Camera rigs?

[Buck-Beaver]

It really depends on the height of your sets and of your puppeteers. I have used a lot of professional tripods that were fine in terms of height. They usually have long centre columns that can get a camera up quite high, but the drawback of that is that the further the centre column is extended the less stable the camera is.

I have seen a lot of people just place a standard tripod on top of apple boxes or small crates to get a camera up to the appropriate height.

A good idea might be to go down to professional camera shop like Henry's or Vistek in Toronto and ask them what they would recommend in terms of a tripod. Even if you don't buy one there, their advice is usually pretty good.

 

[mrhogg]

I was in Henry's last weekend, looking at their tripods. The one I have is pretty flimsy, and I have need of a better one for non-puppet purposes. I suppose, even if I go the route of custom-made handheld rigs, a good, height appropriate tripod would make sense for those times when I don't want a moving camera.

 

[Bradd]

spiderbrace

While it's not perfect, the spider brace helps make hand-held shots come out smooth. It's a light-weight and affordable rig that gives you some options. Worth checking out, just to see the simple PVC design.
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Bradd Parton
GLOOMY ROOMIES
monsters, puppets, comics

 

[Buck-Beaver]

That's a really nice, affordable rig. I bet it would super easy to build your own from PVC pipe too.

 

[mrhogg]

That's a neat looking rig, for sure. It still doesn't solve the height problem, though. Hmm.

I may have to go the route of having the camera operator(s) stand on risers, but I hope I can avoid it.


The spider brace looks like a good thing to pick up in any case, though. Swank.

 

[JDAmato]

That's a neat looking rig, for sure. It still doesn't solve the height problem, though. Hmm.

I may have to go the route of having the camera operator(s) stand on risers, but I hope I can avoid it.


The spider brace looks like a good thing to pick up in any case, though. Swank.

I have a colleague who builds camera-rigs constantly, and you would be surprised what a $50 trip to home depot can make. So, while I do think risers are your best bet for a low cost option, I would sketch out the ideal rig you would want and see if you can find the parts at a hardware shop. What I have grown to accept is the fact that there will never be a rig that can do everything you need, so you should figure out what you need shot by shot and work accordingly.

 

[mrhogg]

I suppose I'll have to do some tests. I could see the range of motion I can get with a handicam and some risers. I feel like it won't be enough, and that the risers will be far too in my way, but it might prove much more versatile than I'm thinking it will.