pmark23
Veteran
Just got back from a long distance shoot and had several chances to try out the "solo dolly" I made last month.
Here's a short sample (DIVX MPEG-4). (I had a broken hand when I shot this
but it's quite nice. It'll only get better with more practice. )
You can read a previous post about the solo dolly here.
It takes just a few minutes to set up and tear down, and is easily levelled.
It's a bit difficult to get a smooth shot because it's so light. I was depending on finding ballast to weigh the dolly down during shooting, but it was impossible at most locations (industrial site in the desert). It took a lot of practice before getting good shots, and even then it took several takes.
The track is made with 2 cm aluminum tubing having a wall-thickness of .8 mm. I was worried about denting the edges when being banged around, but the tube is very light and has no inertia so it just bounces with no damage.
The track is connected using PVC tubing sliced down the middle and squeezed into the aluminum pipe. The track was cut into ~1 metre sections using a hacksaw and a mitre-box. There's around 4 metres of track.
Although the joints aren't completely seamless, the wheels are soft rollerblade rubber which adequately smooth over any gaps.
I made a box with left-over wood from the tracks to keep the rails from getting bent by baggage handlers during transit.
Everything fits into a tripod bag and weighs just a few kilos. Cat goes into bag to provide security during transit.
Some improvements I will make are: more ties to go between existing ties; longer ties to prevent wobble; and a platform to put weights or a waterbag.
In conclusion, the solo dolly worked even better than I thought. This nifty little tool will raise the production value of our docs and industrials immensely -- especially since most of our jobs are in remote locations and we're often restricted in the size of baggage and the number of crew allowed on site (usually just one.)
Now on the drawing-board: the solo crane. :thumbsup:
Here's a short sample (DIVX MPEG-4). (I had a broken hand when I shot this
but it's quite nice. It'll only get better with more practice. )You can read a previous post about the solo dolly here.
It takes just a few minutes to set up and tear down, and is easily levelled.
It's a bit difficult to get a smooth shot because it's so light. I was depending on finding ballast to weigh the dolly down during shooting, but it was impossible at most locations (industrial site in the desert). It took a lot of practice before getting good shots, and even then it took several takes.
The track is made with 2 cm aluminum tubing having a wall-thickness of .8 mm. I was worried about denting the edges when being banged around, but the tube is very light and has no inertia so it just bounces with no damage.
The track is connected using PVC tubing sliced down the middle and squeezed into the aluminum pipe. The track was cut into ~1 metre sections using a hacksaw and a mitre-box. There's around 4 metres of track.
Although the joints aren't completely seamless, the wheels are soft rollerblade rubber which adequately smooth over any gaps.
I made a box with left-over wood from the tracks to keep the rails from getting bent by baggage handlers during transit.
Everything fits into a tripod bag and weighs just a few kilos. Cat goes into bag to provide security during transit.
Some improvements I will make are: more ties to go between existing ties; longer ties to prevent wobble; and a platform to put weights or a waterbag.
In conclusion, the solo dolly worked even better than I thought. This nifty little tool will raise the production value of our docs and industrials immensely -- especially since most of our jobs are in remote locations and we're often restricted in the size of baggage and the number of crew allowed on site (usually just one.)
Now on the drawing-board: the solo crane. :thumbsup:
