What kind of dolly is this?

[Mitch Gross]

Ha! Gordon Willis hated that dolly and refused to use it. I recall the story where he basically said to Coppola, "Look, I'll worry about the camera & lights and you can think about everything else. I won't tell you what actors to use."

The Colortran is nice for what it is and it can get into very tight spaces and get the camera very low. But those tiny wheels can really feel the bumps so the surface has to be very smooth or you'll see it in the footage.

 

[David G. Smith]

Ha! Gordon Willis hated that dolly and refused to use it. I recall the story where he basically said to Coppola, "Look, I'll worry about the camera & lights and you can think about everything else. I won't tell you what actors to use."

The Colortran is nice for what it is and it can get into very tight spaces and get the camera very low. But those tiny wheels can really feel the bumps so the surface has to be very smooth or you'll see it in the footage.

Yeah, I think that Coppola probably went with the dolly because of its size and portability since he put together that compact equipment van on "The Rain People".

 

[hscully]

I hadn't visited the thread to see that video. Thanks David. That looks like the dolly. I like that he said he rode his kids around on it, and had it for so long. It's a very cool video. Thanks for sharing it. I'm also inspired by that skateboard dolly on the street shot. Looks mighty familiar!