"Poor Man's Steadycam" - Ingenious DYI :)

Paul Fierlinger wrote on 8/17/2007, 3:15 AM

I watched Garrett Brown invent the steadycam (which he originally wanted to call the Brown) and to emulate his very first experiment would be even cheaper than to build this one; he fixed a video camera to one end of a 12 foot bamboo pole and counterbalanced it by attaching the camera's tape recorder to the other end of the pole. He carried this rig like a Chinese coolie (which inspired him to the idea in the first place) and followed his little son running up and down a rocky creek bank. It worked.

ReneH wrote on 8/17/2007, 5:20 AM

Yep, this one always seems to appear from time to time in posts. It certainly has its weaknesses...but hey I'm guilty of building one too!

Dan Sherman wrote on 8/17/2007, 6:14 AM

Built that.
Tried that.
Gathering dust.
After a few shots your arm will fall off at the shoulder.
There is no poor man's steadycam, wishful thinking I'm afraid.

mr.beebo wrote on 8/17/2007, 7:28 AM

Built that too.
Gathering dust now too.
Certainly not as versatile as the name stabilizers but at about $30 was a great tool to learn with and it does work. And after a month of working out with that thing, you'll be able to brush the enamel off your teeth.

richard-courtney wrote on 8/17/2007, 7:53 AM

I always have loved DIY projects for video. Some of my projects
may be a bit lame, but my wife gets a good laugh so it's worth it.
If you add a gimbal / backbrace it takes the weight off your arms and distributes
it through your back muscles.

These http://homebuiltstabilizers.com/greyfullrigs.htmrigs[/link] may be closer to what you want.

I have "cameraman's shoulder" issues so I can't place anything or hold
much with my arm anymore.

There also is a http://homebuiltstabilizers.com/DIYprojekts/IsoElasticArmCalculator.xlsCalculator[/link]
for figuring out the spring arm.

Soniclight, thanks for posting this.

Rattangle wrote on 8/17/2007, 12:13 PM

Guilty of building one too.
Sherman is absolutely correct. My arm ran out before the tape.

Soniclight wrote on 8/17/2007, 12:17 PM

RCourtney,

Thanks for your informative reply, I'll check the stuff out.

-----------------------------------

DIY vs. Top Gun Gear

As to those who don't like the DIY approach, I respect your views, but when one lives on a very limited budget as I do (Social Security disability with occasional windfalls), lo/no-cost solutions with perhaps less-than-studio grade results isn't something I'm ashamed of.

Hell, I use thrift store desk lamps and bulbls and materials to make lighting and other stuff. Aluminum foil and cardboard, etc. Will probably build my own green screen with PVC pipe and so on.

None of this maybe be at your fiduciary level, but I'm fairly good with tools and dig it :)

As Farss said to me in an other thread about DIY-ing, what matters is what is in the frame, not outside of it.

DIY gear may look funky and not work as slickly as fancy thousand dollar gear -- but with good compositional, lighting and editing instincts, very good work can still be done. Even some miracles...

"Moralities, ethics, laws, customs, beliefs, doctrines - these are of trifling import. All that matters is that the miraculous become the norm." ~ Henry Miller

(OK, so I'm pontificating a bit, but this can apply to any field of endeavor, incl. video/film making - lol)

All that said, I can always learn from looking at the "real" equipment and from observations thereof (such as yours) and fashion something a bit better. So thanks for those.

NRN

nolonemo wrote on 8/17/2007, 1:21 PM

Just to add to the DIY, there's a PVC DIY Fig Rig on this page. Haven't made it or used it.....
http://www.abracadabravideos.com/DIY/DIYpage1.htm

richard-courtney wrote on 8/17/2007, 2:29 PM

I love to hear more of your own projects.

Good with tools....have a lathe?

I sure could use some couplers made for my PVC track dolly!!!

Sounds like you have some grey hair too. Most important thing....having
fun with family and friends.

Soniclight wrote on 8/17/2007, 2:53 PM

RCourtney,

Sorry, no lathe :) I'm such a cheapskate (or thrifty depending on one's p.o.v.) that my approach is very on-the-fly using just drill, saw, pliers, etc. etc.. I jerry-rigged/build half of my furniture, including desk where I do my film editing and music composition (using an old Korg music workstation and Steinberg SX2).

As to my project, you can go visit my website -- there are no clips there, but it shows you some of my still artwork that I made for the site which points to the style of film I"m slowly but surely creating. See my profile for link.

I do have some rough .wmv visual effects drafts clips of which most have music by me also on a secure page.

So if you like the general, perhaps for some too-corny/new-age website, contact me through my profile here and I'll send the access codes.

I've got a long way to go to create the level of effects and music I am shooting for, but it's a tiny glimpse of my ongoing creative dream.

farss wrote on 8/17/2007, 3:47 PM

When it comes to steadycamish stuff there really is no way to cut corners. Apart from the actual rig operator experience is everything. It doesn't matter so much if it's a $10 or $10K rig if you can't walk the walk and dance the dance you'll never get results like the pros.
Being superfit sure helps too which counts me out :)

Having said that, there's a local guy who makes replacement parts for the full on rigs. His redesigned arms sell for around $10K and are highly praised by operators. Damned if I could see the difference in the things myself but I've never thought it wise to tell a steadycam guy (or gal) they're full of it.

Which is not to say there's anything wrong with having a go building your own, at a pinch a folded tea towel can work wonders. We've also bought an interesting gizmo designed by a local lad that for lightweight cameras can get you some interesting shots where you don't have control over the talent, like in the middle of a rave party.

Bob.

Soniclight wrote on 8/17/2007, 8:30 PM

I suppose the bottom line is that what I have to deal with (one-man production etc.) who's not doing hundreds of varied scenes in challenging environments is.... just not at anywhere near to the level many of you here are working at or used to.

I'm one of the small people with mbitious and serious film-making dreams making due with my life's what-is-is.

My hat off to you more pro people :)

Serena wrote on 8/18/2007, 3:53 AM

Soniclight, the only reason for not using the DIY "steadicam" is that it relies on the strength of your arm. That's OK for a few shots, but once your arm gets tired then that adds shake of its own. You'll find a slightly better DIY design in "Killer Camera Rigs That You Can Build" by Dan Selakovich and there are several official steadicam DV rigs which are essentially the same (your arm for support) but more expensive. As farss says, most of it is in how smoothly your can move while still framing the shot. The bigger Steadicam has a mechanical arm to carry the weight with a suspension system that floats the camera. So this works by the camera through its inertia wanting to keep moving at constant speed with a very soft suspension that is reluctant to transmit wobbles to the camera. Same with the DIY system.

blink3times wrote on 8/18/2007, 4:44 AM

The problem with the "poor man's steady cam" is that it's steal and adds a LOT of unnecessary weight (you need the length for the pendulum effect... not the weight).

I took the basic design and used aluminum tent poles instead. It was a bit more of a pain because the ready-made threading was not on the ends, and I had to adapt a pvc T to the poles because I couldn't find an aluminum T. But it did come together and it's MUCH easier to use.

Of course after chopping up all the tent poles (thereby ruining the tent), I did find that they do sell hollow core poles in different lengths at Rona (Canadian hardware store)

farss wrote on 8/18/2007, 5:08 AM

I bought one such rig a few years ago at NAB, a thingy called a Steadypod. With a lightweight camera it works OK but as Serena said your arm can get tired very quickly.

Even with a full on very expensive rig it's not easy. A few years back I did watch a steadycam guy pull a rig apart that we were trying to use (probably just too painfull for him to watch our feeble efforts), he spent some time getting it set up right, getting the thing balanced just right is half the battle.

Then he showed us how it was done and even with the most expensive rig it isn't easy, I'm nowhere near fit or experienced enough to do it. And you really need to be Arnie fit! The vest needs to be pretty tight which can restrict breathing and keep in mind that you've got the weight of the camera AND the counterwights and you've got to 'dance' more than walk.

Can I also add that these things can be dangerous, we no longer rent them and I don't think anyone else in this city will either. I believe one poor camera operator fell off a boat a few year back never to be seen again, the vest must have a quick release buckle so you can loose it quickly. Just on dry land we've had people trip over gutters, nearly fall down stairs etc. With a vest on when you fall you'd be very lucky to be able to break your fall so you can very easily go face first into a lot of metal. At the very least always have someone with you.

Now I've got the bad news off my chest if you do want a cheap one there's some usable ones on eBay, made in India. They'll never come close to the $5K rigs but for around $200 you get a decent starting point, at least you won't have the grief of trying to make your own gimbal and that's the trickiest part.

Now here's the mistake that everyone, myself included, makes with these things. They put too much weight on the bottom of the column! More weight is BAD. The moment of inertia above and below the pivot must be almost the same. Just a whisker more below than above. Hold the column horizontal and let it go. It should take 2 to 3 seconds to swing down to the vertical position. Any longer and there's too much weight on the bottom.

Too much weight on the bottom means when you turn a corner the bottom of the column will swing out, end of shot! Also with too much weight on the bottom the rig will try to sway, makes it harder to get a steady, level shot when you walk.

Next thing is to get the thing balanced so it hangs vertically, you use the camera mounting plate to get this right. The expensive rigs have micrometer X and Y adjustments for this, the cheap ones you have to loosen screws and then slide the plate around and then tighten the screws without moving the position. Oh, and make certain the camera has a battery on it and tape in the transport while you do these adjustments.

You may need several passes of adjusting camera position and counterweights to get it perfect but it's time well spent. I think all this is covered in the book Serena mentioned, good book too, one day I'll find the time to build something out of it!

If you can't afford the book, check out:

http://homebuiltstabilizers.com/

Actually, even if you can't afford the book, buy it anyway. People who put that much effort into publishing good stuff deserve to be encouraged.

Bob.