Jib purchase advice required.

Aaron Koolen

Aaron Koolen

Well-known member
Sorry to post here but there doesn't really seem to be a forum for this sort of stuff.

I'm looking for a jib at the moment. I've just finished watching Per Holmes 'hollywood camerawork" and want a jib to try stuff out with - and of course use in my films. does anyone have any suggestions for a good, tripod monutable, smallish jib that can pan and tilt the camera?

Alternatively, has anyone got and built stuff from "killer camera rigs"? I'm tempted to get it but I don't know if it's just a rip off or not?

Also, what's happened to homebuiltstabilizers.com, it seems down? I haven't looked at that in a year, so I have no clue what's up with it.


Cheers
Aaron
 
The gib from Glidecam(.com) is fantastic. Around $450 if I'm not mistaken and absolutely worth the price. With the exception of what a motorized head can give you this thing pretty much does it all. When weighted properly gives you incredibly smooth results. I purchased one for a few simple overhead and crane shots and ended up using it a tremendous amount, just because you can move the camera so smootly. It is a fairly complicated piece of equipment so I wouldn't recommend building your own, not for this price.
 
Thanks for that. Can you tell me, if someone doesn't have the pan/tilt head, how can they point the camera anywhere? Most cranes I've looked at don't mention anything about being able to pan or tilt without a special head that's very expensive.

Aaron
 
You can't. You don't. That's why those heads are so expensive.

A few of the lower-cost cranes do provide for a tilt function, but I don't think any of them offer a remote pan function.
 
Wow! Thanks Barry. Guess that's another case of "Of course they'll be able to pan and tilt" naivete. I just assumed that they'd be pretty useless without that ability. I think I'll need to manufacture my own.

Aaron
 
The small jibs like porta-jib, don't need a remote head, you mount you're own fluid head and operate from the camera end. Can get some very sophisticated shots. I have a seven-jib which seems every bit as good as the porta-jib for a third the price. can handle full size cameras with the right head, you just adjust the counterbalance weights to match the camera. Need a good full size 100mm bowl tripod as the whole rig (jib, head, camera, weights, can be100 lbs or more) longvalleyequip.com
 
Hi Aza,

I'm pretty biased about "Killer Camera Rigs" since I wrote it, so I'll just say that per holmes, the creator of "Hollywood camera work"recommends it:

http://www.hollywoodcamerawork.us/resources.html

For Per's work, you'll want to build the dolly combined with the "Killer's Kiss Crane" in Killer Camera Rigs That You Can Build. Not only are they super easy to build, but are designed to work together. Also, as some objective comments about the book, you can take a look at my "praise" page on the site:

http://dvcamerarigs.com/praise.html

I don't edit the comments I receive, so you can get a pretty good idea from those that have bought the book. I also just got back from teaching a couple of seminars at NAB. The rig building seminar was the 3rd highest attended in its track, and the NAB bookstore at the convention had only 6 books left an hour after the seminar ended. I think they sold out eventually!

Hope this helps with your decision!

All my best,

Dan Selakovich
www.DVcameraRigs.com
 
Hi Dan, thanks again. I asked on DVInfo, and you mentioned that the jibs do not PAN and Tilt, how then are they used with the HollywoodCamerawork stagins (Which I have BTW)? I assume the operator uses the jib at the camera end? So I assume you can get real smooth pans and tilts with it?


Oooo, I just noticed on your page that it has metric measurements too! That's a great help for me.


Aaron
 
i have the skycrane jr. that is both a crane and a jib and like it quite a bit.

the people who make it are great to deal with and they will even do customization.

i came across this fairly cheap bescor motorized head on b&h that was interesting.

mounted atop a crane it could give you the pan and most cranes already do tilt.

matthew
 
Hi Aza,

2 of the cranes in the book DO tilt, but not pan. But the one you want to use for Hollywood Camera Work is a short jib that is a static mount. I usually put a fluid head on there and operate from the camera end. The boom goes up to about 7' high, so it's still within reach, and plenty high enough for working with actors and doing everything in the HCW DVD series.

Dan
www.DVcameraRigs.com
 
Dan, i have your book and have had a great time implementing the desings in it...

i posted something in the hardware section that i need to build to get a certain shot, if you could go glance at it and give me your feedback i'd really appreciate it.

its right up your alley. doing a 180 degree tilt, starting at level going down as an actor walks towards and then under the camera and then continue the tilt coming up, upside down as the actor walks away, stopping at upside down level.

matthew
 
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