the wheels ..you could always lay down some tape and follow it a straight or curved line if for some reason the operator wasnt able to do a decent job without being locked down guided.
Actually i was thinking that keeping the wheels unlocked may be useful in some circumstances and it would give more freedom (even if harder to track manually since you have more degrees of freedom and it would be more prone to shaking on the horizontal axis)
In facts i was thinking that in some cases, keeping the wheel locked and dollying, you may want to slightly pan (ie to keep a moving subject in the frame) the camera within the skater (assuming you have a fluid mount on that), and that would require extra sensibility. maybe with wheels unlocked that would be easier (just rotating the whole thing and keep goign the same direction you were going initially).
I think i should find the time to build one and try.

Andrea

[spidey]

i did mine with a different type of wheels etc. ill post mine later.

[JasonFox]

I look forward to seeing it. Redoing mine is a bit on the back burner as I need to attend to somewhat more important things like lighting and sound. Ha! It never ends.

i did mine with a different type of wheels etc. ill post mine later.

[Icarus2005]

I think this low skate business is a waste of time and money.

I can do most anything it can do with my other gear, using my real dolly and jib or using my steady cam in low mode while me being in inline skates.

this is just another overpriced gadget most of us will never need.

That said - combine it with remote functions micro vehicle and it could be WAY COOL!

[Yas Kassana]

Hey Icarus - I'd like to see pics of your gear. You got any man?

[Icarus2005]

I have way too much gear to be posting pics of. it's all industry quality gear you buy at EVS, Byrnes & Sawyer or B & H. about 50 grand worth.

[Yas Kassana]

Right, 50 Grands worth! I hope it's worth it mate!

[spidey]

lol 50 grand either you're born into money or EVS is slowly getting ripped off.

[Icarus2005]

You don't get real gigs in this business if you don't have real gear, and real gear isn't cheap!

I've made as much as 200 an hour filming celebrities because I have the resume and production package. You can't get that type of gig with an out-of-the-box DVX and a toy tripod.

And no, I wasn't born into money. I built my package working my ass off over several years, typically 80hrs a week, sometimes more.

maybe if you worked hard, instead of insulting others that do, and took the business seriously you'd get somewhere too.

[tigeba]

I think this low skate business is a waste of time and money.

I can do most anything it can do with my other gear, using my real dolly and jib or using my steady cam in low mode while me being in inline skates.

this is just another overpriced gadget most of us will never need.

That said - combine it with remote functions micro vehicle and it could be WAY COOL!


A skater mini type dolly is not a replacement for a track dolly + jib, or a steady cam rig. Is this comment really helpful? All you seem to be saying is that you can match the results of a $50 DIY project with 50K worth of quality pro gear. I think it is fairly clear that the real P+S Skater is geared for product shots and commercial videos, and they kinda threw in a few in a few ideas about using it in a dramatic film.

I am not sure if you have seen the demo video from P+S, but let us know how rollerblading on the pool table wearing your steadicam works out :)

And I agree, a RoV would be pretty cool, and probably more worthy of the big price tag!

[JasonFox]

Interesting. Thing is, I'm not trying to get a real gig with this DIY stuff. I'm trying to put together a reel so I can get signed on with a commercial production company. And they don't care how you got the shot, just that your spots are good. Once signed, I'll gladly leave renting the pro stuff to the AD and let the client pay for it. Having been on 50+ commercial shoots as the CD/writer, I know what the good stuff is and how to mimic some of it on the cheap. Of course, I also know the value of a lock-down shot. So if you think this dolly is a waste of time, fine. Don't read this thread. Let those of us trying to break into the game have at it.

Fox

You don't get real gigs in this business if you don't have real gear, and real gear isn't cheap!

I've made as much as 200 an hour filming celebrities because I have the resume and production package. You can't get that type of gig with an out-of-the-box DVX and a toy tripod.

And no, I wasn't born into money. I built my package working my ass off over several years, typically 80hrs a week, sometimes more.
.

[spidey]

lol im a pro cinematography dude. I get payed just i dont get 50,000 dollars to spend on camera equipment. alos i get more gigs with the stuff i got becuase i take less time to set up than you. I had 15 jobs as a DP this last 3 months. 2 features rest lil things and i got 5 project aead of me to this date. so to say i dont take my job serious is funny asshole. lol. either way why would you come to this thread, you didnt need it so bug off and let the ones with out 50,000 g's tend to it and have fun son.

to tigeba,
LOL roller blading on the pool table that would be funny!

[qemart]

My my, has this thread ever gotten icky since I was last here...

Any hoo. Here is some more sample footage from my "toy". This is not lit well, a little sloppy in the editing, but I hope you get a kick out of it (I sure did). Do be sure to let me know what you think.

http://homepage.mac.com/robertberg/iMovieTheater19.html

Lastly, this forum has been great for providing a community of encouragement and assistance to the lowly indie filmaker and I really resent the fact that people feel the need to carry out childish flaming arguments online rather than through PERSONAL MESSAGES. If the thread were "How Cool Am I?" or "DIY: Criticize Others" then I would expect these kind of insults - but this thread is "DIY: Skater" so I am finding them somewhat out of place.

If you are really starving for afirmation and acceptance, get a dog.

[235 Studios]

My my, has this thread ever gotten icky since I was last here... If the thread were "How Cool Am I?" or "DIY: Criticize Others" then I would expect these kind of insults - but this thread is "DIY: Skater" so I am finding them somewhat out of place.

Oh yeah? well my dad is bigger then your dad, and could beat your dad up! :grin:

If you are really starving for afirmation and acceptance, get a dog.

LOL!

Qemart-
Good points, it is to bad that other feel the need to hijack this thread with those comments.

Anyway, thanks for sharing another clip, I want to build mine... I just got to find the time now. BTW - I liked the pleasentvil look that you gave to it, that was some great CC on the doll. Thanks again.

[spidey]

clip was nice, Ill comment more when i get home.

[Icarus2005]

lol im a pro cinematography dude. I get payed just i dont get 50,000 dollars to spend on camera equipment. alos i get more gigs with the stuff i got becuase i take less time to set up than you. I had 15 jobs as a DP this last 3 months. 2 features rest lil things and i got 5 project aead of me to this date. so to say i dont take my job serious is funny asshole. lol. either way why would you come to this thread, you didnt need it so bug off and let the ones with out 50,000 g's tend to it and have fun son.

!

Most people on this site are adults. If you're not one at least try and act like one.

[J.R. Hudson]

This matter was closed wasn't it? Why is this still even being referred to? I'm locking this down and don't want to see anymore smack.