Who has the smoothest footage from a dolly?

MattinSTL

MattinSTL

Sound Modulator
I did a search and got 7 threads... many of them no longer have working links providing a test clip.

I'm curious if anybody is getting what they deem to be perfect action out of their dolly? I'm talking no bumps or wobbles at all.

If so can we see it and tell us about the dolly you're using.

This is the best dolly results I've had so far CLICK HERE and I'm curious if this is as smooth as it gets. I'll post a clip of something practical and interesting later on... for now you have to settle for my messy house... the clip is full 99 zoom at first... then wide.
 
Some dolly shots are in my project, which you can download here. If anybody is interested, i could post some photos later.
 
That was cool juraj... I watched the whole vid... very good job. Your dolly shots looked good... I'm wondering what kind of prep you had to do outside? It looked like the dolly didn't travel over 10' at any point... is that the case? Did you have any pipe connections along the track?

Let's here how you set up your dolly on the uneven terrain (or did you stage action next to level ground?)
 
Your handheld shot at the end of that clip is lousy Mattin, you need a Steadicam.



...


:)




Really though, that's some seriously nice dolly footage, rock solid even at 99%. I can't see ANY dolly dooing any better than that. - Of course how well you can repeate that in other conditions is the next test. Nice work. :thumbsup:

- Mikko
 
Thanks, Mattin.

I have my track on some "setting" screws, so i can set it how i need. Any outside preparations wasnt needed. I just put wooden pieces under that setting screws to better align track on uneven terrain and then set it with these screws (for fine setting). Hope, that images below will show you this better, than my poor English. :beer:

And thats why, i dont understand this question:

"It looked like the dolly didn't travel over 10' at any point... is that the case?"
Is it possible to say it with another words?:dankk2:


My track is completly made of metal and at this time i have six 2 m long pipes. So there are two connectors on each side of track in video you have seen (6 m long track together). Everything done by fathers company.

Future plans: upgrade with electro-motor (+ transmission for speed selection), which will drive whole track (maybe longer in future) at a constant speed. Will be interesting because of some visual effects and my tired assistant;)

shot1.jpg



shot2.jpg
 
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Excellent! Thank you for the follow up!

I wasn't trying to be insulting in any way with my question about how many lengths of track you had... for the smoothest footage it's easiest to just use a 10 foot piece of pvc (3 meters approx.) with no joints... I was wondering if you were getting smooth transitions between joints or if you had one continuous piece.

I think it will be a challenge to get really smooth footage in places where you were able to do it... that's why I asked.

Bravo for the BTS pics!
 
Glad, that you like it! PVC is much lighter than my "heavy - metal";) but i think, that if you are shooting outside, then heavier could means better. Because of stability...

Length of mine pipes is 2 meters, due to transport reasons. I can now transport it with my car (Skoda Fabia Combi - for Europeans;) Dont need a van...
 
Well here's where I went with this.

I think this is the fully realized design. What we have here is a 28.25" deck which is the standard size for a doorway dolly... this will pass through most doorways with no problem... but you say, "hey the wheels stick out past the sides"... and I say, "notice the inner row of serrated t-nuts so that you can quickly bring the wheels in so that they don't stick out the side!"

Then you say, "well why not have 'em IN the entire time"... and I'll say, "because they are standard 24.4 inch spacing when the wheels are out and that allows this thing to run on standard dolly track... and a standard dolly isn't going through any door... so this way I can use the same deck in both situations."

I think I already said this, but the deck is square because I'm not often in a situation where I have the luxury or trust of a good PA that can ensure a smooth dolly shot and I usually get the smoothest shot by providing the motion on my own.

I think the rest is self-explanatory... but if not... and you have any questions... feel free to ask.

I just wanted to follow up on this thread and show where this idea ended up.

3476dolly1.jpg

3480dolly2.jpg

3482dolly3.jpg
3491dolly5.jpg

3498dolly4.jpg
 
wow, nice, I'm gonna try making that where can I get a equip list and instructions? I'm not much of builder =).

was that shot on the DVX by the way?
 
I think the first time we used our home-depot-made dolly/jib was probably one of the only times we got anything completely smooth. it's been a lot more frustrating since that first day -- just got tired I guess (the dolly/jib i mean).

it's the second shot of the movie -- i think about sixty feet of track, just pvc that we duct taped to the carpet. (this was our sci fest flick a year back)

quicktime: http://elmatadorfilms.com/ABriefCase.mov
windows: http://elmatadorfilms.com/A%20Brief%20Case.wmv
 
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FilmMakerr said:
wow, nice, I'm gonna try making that where can I get a equip list and instructions? I'm not much of builder =).

was that shot on the DVX by the way?
Click to expand...
Yes... all DVX... sorry about the quality of the footage. I'll post something to better illustrate the value of a dolly shot as soon as I get something better (soon).

The parts list is pretty straightforward:

13 ply voidless baltic birch (3/4") cut to 28.25" Square.
Baltic birch is much stronger then normal plywood... and well worth the extra cost.
2 pieces of 2.5" wide by 5m thick aluminum angle cut to 28" length.
24 wheels. Those pictured are Labeda Featherweights... pricey aluminum core.
These are 58mm wheels... anything from 54-58 should be good for this rail.
(16 wheels will probably do. If you don't have a solid core then be sure to get bearing spacers. Remember the harder the wheel the faster the ride... 98a is the hardest wheel I would consider... 78a is the softest... 78a wheels WILL eventually wear out or get flat spots if stored improperly... 98a should last a lifetime but you must take care to keep the wheels and track free of debris).
48 bearings (these are abec7... abec5 may be good enough... I like overkill)
24 5/16-18 2" bolts.
Check your wheel WIDTH... you may want 1.5-1.75" bolts. Full thread if you want to bolt from the inside out... partial thread if you want to bolt from the outside in. I can go either way on this... I like the look of having a bolt head on the outside... but using a locknut to secure the wheel leaves the design more user-serviceable. I've done both and it's a contest of asthetics versus practicality.
24 "wiz" nuts for spacers between wheel and rail. 5/16-18
48 washers... fender or regular. 5/16 (SAE washers have the tightest fit)
24 nylon-lock nuts 5/16-18.
9" width skateboard griptape. 2 pieces x 27" long.
12 1/4-20 t-nuts... deepest you can find. These are full depth of the board.
12 1/4-20 machine or socket screws with the flat head that's beveled on the bottom. For this particular rail set the proper length is 2.5".

These rails are 2.5" wide aluminum angle and extra thick. The cost for the thick and wide aluminum is a lot more then the thinner stuff... but still who cares about an extra $25 (or whatever it is).

The blue deck was achieved with minwax custom stain hand-rubbed.I finished the decks with Helmspar... which is an outdoor grade urethane... 3 coats.

All edges of the rail were filed and sanded... the deck was routed and sanded.

The hand holes are 4.5" long and 1.25" wide. I found that to be a great size for even big hands like mine... but my girlfriend can still carry this thing pretty easily.

The center hole is 1.75" in diameter and routed, just like all other holes and edges... this is a close fit... I made this hole bigger on earlier decks... but it allows the tie-down hooks to pass through with just a little clearance.

The point of the handle and hole layout is to allow the tie-down assembly to secure the pod from either straight down OR through just the handles making a triangle... this way you can easily secure the pod whether it's high or really low. The hole setup works better this way then simply having 2 slots at the center because tie-downs need at least 6" to start rolling up the webbing before they are secure... and without doing this wrap-around style of securing you could never secure the pod when it was set down low.

For further stability you can use sandbags, but I find this totally unnecessary so far.

The track is 1.5" sch 40 pvc... this can easily be cut on a power miterbox with a good blade... if you're a DIY type of guy then the first thing you should do with your power miterbox is replace the factory blade with a $40+ carbide tipped blade with the highest tooth count possible. (I think I paid $60 for mine).

1.25" pvc is then cut into 12" sections and a slot about 1/4" wide is cut down the length... I then use a hand grinder to quickly take off the dangerously sharp edges... I call these "track bones" because you can compress them to fit inside of the 1.5" pipe and the sections are fully secured... so far I haven't been able to detect the unions of the pipes in any footage... even with the 98a wheels. Obviously you can cut track to any length that's convenient for you and make as many bones as you need to join it all. Use the tie-down assembly to secure all the track pieces as one bundle for transport.

The "tripod harness" is 23" of the same nylon webbing from the end of the tie-down... sewn with a 2" overlap for a hoop that's 21" in circumference... I then sewed 14" pieces folded over so that we have 7" "loops" to go through each of the 3 legs... spaced evenly of course... centered every 7" around the circumference.

Hmm... anything else?
 
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Very nice. Much better than my DIY dolly. Although yours seemed to induce some nasty compression artifacts. Ha! Are you cutting the aluminum angle yourself? I always end up buying new tools when I do this stuff. Not that I mind, but I'm on even more of a tight budget of late.

Can you get the birch at a big box store or do have to find a lumber yard?

Sorry about the Rams,

Fox
 
I get my baltic birch from Saint Charles Hardwoods... you need a wood shop to get it. Obviously you can use ordinary plywood... but I'd go THICK if you do that.

Rams? Are they sick? I haven't been to the zoo in ages.

I just heard that the Cardinals did okay this year... aren't they our local kick-ball team?

The only way I get into sports is if I'm being paid to be there. :cheesy:

I caught a hocky puck at a blues game once and my first thought was, "I wonder if I can carve the center down and make an ashtray?"

If it weren't for the commericals I'd have thought the superbowl was a special stash that my friend was hiding.

Hey seriously... the dolly works great... but get a tap and drill set and tap the 5/16" holes in the aluminum rail... and yes, you can cut it yourself... hack/miter.
 
As usual, Matt's creations are incredible. Just fabulous. And it all looks like it came out of a factory in Switzerland. Such precision. Nothing about his stuff looks like it is DIY.

Matt, I wish you had a production line. You are like Henry Ford and Thomas Edison with a little Cartier thrown in.
 
Kelly I got a pile of 'em if you want one. Thanks for the compliments...

Okay seriously... maybe not a pile, but I'm sure I can hook you up. The blessing (or the curse) about all this DIY stuff that I do is that by the time I get something that I'm ready to show I've figured out all the R&D... so I can make another one easily now.

I'm going to offer some dolly push-sticks to the forum here in the next couple of days... I always thought that a gondola type of push makes more sense then a T-bar... especially on a DIY type of dolly... With a Fisher... where the dolly/cam combo can be HUNDREDS of pounds... sure, then a T-bar makes sense... but how are you supposed to dampen footstep movements pushing a lightweight dolly/cam combo with a T-bar? In my own assessment it's smoother to just push it by the tripod itself as long as the pod is secure.

Have you ever seen somebody playing shuffle-board on a cruise ship... that's the action you want for PA assisted smoothness. When I'm doing a dolly shot by myself I don't use any kind of push-stick... but if you have somebody helping you out so you can zoom/pan/tilt/rack focus... then you're going to need something. Enter the push-stick full swivel gondola slash shuffle-board type of thingy.

Pics to follow... if you can't wait then go get a drywall sander and get cutting... that's the core of this design... and they're only $18 from Lowe's...
 
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