Bird's Eye View Help

B

bmiles1

New member
Hello! This is my first post here but I've been visiting these forums for quite some time! I'm currently producing a Senior Thesis Film at Ithaca College and would like some advice:

Our film opens the morning after a humongous party, and I'd like to have a birds-eye camera angle looking down from the ceiling "fly" slowly over the remnants of the party. The camera can just travel in a straight line and I don't need to adjust the camera angle or focus once the move starts. I'd just like to be able to glide slowly over top of the room.

Any suggestions on how to achieve this? We will be shooting on either a 5D or AF-100 so the camera should be relatively light. I'd love to be able to extend the shot almost 30 feet if possible. I will be able to rig from the ceiling if necessary. I'm thinking I'd almost have to build an inverted camera slider (on steroids) and use a pulley system to move the camera.

Any help is appreciated! Thanks!
 
Search around the forums here - I don't know the proper term for it but a few of the folks here have rigged up what is essentially a slider running on wire/rope rails. You could something like that up as high as you want it and get a nice smooth move off it.
 
Google "DIY cable dolly"

Throw in "Garrett Brown" to see some amazing stuff
 
Thanks for the responses! I did do some searches on cable dollies and that seemed like the best route to go.

Today I decided to take the plunge and attempt to build one. I drew up a few rough sketches and headed to the hardware store. Ultimately I decided to build a two wire system for stability. I used a tripod head from an extra tripod I had so the camera can easily mount, tilt and pan. The cables do not sag at all after tensioning and the rig actually works really nicely. I tested it across a 32ft span. I'm able to pull it at a constant speed using a drill hooked up to spool. Works like a champ!

Ultimately this is going to be used to fly a 5D, but I didn't have that with me so I tested it with my old Nikon and XH-A1. I took some video, but don't have time to upload it now. I'll try to get it up soon so you can take a look!









 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top