Just Built a Dolly!

L

LuckyProducer

Well-known member
Hey guys, I just finished building a dolly. I tried it out and it works well. I ran into a problem going down or up a hill. The camera on the tripod will have a tilt to it, but then I remembered that one of the cheapy tripods has a swivel that pans and tilts so that can be fixed. But I was wondering what I would do if I went parallel to a hill making my board tilt sideways. I know that I can just pan my camera down to make it even, but the track will start sliding or whatever and stuff. I was thinking of putting things underneath the track to make it even, but what can I do to make a 30-60 ft track even. Do you guys have any suggestions?

P.S. I am also going to be using a monitor. This is probably easier to operate it right because then you have to look inside the viewfinder or at the LCD screen. Someone can be running along side you holding the monitor (mine is small and runs on batteries) or I can tape it to the floor of the dolly while I look down. What do you think?

P.S.2. Do you guys have any suggestions or tips on how to work with a dolly to make it smooth or just basic tips on camera movement. I've never worked with one before. I will learn a lot by just playing around with it. But if you guys learned anything of your own, feel free to tell me because I need as much advice as I can get. Thanks!
 
For a home built dolly, you'll need to level the track. Trying to work with a tilting track will drive you mad.
To work with a dolly to make it smooth...add weight. Dollies are seldom light.
 
I'll post it tomorrow.
I was fooling around with it and I ran into another problem:

I have a condenser boom mic. It captures dialogue really really good. I am really impressed. Although it doesn't capture the noise from my camera, it captures the PVC under my dolly as it slightly shifts. It's not the wheels making the noise, it's the PVC slightly shifting on the pavement as the dolly wheels by. I tried different things like turning the microphone more on the other side. I tried to find a way to put the volume lower on the mic but I can't do this. I thought about putting towels on the bottom of the PVC so when it rolls, it would roll on top of the towel, but my mom would kill me if she saw her beautiful towels on the ground getting dirt all over it. So I have no clue. I ran out of ideas. Do you guys have suggestions?

P.S. As for the hill, I can simply move my tripod legs to make it even. Do you guys know a good way to trap the tripod legs on the dolly. I was thinking of drilling three big holes on the surface so the legs can hook right inside. This would help. Do you have any suggestions?
 
Get the neoprene, (they make wet suits and mouse pads from it), and cut it into strips about 6 inches wide and as long as your tracks. Don't overlap them, or the dolly will jump.
 
Are these expensive and where can I get this. Also, do I put this under the tracks?

Thanks a lot for your help guys! You guys are great!
 
Go to any dive shop, surf shop, or used clothes store, and look for a used, dead wetsuit.

btw, "under" the tracks.
 
Ok, here's the pictures of my dolly.

Dolly

Dolly 2

Dolly 3

Dolly 4

Dolly 5
(We had to do this way because the metal rod we got had weird holes. The wheels would be touching the wood. So we did it like this and then scraped grooves under the wheels so it wouldn't touch the wood.

Dolly Test Video

This is the best run I did. On picture two, you see behind the dolly there is a bag of rice, this white weight thingy, pool paint, and behind that my monitor. I put it all on top of my dolly and then my camera and tripod. I then stood on it. This is what I got. But I am still not pleased because it takes several takes to get just this and you can still hear the PVC shifting on the pavement. Do you guys have any suggestions on the smoothness and noise (I havta see where I can get the neoprene thing). Thanks guys!
 
Hey, did anyone look at the pictures and the video I posted up? I was just wondering because people usually answer pretty quick. Alright, I'll be patient. Lol!
 
Guys? Can you help me out here? Why is it so loud and bumpy? It seems fine. The wheels are nice, the PVC too. there are no bumps on the PVC. Even on the connectors. What should I do? I start shooting in a couple of days. (thursday).
 
Sweet dolly bro!!!

that pool is looking niiiice....:grin:

Could it be becuase you shaved the grooves off the wheels?

Maybe a bold or nut isnt in tight enough on the wheels...which causes the wheel to go back and forth when being pushed to make that sound.

Is your track like perfectly straight? i noticed you used like a glue or something on those pipes....the pipes have slight bumps...and when you ride over them..it makes the sound.

jus a few ideas..
 
Since you seem to be using skateboard wheels, it's very unlikely they're all round, they aren't intended for dolly use after all.

Take one at a time off, and run it on the tracks, you'll probably find a few that don't track...and they need to be changed.
 
get some big soft londbord wheels and new berings they are a lot smoother than regular wheels or get rollerblade wheels
 
Thursday wow that's coming up soon! I'm not there to see it perform but here are some thoughts that might help you out:

Your wheels are now offset (not directly opposite each other. this would have the effect of pushing the track very slightly one way and then the other. It could produce a sort of grinding on the pavement - probably adding to your mic noise and possibly some unsteadiness in the dolly. Since you're energy is is going into distorting the track, it may also take more effort to push .

If your still having any trouble with tripod shifing on the dolly you could try a DIY professional tie down system. Rig up a short length of chain that runs from the middle of your tripod to the dolly floor and snug it with a turnbuckle.

If you having trouble with your starts and stops consider adding a brace from the dolly handle to the platform. There's a lot of force needed to get the weighted dolly rolling and to have good control (i.e. smooth moves) you need everything as tight and wobble free as you can get.

Good luck with the shoot!
 
If you can't get to a dive shop for the wet suit rubber, I just thought about a quick and dirty solution to cut the noise made by tracks on pavment: about 6" wide cardboard strips under each track. If there's still noise, wet down the cardboard. Cleaning up is where the "dirty" part comes in :happy:
 
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