Dollies

[hgnacik]

Has anyone tried using a tripod Dolly to record video at weddings or other events? If so, what did you use? Did you find that there was camera vibration when you moved? What were the pros and cons? Has anyone built their own dolly setup? I’m thinking that along with the dolly, it would be convenient to have a shelf to store a battery, etc.

[Anonymous]

Haven’t used one but I bookmarked this website a while ago while I was looking into the possibility of building a dolly and a crane – you may be interested in taking a look – here’s the dollies page:

http://www.homebuiltstabilizers.com/greydollies.htm

[hgnacik]

J_o_n, thanks. The wheelsdon’t look like they can rotate like casters but I would imagine this could be further customized to include smaller wheels such as casters.

[Anonymous]

Yep, I think the ones there are mainly intended for use on tracks (angled skateboard wheels on plastic tubing rails seems to be popular for the low budget ones), but you could use those industrial (shopping cart/trolley) type casters if you preferred, I’m sure – especially if you want something you’re going to sit on. I’d probably prefer that, and then a guide pin at either end going down into a slotted base that would keep it pointed in the right direction (similar to a scalextric car). You’d be free then to trundle it around freely as well, if needed. Well, assuming it doesn’t ever behave like shopping carts/trolleys do with one dodgy wheel wobbling all over the place! 🙂

I did find others when I was looking but didn’t bookmark them as it was something I intended to do at a later date (and still haven’t done anything with it other than some sketches, alas) but a google search for ‘homemade dolly’ will get you more examples – I found quite a few of them.

If you do make one, I’d love to see a pic of it.

[hgnacik]

Sounds like a good winter project. I’ll keep you posted should I decide to put one together.

[Anonymous]

I’d be interested in that….

[DaveArthur]

When budgets have been tight on projects in the past, I have used a wheelchair as a dolly. I don’t know about using one on a wedding production, but they can give you really smooth shots.

I have even heard of major motion pictures that have put Steadicam operators in wheelchairs for situations where hundreds of feet of dolly track were not practical.

Dave

http://www.HowToVideoPRO.com

[birdcat]

Axis Dolly has a special from Digital Juice – It really looks superb!

http://www.axisdolly.com/dj/

[hgnacik]

Wow. $$$$. That’s a little out of my league. I was lookingfor a sturdy dollie for no more than $300.00 that would hold my tripod and that I could also customize by somehow attaching a shelf to it. I mayhave to construct something on my own if I can’t customize one.

[Steve]

That 1500$ dolly looks nice. But for that kind of money you could just go to your local machine shop and make something custom to your needs.

[Alainstamour]

I purchased a new Velbon Dolly a while ago for $50. http://www.velbon-tripod.com/accessories.htm (Dolly DL-11)

This is perhaps the cheapest dolly on the market, both in price and quality. In fact, the dolly is so cheap it’s borderline unuseable. I don’t know how anyone could get any use out of this dolly as is.

However I went to a local hardware store and purchased higher-end castors ($20 for 3) with bigger, softer rubber-type wheels. This made a huge difference. I went from having a $50 dolly that performed like a $15 dolly to a $70 dolly that performed like a $200 dolly. Huzzah!

A dolly like mine that rolls directly on the ground needs at least two things to work: 1- it needs an extremely flat, quiet, and even surface, and 2- it requires a camera-person AND a dolly person to push, pull, and guide the dolly. Thus, you are still extremely limited in its’ usage.

A dolly on a track is head and shoulders better for stability and smoothness, but it is more demanding: you need more room, more set-up and tear-down time, bigger transportation requirements, far less discreet etc.

Good luck!

In Solidarity,

Alain

http://www.crazyredacesproductions.blogspot.com

[StevenDavis]

I use a Quickset dolly I picked up at a yard sale, for 10 bucks. It has really nice casters, they are the biggycaster style. I have found this priceless at weddings. One technique I use is when I’m at the back of the wedding and the bride comes by me, I slide into the middle of the isle. It looks really nice. I love my dolly, I wish I could find another quickset one.

[SteadycamPro]

If you stilllooking for more camera stabilizer ideas. Here’sthe latest version of aHome Built Steadycam Design, http://www.Steadycam-Pro.com

[Alainstamour]

Hi SteadycamPro,

I am grateful that you posted. I did not know about this generic version of a Steadicam. It looks well-built and it’s affordable. I might just treat myself to a late Christmas present.

Best wishes and Happy New Year to everyone in The Lounge!

In Solidarity,

Alain

http://www.crazyredacesproductions.blogspot.com

[Aspyrider]

Try this site for inexpensive dollies…

http://www.glideshot.com/

[Ryan3078]

Try here too. I made this one from scratch for $40. It IS a track dolly, so perhaps its not so good for unscripted things such as weddings and live events. http://sticktowhatyouknow.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1944

[Anonymous]

I have experience using both the wheel dolly and the track dolly. I find the wheel dolly is really usesable indoors pretty much on any surface that doesn’t have like crevices between tiles or carpeting. You have a lot of freedom to move around, too, so there’s a lot of room for some creative shots. The track dolly, which you’ll probably have to build yourself or you might be spending some $$, are very nice for outdoor and indoor. You’ve got perfectly smooth shots, but it’s a bitch to set up and that’s why I don’t recommend using it indoors unless you’re only doing one or two shots. You can probably build one of those for under $50 with some metal, skateboard wheels, a plank of wood, and about two PVC pipes (which you can get for like $5 each).

[Anonymous]

I built a dolly once that worked really well for outdoors. It had big airfilled tires that I let some of the air out to give it a smoother ride and then just a plywood platform. It was originally made for shooting an outdoor concert which it worked very well at but I have since used it for many outdoor events.

[midsouthvisual]

I haven’t done weddings in a while (too many bridezillas) but have shot on many carpeted surfaces with my dolly, so a good pneumatic tire dolly should be fine in most churches. If it’s an outdoor wedding, you’d probably want a stabilizer instead. Seems like alot of churches I was shooting in wouldn’t even allow me on the main floor and stuck me on the balcony!

________________

Paul Lyke
dollytrax.com

[Author]

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