Are their any successful DIY rigs to point a camera through a windshield?

I

ironpony

Carbonite Member
For driving scenes of course. I want to shoot one for a movie where there is a camera going into the windshield but also through the side windows as well, with a driver and passenger talking. I have come up with ideas, but nothing that won't stop the camera from shaking too much so far, and I cannot find many ideas online. Are their any that work, or anything I can get that will? I have the Canon T3i. There is this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OedU4dlRRh8

But it looks like it may be too high. Anyone have any experience with that?

One of the shots I want through the side window is this one at 0:28 in:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HPI5-TSdC9w

But I would need a rig where the camera can pull back far enough on the lens millimeters, to get that focal length. Thanks.
 
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Usually shots of people driving are done on what's called a process trailer. The car is attached to a trailer that's towed by a truck purpose-build for filming. It has rigging and power for lights. This way the camera can be set up on a regular tripod or hi-hat and just ratchet strapped down.

For the shot you want, you could probably get away with the suction cup mount in the video you linked. For the profile shot, more elaborate rigging will be required, like this: http://www.filmtools.com/filmtools-magic-mount.html. It's basically three vacuum cups, three magic arms, and a cheese plate. More than enough to hold a DSLR.
 
I built this rig for a friend a couple weeks ago, Does the side window shots being adjustable in all directions - and if you remove the angle part, it sits on the hood and gets the windshield shots nicely. - i started though with the 3 suction cup plate that he supplied.

282814_10152368122580455_553063435_n.jpg
 
it took an enormous amount of force to pull the cups off the car. - but the camera was also strapped on for safety as with all rigs using suction cups
 
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