View Full Version : Episode 16 - $30 DIY Steadycam vs. $500 Glidecam [Discussion]
boldfire
09-10-2009, 11:05 AM
http://bitcast-p.v1.o1.sjc1.bitgravity.com/revision3/docs/show/filmriot/banners/logo.jpg
$30 DIY Steadycam vs. $500 Glidecam
Find out how to built a DIY steadycam for under $30.
Watch this episode (http://revision3.com/filmriot/steadycam)
ghelyar
09-10-2009, 11:36 AM
Pretty much this exact steadycam was done years ago in Hak5 episode 4.5 (http://www.hak5.org/episodes/hak5-episode-45-released) (before they were on Rev3) except that one only cost them $13.50. If anyone is interested in building one, they should probably watch that too. The instructions are also given in much more detail.
vangald
09-10-2009, 03:03 PM
Sounded like Betty from Kung Pow at the end there.
masherscf
09-10-2009, 03:30 PM
Should I send flowers?
mrpopular
09-10-2009, 06:01 PM
Headed out to Home Depot tonight. gonna build this.. Can't wait. to bad it'll sit in my garage forever.. I wish i had a friend to make movies with lol
Another amazing episode, the cheap lighting tips were great, I've always wondered what the best stuff to buy on a budget was.
And the little girl with the gun (still can't remember her name) was hilarious, isn't it going to get to the point were people will start recognizing her at school?
I loved the post credits ending.
And also paid my respects to Ryan's twitter:
RIP @ryan_connolly (http://twitter.com/ryan_connolly) - tinyurl.com/qp93j5 - a great man, a visionary director, died in a terrible scissors and small piece of paper accident
Pretty much this exact steadycam was done years ago in Hak5 episode 4.5 (http://www.hak5.org/episodes/hak5-episode-45-released) (before they were on Rev3) except that one only cost them $13.50. If anyone is interested in building one, they should probably watch that too. The instructions are also given in much more detail.
Just seen that now, it does go into a lot more detail than filmriot but not everyone watching filmriot wants that much detail, I do love those old Hak5s (and the new ones).
aiiaznsk8er
09-10-2009, 08:31 PM
How hot do work lights and those clamp lights get? Also is it difficult to white balance them?
nextgenxbox
09-10-2009, 10:25 PM
FOR THE LOVE OF GOD WEAR GLOVES AT ALL TIMES WHEN HANDLING ANY LIGHTS.
They get hot. Very hot.
danhauk
09-11-2009, 12:32 AM
How hot do work lights and those clamp lights get? Also is it difficult to white balance them?
I've used both. The work lights get extremely hot very quickly. Clamp lights don't get as hot as quickly, but if they're on for a while use caution. If you grab it by the clamp and not the can you should be alright for the most part.
masherscf
09-11-2009, 02:15 AM
I have all these home depot lights. They're pretty much useless for still photography.
murphy1d
09-11-2009, 03:14 AM
I watched the episode on the flash player and it went great until after the GoDaddy Commercial. Then it was out of sync for the rest of the show. I thought it was my player so I went back and it did it again at the same spot.
Just an FYI...FOR A BUNCH OF FILM PROFESSIONALS>>>.Jeez.....(LOL)
az0madman
09-11-2009, 04:50 AM
Yeah. The flash version for me (didn't try the others) got out of sync in the last section of the show. :(
nextgenxbox
09-11-2009, 05:26 AM
Download the HD version. Watch Film Riot in all its glory! =)
ghelyar
09-11-2009, 11:11 AM
How hot do work lights and those clamp lights get?
I've used both. The work lights get extremely hot very quickly.
I have used what was described in the show as "work lights" and they did not get hot at all. Then again, I was using them on a building site, not to make a film. I expect it depends entirely on which ones you get too but they are mostly just high powered florescent bulbs and if you have ever touched one of those bulbs in something like strip lighting you will know they don't get very hot. In fact they use a lot of power to turn on but barely any after that.
danhauk
09-11-2009, 03:37 PM
I have used what was described in the show as "work lights" and they did not get hot at all. Then again, I was using them on a building site, not to make a film. I expect it depends entirely on which ones you get too but they are mostly just high powered florescent bulbs and if you have ever touched one of those bulbs in something like strip lighting you will know they don't get very hot. In fact they use a lot of power to turn on but barely any after that.
That's odd. The one I have is a halogen light and it gets really hot. It was sitting next to a plastic cabinet thing and after about 20-30 minutes the room started to smell like burning/melting plastic. Maybe mine is different than yours?
ryanconnolly
09-11-2009, 06:30 PM
I watched the episode on the flash player and it went great until after the GoDaddy Commercial. Then it was out of sync for the rest of the show. I thought it was my player so I went back and it did it again at the same spot.
Just an FYI...FOR A BUNCH OF FILM PROFESSIONALS>>>.Jeez.....(LOL)
Rev3 did an edit where they added that little banner you see in the godaddy spot. Which is what threw the sync off.
masherscf
09-11-2009, 06:34 PM
Rev3 did an edit where they added that little banner you see in the godaddy spot. Which is what threw the sync off.
Impostor!
lennyboy
09-11-2009, 08:52 PM
Great episode!
But I do think that there's a better option for the steady cam. I cam across another setup where it's based on a home made gyro. Looks awesome in my opinion :)
See the info here (http://www.yb2normal.com/DIYsteadicam.html)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXB0ncUQLn4
hippie459mn
09-12-2009, 06:02 AM
Great episode!
But I do think that there's a better option for the steady cam. I cam across another setup where it's based on a home made gyro. Looks awesome in my opinion :)
See the info here (http://www.yb2normal.com/DIYsteadicam.html)
Very nice! I might have to try that one out. Thanks for the link.
Also, I downloaded the HQ xvid using Miro and the adio was off on that as well. Going to try it again and see if its been fixed.
brindel
09-12-2009, 06:40 AM
I like you guys.
Nothin' to add, not a filmaker, so no questions.
.....I just like you guys.
murphy1d
09-12-2009, 02:24 PM
Rev3 did an edit where they added that little banner you see in the godaddy spot. Which is what threw the sync off.
Ooooh...suuuuure. Blame Rev3....SOmeone has a hard time with authority..
I'm not sayin..I'm just sayin.
(Damn, did I just break my period button on my keyboard, Crap, Now it seems like I'm in a run-on sentence)
jk.
guytheninja
09-12-2009, 05:48 PM
I watched the episode on the flash player and it went great until after the GoDaddy Commercial. Then it was out of sync for the rest of the show. I thought it was my player so I went back and it did it again at the same spot.
Just an FYI...FOR A BUNCH OF FILM PROFESSIONALS>>>.Jeez.....(LOL)
The same thing happened to HD Nation this week after a Go-Daddy ad. :(. Its a Revision3 conspiracy :D.
Impostor!
Nah, he is just your regular, off-the-shelf, undead "Frankenstein's Monster" now. I wonder if he is going to eat Josh Connolly's brains in the next episode. I tell ya, there is never a dull moment in the Connolly house!
sabasteonshane
09-12-2009, 11:32 PM
So while i was inspired to make my own steady cam, i have to say i got this idea. After watching Ryan sweat clean through his shirt, i began to ponder how i could make a DIY steady cam look, and work, like a professional grade steady cam. I have a theory, one i plan to at some point flush out. How about attaching it to say a set modified football shoulder pads? not like on the shoulder but on the chest?
After thinking through how it would work i began to think up some schematics. For builders out there, please be critical, could this work.
First, i had a pair of football shoulder pads i used to make a predator style shoulder gun for a film:
Mangamation Project
http://vimeo.com/3815309
you can see it at about 5:00
I had thought that i could buy some parts from Lowes or Home Depot and attach a harness on the front of the pads, with a counter weight on the back. It would move as needed, and as the steady cam they built in this episode however it would be fastened onto the football shoulder pads for extended use. The idea i had in mind would make it look something low tech but similar to this:
http://www.jakshoj.dk/dr/billeder_74-80/stort%20billede/steady%20cam%2077.jpg
Anyways, i am thinking i will build this and see how it turns out. thoughts comments and concerns about the build would help out a lot, thanks!
samureye
09-13-2009, 09:02 PM
I have all these home depot lights. They're pretty much useless for still photography.
Why is that?
edhagopian
09-28-2009, 05:41 PM
I just saw this on instructables and thought of this particular episode.... Might be working checking out:
http://www.instructables.com/id/S7H8KQDFZHLAZNM/
Basically, the guy took two old harddrives that still spun up and used them as poor man gyros. He was able to have 10x zoom on a 35mm lens at 1/15th second shutter and the image was very sharp. When he leveraged both the camera's internal stablizer it was just a hair sharper.
There is a weight penalty with the fact your carrying around a battery and two harddrives. But when added to a gimbled rig such as this:
http://hackaday.com/2009/07/15/gimbal-camera-stabilizer/
with the gyro rig added to the bottom for the weight, and the battery on a shoulder strap, it might work well.
Anyway we can get a "return of episode 16" going?