10 most wanted DIY parts for independent filmmakers

The pro-dolly parts that are riding Fisher dollies are using teflon sheet as "bearings"... you can buy teflon sheet in any thickness... for example 1/4"... then you can pop that on a drill press... and cut out perfect circles with centered holes and then bolt your wheel assemblies through those two discs... the discs can be permanently mounted on one or both sides... and the only thing that needs to be loose is the friction surface between the two pieces... this is how the lazy suzan effect is being used on EVERYTHING... check the willie's widgets page that was linked... those white discs are teflon sheet.

Buy it on ebay and you can make the thing you want for a dolly wheel assembly that will follow turns.


The point of the bowtie wheels is that you can have a flat axel going through the center just like any skateboard wheel would normally be used... then the bearings are directly, vertically loaded... why do you think Indi-Dolly is doing their dollies like they are instead of just angling the wheels like everybody else? It's because a dolly can be smoother, and hold more weight, with FEWER wheels... if the bearings are loaded vertically... as they are designed to do. The V-groove needs to be deep... like 1.5"... so the wheel needs to be about 4" in diameter (3.5" anyway) and then it needs to be wider then normal to accomodate the flats on both sides... see this way you can follow pipe, or industry standard dolly track... but you can ALSO get down and dirty in a pinch if you have a clean floor... you can roll on clean floor, industry dance floor, pvc pipes, or industry dolly rails... all with the SAME wheel. What's not to like?

The durometer depends on the design... softer wheels yield better results usually... so 78a... but the bearings would have to be recessed in there to shoulder the burden of the load... without the wheel flexing around the center... but if you had an axel... or dual durometer... then that wouldn't even be an issue.

I like the other ideas in this thread also... the follow focus would rock... but matte-box prices have always freaked me out... and rail assemblies too... Rails seem so simple for what they cost.
 
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It really doesn't get much simpler than a rear focus- You turn the end mounted on the pan bar, which turns a cable inside, which then turns a gear on a piece that mounts to the lens' focus gear.
 
MattinSTL
Your absolutely right about the loading on the wheels. Just by switching from a 90 degree angle to a 60 degree angle on the wheel mounts for my dolly I was able to carry a whole lot more weight and with fewer wheels. I did try some "bowtie" wheels that you mentioned but the ones I could find were Delrin and way too hard. They tended to make crunching noises if there was anything at all on the track like sand or dirt.

As for my current most wanted items aka, the things that I really want and am working on right now are:

LED lighting
Mattebox
Remote control Pan/Tilt head
Rail system


Bob
 
The boat trailering wheels will not work either.

A good pan/tilt head would be the hardest thing on this whole thread... the precision of those motors and gearing is limiting to any kind of economy construction. I bought a Bescor just to try it out... and it wasn't even in the ballpark of being smooth enough.

The rails and mattebox should be FAIRLY easy to do... the rails especially... they are simple and nearly universal. I am in agreement that it would be time well-spent to push that issue... a clamping system with universal mounting options seems like a no-brainer.

For this guy's effort to be well used I think we need to concentrate on ways to make any given item as universal as possible. With manufacturing everything is all about economy of scale... if it's gonna' be affordable they have to sell a lot of the item.

Anything in the field of stabilizers has an unlimited market... the gymbal (as previously stated) is an illusive part that shouldn't be that hard or expensive to mass produce. A good looking, universal follow-focus shouldn't be so hard either.

I like the idea of the rear focus, but I'm genuinely wondering if the Varizoom controls for DVX 100b and newer cams works just as good? How well do those systems work? Are they precise? The answer to that question determines the value of that rear focus idea... the best reason to have a 100b over 100a is that one thing for me... it's the ability to fully control the cam with external controls... but I honestly don't know how WELL they work?

Now just to keep this thread focused... try to explain your ideas with this in mind... if this effort is to ACTUALLY work... the company over there will have to be making probably 500-1000 of whatever we come up with. Modern Chinese companies will shoulder some of the burden of production minimums based on nothing more then your word... but for many items you still have to meet a pretty high minimum order... so anything that is specific to a particular cam is probably not gonna' happen.
 
Do you mean a v-groove wheel like this? (Fourth wheel, in blue.)

http://www.castercity.com/vgroovew.htm#Table%20-%20Casters

By the way, for high quality matte boxes, follow focus units, wireless FF remotes, etc., at good prices, check out http://www.redrockmicro.com. The wireless system they're coming out with is less than half the price of the Fovea stuff.

MattinSTL said:
I hate to throw this idea out there... because I think it would take over the dolly market completely... but here goes anyway... Skateboard wheels are made in china... they are no strangers to special durometer and shapes. For dollies the ultimate answer would be a wheel with a crossection shaped like a bowtie... Have you ever seen the rubber roller wheel that goes on a boat trailer?

Well a precision cast wheel... with a medium durometer of something between 78a and 98a... that has a V-groove around the circumference... and extends for at least 1/2" of FLAT beyond that (towards the outsides)... would become THE dolly wheel for everybody... from now on. The V-groove would allow the wheel to still be used on various sized track and pvc... including industry standard metal track... you would NOT want this groove rounded, because then it restricts the pipe size... whereas having the V-groove still allows equal and symetrical weight loading and identical drag co-efficient on any size pipe... AND even for smooth floors! That's why you have the 1/2" flats on either side of the grooves. No traction or texture would be desired or necessary.

The other benefit is that a molded design, using the same process they ALREADY use for skateboard wheels... would allow standard 608 bearings to be used... and each wheel would only require two bearings instead of the double wheel assemblies which require four... AND the bearings would be directly loaded and allowed to function exactly as designed... as opposed to the side loading that bearings experience in our current applications.

Finally... a wheel design such as this would allow EASY AND SIMPLE design of mounting assemblies that will allow FULL rotation and following ANY curve... or even CRABBING the dolly on a smooth floor (or a custom "dance floor" as the industry calls them)... because any 3-sided box section could support it while allowing any mounting of that section the freedom of the "unused" top side of the V-groove.

Get those going and I'll buy some... after that DIY dolly is shown in action the rest of the world will buy those wheels also... or the dolly that's made with 'em. I would guess the ideal diameter to be between 3-4" and the V-groove should be cut for 45 degrees on each side down to the point.
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Cool Lights said:
Yes, I saw this thread before but couldn't open your link for some reason here in China. May have been so good the commies had to shut it down ;-). Anyway if there's a way to post a picture here for documentation purposes that would help or I can just get around to looking at it next time I'm in the "free world" of Hong Kong. Another possibility is posting the web address as an IP address rather than the web name. It could be a DNS thing getting us from here too I suppose.
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Try this one, CL..





J
 
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dbarak said:
Do you mean a v-groove wheel like this? (Fourth wheel, in blue.)

http://www.castercity.com/vgroovew.htm#Table%20-%20Casters

By the way, for high quality matte boxes, follow focus units, wireless FF remotes, etc., at good prices, check out http://www.redrockmicro.com. The wireless system they're coming out with is less than half the price of the Fovea stuff.
Click to expand...

I'm assuming people here know about the redrock micro stuff but still think its pricey and are looking for other solutions.

On the castercity wheel, I'm not totally sure but I think the groove in Mat's idea is much wider than that to where the wheel is bowtie shaped. When we get to the end of this thread and we start narrowing in on what makes it to the "Cut List" of things to be really investigated then we'll make some drawings to make sure everyone is on the same page.
 
just a warning guys. that fovea stuff seems to be made of the same material as the GearDear Matte box stuff. (which I purchased)
for the matte box its ok. definetly not pro gear, but it does the job well.
But I would not trust that material to hold a motor for a follow focus. (I mean, its foam)
Also the wireless antena is only transfering from composite input. very bad signal and you probalby will not be able to focus properly. sounds to me to be over priced for low quality stuff.
(this is just my opinion, and I do not mean to hurt people. I'm sure someone has spend much time trying to figure these products out, but I'd just be weary of them. If you can try one and they meet your needs, then by all means buy them)
 
Thanks for the tip Siniarch I am always one for trial and error, however if I can avoid the error part, all the better. I am working on a Dolly/Jibarm right now with a ton of trial and error. I think the concepts I have for it are different than the norm. So far so good. Crane part is done, just working on the dolly for a couple weeks, then I want to build some kind of control head for it. It may be a couple more months till I'm done (work is getting in the way) grrrr!!!
 
sounds good kdawg. I'm one to tinker also. and that damn work always gets in the way.
Good luck with your projects and post some pics when you get a chance.
 
The V-groove caster wheels are a long ways away from what we need for dollies... read the specs and the purpose of those. I looked at them a long time ago.

Look at two wheels of any skateboard wheel dolly assembly... two wheels directly across from each other and the way they grab a pipe... now add 1/2" of flat to either side. This isn't rocket science here. It's about getting the benefit of that pair of skateboard wheels with one piece that takes a straight through axel... because that solves a lot of problems... which I've already listed.

I like the boompole cam boom thing you guys have shown above... very intriguing.
 
siniarch said:
just a warning guys. that fovea stuff seems to be made of the same material as the GearDear Matte box stuff. (which I purchased)
for the matte box its ok. definetly not pro gear, but it does the job well.
But I would not trust that material to hold a motor for a follow focus. (I mean, its foam)
Also the wireless antena is only transfering from composite input. very bad signal and you probalby will not be able to focus properly. sounds to me to be over priced for low quality stuff.
(this is just my opinion, and I do not mean to hurt people. I'm sure someone has spend much time trying to figure these products out, but I'd just be weary of them. If you can try one and they meet your needs, then by all means buy them)
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No one here is getting hurt. That's what we're doing here trying to get the best solutions. Anything you need Siniarch in the way of hard-to-find parts?
 
Something I wish I had TODAY:

Something I wish I had TODAY:

a good, adjustable brace that would allow me to mount and use my HVX to shoot through the opened sunroof of a vehicle, even - heck, especially - while driving alone. Something with an adjustable, 4-sided frame might be most sturdy, but I'd settle for 2 sections of 2 interlocking pipes with spacers/braces to lock the distance between them. Kinda' like a capital letter "H" but with 2 horizontal connectors, all turned sideways.

Ideally, the camera could be mountable both below the roof-line, i.e. inside the vehicle, so I could shoot both inside and outside the vehicle, e.g. upward at an angle of approx. 60 to 90 degrees (for example to shoot the higher parts of a bridge while driving under it), as well as above the roofline, so I could shoot straight ahead (above, and level or even with the roofline), or pointed slightly downward, perhaps up to about a 45 degree angle. This would be helpful to me even when not moving/driving. If able to be raised high enough above the roofline, in certain situations, it could eliminate the need for a tripod or spider-like brace. Being above the vehcle, it would also provide more height than a typical tripod. (I drive a Ford Explorer, so it's higher than a sedan or coupe).

One more feature would be the ability to slide the camera-mounting to the left or right so I wouldn't bang my head against it while driving, or could operate it from the passenger seat while parked.

I imagine it would be relatively easy to construct (though I'm not an engineeer, so I could be wrong there), and I've not been able to find anything like it on the market. I suspect the most difficult aspect would be to allow placement of the camera from below the roofline to above it; being able to "slide" the mounting and camera further from the driver seems relatively easy in comparison to positioning both above and below the roofline.

I have no photos/drawings, and can't draw an example right now, but will try later or over the weekend.

x
 
x002657 said:
a good, adjustable brace that would allow me to mount and use my HVX to shoot through the opened sunroof of a vehicle, even - heck, especially - while driving alone. Something with an adjustable, 4-sided frame might be most sturdy, but I'd settle for 2 sections of 2 interlocking pipes with spacers/braces to lock the distance between them. Kinda' like a capital letter "H" but with 2 horizontal connectors, all turned sideways.x
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How about a mulitpurpose mount for the sunroof? When shooting night car scenes I like to throw light through the sunroof. Two problems occur with this setup; A) I have very few people willing to sit atop a moving vehicle while holding a light fixture of any kind. B) I have to use my 800W power inverter (which kicks @ss) and it has a fairly loud fan. I've been looking for a way to mount it outside my car and run extension cords inside so I lose the fan noise.
 
Hey Richard,
I sure have lots of parts I'd like to be made. How long are you going to be in China? I'm pretty busy right now, but we should try to rack our brains on some designs. I can even provide you with cad files.
Thanks,
Luis
ps: where in china are you. I might be heading there soon.
 
Here's what I really want: I want to build my own Fig Rig. Yes, I have made the PVC version and it works just fine. But, I want one that's made of aluminum and I don't want to buy one from Manfrotto. I've called around to various metal shops and they want at least $150 just to bend a 1/2" aluminum rod that I supply myself. Ridiculous!

Online I can get one 5' aluminum rod for about $15. I imagine in China you can get bulk much cheaper.

Now, I'm sure there are serious patent violations for recreating the Fig Rig with all of the proper welds and what not. But, what about a simple 19" aluminum hoop? Nothing wrong with that, right? When it comes to the crossbar I can't say I have the best solution, but there has to be a way we could quick-snap a crossbar in and out rather than welding a fixed crossbar inside of the hoop (probably the one thing that would cross the line of patent violation).

I'll be honest with you, even if we couldn't find a feasible solution for a removable crossbar, I'd still buy the hoop if it were a reasonable price. Then I could buy my own crossbar (or it could come packaged with the hoop) and I'd take it down to my local metal shop and have them weld the two pieces together. According to the shop guys, its the 'bending' of the pipe that makes the labor so expensive. Apparently welds are much less expensive.
 
I'm sure we can come up with a clamp that can clamp to a curved pipe and clamp a flat stock to it. no harm in that.
Actually one thing I want is a clamp that clamps one horizontal pipe to a vertical pipe and to a pipe in the 3rd dimension. I'll explain better
 
IBEJohnson said:
Here's what I really want: I want to build my own Fig Rig. Yes, I have made the PVC version and it works just fine. But, I want one that's made of aluminum and I don't want to buy one from Manfrotto. I've called around to various metal shops and they want at least $150 just to bend a 1/2" aluminum rod that I supply myself. Ridiculous!

Online I can get one 5' aluminum rod for about $15. I imagine in China you can get bulk much cheaper.

Now, I'm sure there are serious patent violations for recreating the Fig Rig with all of the proper welds and what not. But, what about a simple 19" aluminum hoop? Nothing wrong with that, right? When it comes to the crossbar I can't say I have the best solution, but there has to be a way we could quick-snap a crossbar in and out rather than welding a fixed crossbar inside of the hoop (probably the one thing that would cross the line of patent violation).

I'll be honest with you, even if we couldn't find a feasible solution for a removable crossbar, I'd still buy the hoop if it were a reasonable price. Then I could buy my own crossbar (or it could come packaged with the hoop) and I'd take it down to my local metal shop and have them weld the two pieces together. According to the shop guys, its the 'bending' of the pipe that makes the labor so expensive. Apparently welds are much less expensive.
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LOL! I'm sure we'd violate patents all over the place. That's why I'm mostly considering discrete parts here. Like you said nothing wrong with offering a 19" aluminum hoop by itself.
 
siniarch said:
Hey Richard,
I sure have lots of parts I'd like to be made. How long are you going to be in China? I'm pretty busy right now, but we should try to rack our brains on some designs. I can even provide you with cad files.
Thanks,
Luis
ps: where in china are you. I might be heading there soon.
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I'll be here for a while yet. We'll probably come back in the summer for a couple of months though once I get the next order shipped and ready for arrival in the USA. Maybe sometime in August we'll be back. Then back to china again for more fun and development of the next batch of products. I'm in Shenzhen which is just north of Hong Kong. If you fly into Hong Kong like many people, Shenzhen customs will be where you arrive. What city were you thinking of going to?

As far as drawings and CAD files, the more detailed the better. They like CAD drawings here. At the end of this thread when we cut off, we'll start assigning people to draw stuff and if they can do CAD, all the better.
 
siniarch said:
I'm sure we can come up with a clamp that can clamp to a curved pipe and clamp a flat stock to it. no harm in that.
Actually one thing I want is a clamp that clamps one horizontal pipe to a vertical pipe and to a pipe in the 3rd dimension. I'll explain better
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Siniarch, I'll use your posting to make the point here that everyone should be prepared to explain better at the end of the thread and even defend if necessary why the part stays in the cut. So, be thinking about each of your respective part(s), what the market would be for it and more detailed explanations of how it would look, what it's made of, etc. And then finally drawings.
 
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