$5 Shoulder Mount

[bc5431]

I just joined here cause a friend recommended it to me and was looking through the stuff in this forum cause I like building really mediocre (but dirt cheap) versions of really expensive movie equipment and was not able to find - in my admittadly fast and surface scan of the topics - a guide for making a shoulder mount, so I figured I'd share mine. It is really simple and any of you could probably figure it out, but what the hell, someone might find it helpful. I bought a wood siding board at Home Depot - they are thinner than a 2x4, but still sturdy enough to hold a DVX and counter-weight - and cut a 3 foot and a 1 foot segment. I nailed the 1 foot segment ontop of the 3-footer at one end at a 90-degree angle so it stuck out over the edge. I put a mounting screw (I think it was a 3/8" #20-coarse, but I am sure someone else out there knows better if that is wrong) through the center of the part of the 1-footer that sticks out. In the other end of the 3-footer I put in an i-hook screw with the hook sticking out the bottom to hang a counter-weight (variously sized paint cans) from. I then duct-taped a pillow to the bottom and put my camera on the front. Stick the pillow on your shoulder and wrap your arm under it so your hand comes up around the far-front corner of the 3-footer and stabilizes it. Walk like you would if you were using a glide-cam and the jerks of your footsteps and upper-body movement are completely removed from the footage while maintaining a hand-held aesthetic. I also could tie some rope around my body and have someone anchor them so I could stiffen my body and lean out really far and stuff and turn myself into a human crane for eye-level to floor-level vertical movement. Kinda risky, but if you keep your back and knees stiff and a good grip on the mount (and have someone who you trust to hold your weight as an anchor) then you can get pretty good stuff from it. I wish I had pictures to show you of it because I am not sure how well I explained it, but I left it in my dorm room which is about 14 hours away from where I am now. When I get back I'll upload them if people want. Anyways, as I said, it is really simple and anyone could figure it out, but just incase you couldn't or didn't want to, there you go.

 

[moe_snodgrass]

Thanks bc. A photo or two would really help.

Moe

 

[twocik23]

It seems cool, but I can't visualize it. Try to post a pic or two.

 

[j]

Another option, besides a pillow might be one of these ergonomic gel wrist pads:

http://www.officedepot.com/ddSKU.do?level=SK&id=442451&&An=browse

They have a hard, flat side that you can just stick some double sided tape to the bottom of your shoulder mount. They are also black nylon, so they might look a little more professional.

Of course, at $5.99 they will more than double the cost of your shoulder mount...

-j

 

[Sean R]

Some pictures would be great, when you get back. One of my intelligences is not in "handiness", so I'll need something to follow if I want to try.

Oh, and welcome to the forums!