home made track/dolly test

me and a buddy made a camera track and dolly system from scratch. it's still pretty jittery, does anyone have any solutions? we used pvc pipe.

Category:

Film & Animation

Tags:

• homemade
• home
• made
• track
• dolly
• cinematic
• cinematography
• new
• fresh
• ideas
• cute
• clever
• witty
• funny

[drumyouaway]

Yeah, it's been a little bit improved since I've made that test video... the problem with the shake comes when the dolly crosses from one piece of pvc pipe to the other. I've been forced to only use one 10 ft. piece now as to assure a completely smooth shot.

Thanks for the comment!

[shadowgmable]

трясется!

[VideoCopilotTut]

A bit shaky but otherwise great footage... Could I suggest using PVC tubes to create a smoother shot?

[godsofold]

Add weight. Sand bags or free weights are good. Get rid of the pvc pipe, it bends too much. Try using 1" metal tubing. Also if you are using two pipes together (end to end) ensure the seam between them is smooth. When you hit this small gap, it causes a bump. Make sure that you're not using metal rollers. You want some thing like roller skate or roller blade type wheels.

[duanebproducions]

always

[downawang23]

what song is this by blink 182

[Mackenzier04]

wtf

[barbaralovesblack]

Almost forgot . . . a four-foot, (or six-foot), carpenter's level is your friend.

[barbaralovesblack]

What happened to my original comment?!

Jitters? Use the best bearings you can get. Add weight - the lower the better. Make sure that every inch of your track is fully supported. Think "wedges" like those used to align window and door frames.(Ask This Old House)

Best wheels cost too much? Can you make a temp structure of wood/plastic/metal channels held in place by "cross ties" like a railroad?

[barbaralovesblack]

If no one thinks to give you that credit, be sure to mention it when you're interviewed for ET or Life After Film School. ;)

[barbaralovesblack]

It's still a nice shot. I'm not sure how many "average" viewers would notice in an opening shot - especially not if titles and credits were moving at the same time. Can I see it? Yes. Is it distracting? Probably not such. Especially with titles or far enough into a production to have the audience emotionally invested. If it's in a "teenage angst" type of story, you might even be credited with the slight shakes being an artistic choice used to mimic the tone of emotional upset.