032 Musecast - November 14, 2007 ~ The Steadicam Episode

Guest Hello: Mike Joerndt

This week Eric showcases the building of a cost effective steadicam. He uses Johnny Chung Lee's website (http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~johnny/steadycam/ ) as a guide. There you will find a materials list and in-depth instructions to build your own steadicam. You can also order one for $30 if you don't have the equipment or know how to build your own.

Materials:

1/4" drill bit. (that can go through steel, wood ones won't work.)
3, 1/2" dia. galvanized steel pipes (10" long)
3, 1/2" dia. end caps
1, 1/2" dia. T-joint
3, 1.5" long, 1/4" dia. machine bolts
2, 1/4" wing nut
3, 1.5" dia. flange washers for 1/4" bolts
3, lock washers for 1/4" bolts (i recommend getting a small bag of these, they're easy to lose.)
2, 1/4" machine nuts (again, get a small bag)

1, 1" wide bar of aluminum (3ft long minimum)
1, 2.5 pound barbell weight. (get at Walmart or second hand exercise store)

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Average price of materials: $19 (your costs may vary.)

Assembly time: 45 minutes

Saving the $900 on a professional model and just making your own: Priceless

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• musecast
• musecast5
• homemade
• steadicam
• katamari
• damacy
• evil
• dead
• eric
• steffens
• DIY

[MrPlug]

Loved it for the Army of Darkness goodness.

[MuseCast5]

Glad you liked it! :-)

-Eric

[psycold]

haha yea Bruce Campbell FTW

[ericpaladin]

Hey Linda, thanks so much. Glad you like it! Keep watching, you haven't seen anything yet. :-)

-Eric

[mosaic915]

Hey Eric! I've just recently discovered MuseCast and am working my way through all your episodes. I'm not anything close to a filmmaker or a handyperson, but it was really cool watching you put that together!! Thanks for sharing the process with us.

[jackjaaa]

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[tsutv]

i agree with the katamari comment...rather festive!!

[ericpaladin]

You can shoot steady shots handheld but it takes much more concentration and steadier hands. This is fine for pans or slow dolly-style shots. But for anything more complex or fast paced (your subject is running), it won't work that well.

I hope that answers your question.

[ericpaladin]

When you're shooting handheld, especially with a smaller camera, it doesn't have that much weight. Therefore the camera will pitch and yaw in your hand as you shoot. The weight of the steadicam, and specifically the bottom counter weight force the camera not to rock back and forth nearly as much. It acts very much like the tail of a cat.

[diagonalman]

I agree. A before and after comparison would be helpful. What is the mechanical principle behind the upright steadycam (not shoecam, I get that one)? How is it different than just going handheld? Grazie. 5 Stars!