Camera rigs?

[mrhogg]

Hey all,

I'm beginning the long, slow process of not only starting on dotBoom season 2, but reworking just about every aspect of the way I produced the show. As part of that, I'm turning my eye to camerawork, which is to say I want to have some camera work in dB 2 (and the others I'm planning). One thing I'm wondering is about camera rigs. Since I'll be able this time to have a properly heighted set, and sets of a size to allow for moving camera shots. As such, I'm thinking of handheld rigs.

Is there a standard for these? I know I could put a regular tripod on a raised platform, but I'd love to have a handicam-style setup, allowing a camera operator to walk around the puppets without a need for elaborate constructions. I've seen some neat home-made ones, but they've all been for standard heights. I don't know if I'd need a telescoping rig or what.

Any thoughts?

 

[JDAmato]

Unfortunately, a higher heighted steadi-cam rig is going to be tough. The general idea behind steadi-cams is that they move the force of movement below the anchor point and center of balance that if usually just at your hand. While there aren't going to be any nice plans laid out for you on the internet, I think you could fashion a shoulder-mount rig and see how that works. However, I would suggest you consider removing as much camera movement as possible and focus more on hidden camer movement between cuts and different angles. Maybe invest the money you would spend on building a rig to just buying another camera. What height are you looking for exactly and how much/fast is the movement?

 

[mrhogg]

Hey JD,

I'm going to be building the sets so that the visual component starts at about 5 feet, and goes up to 9 or 10 feet. What would be very cool would be to be able to mimic the same feel of a regular steadicam/handicam movement; I want it to feel like there's a person able to walk through the set at regular height, just like they would be on a human-sized set, or in the real world.

The speed would be limited by the size of the sets, of course, but I'm planning to make them big enough to allow for some play.

I was thinking of making a weighted pole to attach the camera, possibly two handed to allow for better control and to compensate for the height of the sets. Also, a telescoping setup would be amazing. I don't necessarily need to move the camera from 10 to 5 feet in a single shot, but to adjust the height between takes would be awesome.

 

[Buck-Beaver]

A good option that can work really well if your camera is only a couple of pounds is a cheap camcorder jib (kind of like a camera crane). They usually go for a few hundred bucks, but you might be able to find one for less on ebay.

 

[JDAmato]

This may sound less awesome than you had invisioned, but I was thinking...why not build a regular steadi-cam (i have tried most of the hand-made ones on line and they all work prett decently) and then just build a 3 or 4 foot platform for your camera op to walk on? While Jib arms are cool, they are expensive and are often difficult to operate (some even require special liscences). I think a platform would be your best solution---not only is it less precarious, but it also solves some of the issues you may have with being able to see what you are shooting (one less electronic you have to buy)...

 

[mrhogg]

Thanks for the ideas, Buck. The jibs sound cool. JD, my problem with the raised platform is getting them in place. I am liking the idea more and more of being able to have the camera operator maneuver freely in the space, and being able to pick from a variety of angles, rather than having to pick everything ahead of time.

I hadn't thought of the monitoring issue, but I imagine I could fairly easily rig something up to have a monitor on the pole.

 

[Buck-Beaver]

It took me a couple days to track down this link, but this looks like it would be fun to make and use...a homemade jib arm.

 

[mrhogg]

That looks pretty cool. Does that kind of thing do side-to-side movement, or just more of a rotational thing?

One of my big concerns is with the amount of space these things take up. I'll be doing all of this out of a 15x30 area, but the shooting area will be at most 10x20, which will include the sets and lighting. It's one of the reasons I like the handheld rig idea, above and beyond the stylistic justifications; it ought to take up a lot less room.

I'm surprised there aren't any puppetry-specific rigs out there; someone HAS to have made one at some point in the past, right?

 

[Buck-Beaver]

That's a good question...there are special dolly rigs for doing shots where puppets have to walk down a street, but other than that usually cameras just get either mounted on some kind of crane/jib/dolly or raised in the air using their tripods/base or by placing the camera on some kind of boxes or platform.

Remember that generally with puppets the camera should be lower and tilted up to help conceal the tops of puppeteers' heads so the camera doesn't have to actually get that high. A good professional tripod usually does the trick.

 

[mrhogg]

But how tall does a regular tripod go? Even tilting up, I'd still need to be a 6-8 feet, I'm thinking.