Camera jib

[NIO]

Is there a way to make a $40 camera jib? I really need it for my next movie, I need to have shots from above and I can't come uo with something good.:ohsnoes:

[Paladin1221]

Build it from aluminum. All you would really need is some bolts. I am sure you can find some how to's on youtube.com. Or you could buy one really cheap at ebay.com, thought I try to use ebay as a last resort.

[nooneimportant77]

i found some things on how to make an easy jib

the last one looks pretty good.

http://www.bealecorner.com/trv900/jib/jib.html

http://www.freyerlighting.com/WebSitePages/GripTrix/FreyerSpeedJib.html

http://www.neilslade.com/Papers/jib.html

[WesScog]

If you just need super high angle shots on the cheap, fully extending a tripod, and holding it high above your head, with the LCD screen pointed down towards you, can help your get quick easy high angle shots for the price of a cheap tripod.

If you have stable arms, you can have nice long tracking shots by just walking, or just sit in a wheelchair, and have someone push you, to get moving high angle shots.

To get ULTRA High Angle shots, doing the tripod trick, and THEN, climbing up a ladder works. Make sure you've got a friend to hold you steady, make sure the camera is firmly attached to the tripod, and make sure the ladder is firmly on the ground.

It can add a whole 10 extra feet to your shots, giving you high angle shots of 20+ feet depending on how tall your ladder is, how tall you are, and how tall your tripod is fully extended.

TO get moving Kinda Ultra High Angle shots, do the same thing with the tripod, only climb in the back of a friends truck, make sure you aren't on a busy street, and move SLOWLY.

The truck will add a few feet to the shot, just be REALLY CAREFUL. To get higher, you'd need specialized truck setups, which most of us can't afford, or that would be very dangerous / most likely ILLEGAL, if you tried to build them yourself.


But yea, that's all I know about really high angle shooting. I've never needed a jig, since I can simulate the effect pretty well by just holding the tripod really high.

[etentertainment]

Yeah I need to make one too, I tried to make one with PVC pipe that fit snuggly into
my telescope's stand. At the top of the PVC pipe, I too the whole head out of my tripod, and it fit perfect. It moves nice and smooth. The only bad thing is that, I don't have counter-weights and the PVC isn't long enough to put any. But it can still be used.

[michaelbak]

Go to DVCAMERARIGS.COM It was The best 40$ I ever Spent

[michaelbak]

Also That^ Book has a Camera Crane/Jib that can go Fifteen Feet in The air and folds up in to Four foot sections so If You drive a small car it can be put in a Duffle Bag and thrown in the back seat plus it only cost Fifty Dollars!

[etentertainment]

Thanks man, that is a really awesome book!!

[Paladin1221]

Go to DVCAMERARIGS.COM It was The best 40$ I ever Spent

Nice find!

[Spleg]

I have that book too, and it really is awesome! The instructions are really detailed and there are tons of photos. Seriously - buy it. ;)

[thegadgetdude]

Here's a pretty good video tutorial on making one:
http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=WIqyv2lLUp0

I was thinking about making one, that video also links to this blog:
http://nextwaveg.blogspot.com/2007/09/how-to-build-camera-jibcrane.html

All measurements are there.

[RYANCHAOS]

Hi Erik, Steve....whoever the hell is reading this.

I am wondering if you can help me out with Camera Rigs such as Cranes, and Dollies...I like the type of shots they make but they can get a little expensive.

Thanks for reading,
Ryan.

[RobertHimler]

Hi Erik, Steve....whoever the hell is reading this.

I am wondering if you can help me out with Camera Rigs such as Cranes, and Dollies...I like the type of shots they make but they can get a little expensive.

Thanks for reading,
Ryan.

I built this dolly for $118

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/72/155643552_aeb14347b3.jpg



and I bought this crane for $280 on eBay

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/140/317483503_23781fe9de.jpg



DOLLY PLANS ARE AVAILABLE HERE:

http://cinevidproductions.com/Media/dolly.html

[jared]

hell yeah. this stuff is coming up soon...

enter the cheapness!

[Crosius]

I found this site while researching dollies: Link (http://homebuiltstabilizers.com/).

I haven't had the chance to build anything listed on it, but these (http://homebuiltstabilizers.com/greyfullrigs.htm) SteadiCam clones make me drool.

[michaelbak]

for 50$ You can buy "Killer DV Camera Rigs That You Can Build (http://dvcamerarigs.com)".Trust Me It's a great Book I built a Dolly in there for 30$! Plus the Book comes with other plans to build Cranes,Stabilizers,Car mounts,10$ 100 foot cranes that I'm not telling how it works, and much more plus It has like over 3000 pictures so it's kinda like a how to video put on pages! Also when You order You get the email of the Writer and trust Me He anwser's Your question's! And when The third Edition comes out You get it for free!

Sorry if this sounded like a ad.

[SyxxGage]

for 50$ You can buy "Killer DV Camera Rigs That You Can Build (http://dvcamerarigs.com)".

This sounds pretty sweet. I may invest in it. Thanks.

[cameraman]

I have a script that requires a jib, or camera crane. I need to find a way to make a cheap camera crane and you guys are my best and favorite resource, how to I make a camera crane? :confused:

[DarkMirageProductions]

http://www.instructables.com/id/16-feet-pan-and-tilt-camera-crane-for-%2460/

for $60 it's not too bad (plus there's probably ways to make it even cheaper)

[Kevinaz]

I tried making a jib out of wooden dowels I had sitting around... Can you spell complete disaster?

[SPARC]

http://www.instructables.com/id/16-feet-pan-and-tilt-camera-crane-for-%2460/

for $60 it's not too bad (plus there's probably ways to make it even cheaper)

Why make it cheaper? Spend a few more dollars or make some substitutions in materials and make it better. It's a good, simple design, the weakest link is the flexible painters pole. For $40 there should be something more rigid out there, even a 2x4 would be stiffer and a LOT cheaper, but would weigh more of course. A piece of aluminum square tube about 2x2x1/8 would be better. Where might you find that you ask. Check you yellow pages for scrap aluminum dealers or for a contractor who puts up sun rooms on houses, they both may have some aluminum tube stock about the size you'll be able to use. Tell them what you want it for and see if they have any scrap or left over material they would be willing to sell you cheap. To keep costs down you would barter some of your time (what's that you say; me work?) in exchange for what you need. You don't always need cash to get what you want.

Another alternative (and probably cheaper) to the painters pole would be to use some 1-1/2" thin-wall electrical conduit (aka EMT). You can find this at home centers like Home Depot or Lowes for about $12 a length. It comes in 10 foot lengths so you'll need two if you want your jib arm to be more than 7 feet (figuring 3 feet on the back end for ballast and controls). Two join the two sections together look for a piece of wood dowel that will fit snug inside or cut a square piece of wood about two feet long that fits tightly inside the conduit. I would not trust the EMT conduit couplings to hold this setup together, they work find for electrical work, but in this case I would not risk my camera to them.

[bridboyross]

I'm gonna use this

[RYANCHAOS]

I built this dolly for $118

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/72/155643552_aeb14347b3.jpg



and I bought this crane for $280 on eBay

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/140/317483503_23781fe9de.jpg



DOLLY PLANS ARE AVAILABLE HERE:

http://cinevidproductions.com/Media/dolly.html




Thanks!

Is that the Cobra Crane?

I have actually been thinking about getting one, do you think you can shoot a quike video using it?

Thanks,
Ryan.

[punkandska66]

I built this dolly for $118

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/72/155643552_aeb14347b3.jpg



and I bought this crane for $280 on eBay

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/140/317483503_23781fe9de.jpg



DOLLY PLANS ARE AVAILABLE HERE:

http://cinevidproductions.com/Media/dolly.html



im building pretty much the same dolly, but i wasnt planning on making a handle. does the handle actually help or just look cool?

[bridboyross]

hell yeah. this stuff is coming up soon...

enter the cheapness!

PLEASE do this IndyMogul, an episode with a crane and a dolly would be amazing

[RYANCHAOS]

I hope they do, I think this one will help alot for every amature filmmaker.

[ciwi286]

It would be great if they did a show about this...I got that book^ and its good but its still pretty expensive to make most of those rigs!

[ciwi286]

theres a another thread on this forum talking about camera rigs and jared said they might do them soon!

[doid]

DO IT INDY MOGUL I AM DESPERATE!!!!

not really but it would be awesome

[ryorta]

I enjoyed watching how you guys made your low budget cranes:), if you guys started showing these cranes before I made mine I'd never had a big headache and large amount of investment on building mine:(.

:DNow, This is my challenge for your guys, I want to know if you guys can make an arm crane rigged over a truck, and if you can make it in less than $50 or trip to Jersey price:D.

Thanks for your attention and support...

:hayguyz:by the way, The Latin American (specially from Mexico) filmmaking community says hi to you..we all of us enjoy your show.:hayguyz:

[Scott]

I enjoyed watching how you guys made your low budget cranes:), if you guys started showing these cranes before I made mine I'd never had a big headache and large amount of investment on building mine:(.

:DNow, This is my challenge for your guys, I want to know if you guys can make an arm crane rigged over a truck, and if you can make it in less than $50 or trip to Jersey price:D.

Thanks for your attention and support...

:hayguyz:by the way, The Latin American (specially from Mexico) filmmaking community says hi to you..we all of us enjoy your show.:hayguyz:


I'm sure putting the crane in the bed of the truck would suffice.

[justin]

You could also attach the mini-jib to a wheel chair or another rolling device.

[Scott]

I want to see a jib mount for a mule.

[djwatermoore]

So guys,
I have been working professionally in Video Production off and on for years and I am not trying to brag or anything... please, I just have had a bit of experience with professional jibs. I saw the last few episodes about your economic yet functional Jibs, and I have to say I am impressed with the adaption. I am however planning on taking a simple design for a professional looking jib. I can demonstrate how to make one from Home Depot using about 50 dollars worth of parts. Now this would attach to your existing tripod so having a better tripod would pretty much be mandatory. You might be able to get along with a 30 dollar walmart special but the key to professional jib operation is an effective counter weight. My design will leave you with around 15lbs of weight at each end of the pole which could strain the cheaper tripods. The advantage of a counter weight is much more smooth vertical moves. The counter weight automatically corrects itself which equates to nice and smooth movement.

Anyways my point to this entire post is that, if there is enough interest I would be more than willing to post a How-to on Indy-mogul. Maybe run it as a weekend extra. I don't want to keep hammering the same nail but a jib manufactured completely from aluminum and painted will look much more professional and last longer than a wooden model. Not to bash Indy Mogul or Eric, they are the Indy pioneers! I just have another solution to the jibby scenario.

post a reply with yes

or no please this has been exhausted, go home you loser ;-)

thanks guys

[amc760]

as someone new to this forum, i would think most of us shoestring filmmakers would be happy to take whatever we can get!

[Imbender]

Sure, I'd be interested. I've been sort of searching for a good tripod but on the lower end.. have any sugestions?

[TemporalCoder]

I am planning to attempt making a metal one over the Christmas Hol's so yes i would be very interested

[Alasdair]

What's wrong with a tripod you can get at any camera store? You can get a pretty good one for less than 50 bucks.

[Scott]

What's wrong with a tripod you can get at any camera store? You can get a pretty good one for less than 50 bucks.


Mine cost $10.

[Alasdair]

Yeah exactly they're not very pricey, I don't think there even is such thing as a crappy tripod

I bet you could pick a good one up at a thrift store or pawn shop for cheap too

[Imbender]

Well.. I have the walmart special upgraded with some lube and it works fine unless there is any weight on it (granted my camcorder alone is very light so no problem with just my camcorder on it). but the quick release plate kinda rocks back and forth because its plastic on plastic.

[Scott]

Well.. I have the walmart special upgraded with some lube and it works fine unless there is any weight on it (granted my camcorder alone is very light so no problem with just my camcorder on it). but the quick release plate kinda rocks back and forth because its plastic on plastic.


Yeah, thats the tripod I'm using.

But I've got an XL-1s sitting on it when I use it. I thought about getting a sturdier tripod, but then I thought to myself "why?"

[DarkMirageProductions]

I just got a Kodak tripod, so I think I'd like to see this.

I'd been planning on making one out of metal for awhile now. I wanted to make one that pans and tilts as opposed to the one Indy Mogul made. The problem is that I can't think of an effective and semi-portable way to make one.

http://www.instructables.com/id/16-feet-pan-and-tilt-camera-crane-for-%2460/

I was going to go after that design, but I'm not too sure.

[djwatermoore]

Hey guys,
So I finished my prototype. I took some time and researched a few different designs to find a model that would work well enough for Mogulers and not cost a fortune and still be relatively easy to manufacture. This particular model only requires 2 wrenches, an electric drill (battery op wont cut it) with a 1/4 inch drill bit and a 1/2 inch metal bit, A jig saw with a metal cutting blade, a ruler, and a sharpie to mark your points for cutting and drilling. Heres a video of it and it a few shots of the camera on the Jib it self. nothing special as far as shots go. 8 foot jib in small living room = not much to shoot ;-D anyways I will probably go ahead and make the tutorial. It wont make the Christmas special since I have to finish my own movie project before the due date. sorry guys I'll try to keep you all up to date.

Heres the Link

http://www.youtube.com/v/DPvgydmzVVY

[djwatermoore]

What's wrong with a tripod you can get at any camera store? You can get a pretty good one for less than 50 bucks.



Well Banned Alsdair, the reason why a cheap tripod will give you less successful results is because of two reasons; one, tripods that are cheap or expensive have a rating on how much the head can handle. The cheaper tripods cant handle much weight. Mounting a Jib on it with weights in the rear and a camera at the end of an 8 foot pole will be a bit strenuous on the camera head. Two, cheaper tripods are not fluid heads. My design relies on the cameras pan ability to rotate around, so a crappy walmart special will give your jib jerky pan... if it can hold it... where a fluid head will be smooth because thats what fluid head tripods are designed to give you... smooth pans and tilts...get it?

[Atomic Samurai]

I would definitely like to see a tutorial. I was planning on try to make one of the other wooden jibs posted here on Indy Mogul but I was afraid that they may be to heavy and bulky to transport.

[djwatermoore]

yeah you definatley dont want to to bring a wooden jib to a set. esspecially if your making money with it, people wont take you serious

[djwatermoore]

Oh I also wanted to add that I was able to fix the tilt mechanism so its very smooth now. This model doesnt feature a pan. For cost reasons. There are no Strings either, so its durable! Now I just have to manufacture a small plate so you can mount the camera balanced on the tilt mechanism to keep it level when your not operating the tilt.

[KMProductions]

The jib in the video was great! It looked really good, and the footage you shot with it looked really smooth.

[Scott]

yeah you definatley dont want to to bring a wooden jib to a set. esspecially if your making money with it, people wont take you serious

Are you sure about that?

[DarkMirageProductions]

I looks like you used a square aluminum rod as the bottom rung. Also the other parts looked like strips of aluminum. Am I right or did you use something else?

I am loving this design by the way. I might go with something like it.

[djwatermoore]

Yes very simple and very useful. I used an aluminum rod with a simple arm mechanism to operate the L bracket that your camera mounts to. Its counter weighted which is so important for smooth movement.
Because the design is all aluminum it barely weighs 10 lbs. Yet its very sturdy from the square rod structure. It doesnt take very long at all to manuacture. I am coming up with cosmetic final touches and such for the final product. My friend wants me to make him one so when he gives me the money to do it I will record the tutorial.

[djwatermoore]

Are you sure about that?

Very sure. Maybe in other states it might fly. In California people aren't only concerned with the final product. They want it to look like there 1200.00 bucks is getting them a professional shoot. Not to mention the competition is steep. Everyone and there moms have an HVX200 or an XH-A1. That drives the competition up. If you show up to a shoot pulling out HV20's and a wooden jib and you can pretty much be sure that the guy writing the check wont consider any follow up business. He would rather go to the next guy with a professional setup who may charge less. When you show up at his business to shoot a commercial he wants on-lookers to be interested not laughing. Its shallow I know, but hey, Its California... they breed like this.

Don't get me wrong the wooden jib is a great idea. Great for Indy film makers. Totally cost effective and easy to manufacture. I am not here to bash Eric and those guys for a different design, I am just offering up a different choice of arsenal if you are looking to build a jib. If you might make money outside of narrative production there are more things to consider.

[17thletterfilms]

I've been told by some people here that to stop the shaking, I need to counterweight my jib. (IndyMogul design, TurboMiniJib)

What should I use?

Where do I put it?


Thanks a lot in advance!

[samthemusicman12]

I want to know an answer to this too. But not for the turbo jib, the big jib!

[Crosius]

Counterweights go near the operator handle of the Jib (countering the weight of the camera located at the other end of the jib). The way to attach them to the wooden jib would be to obtain a dumbbell bar for freeweights and bore a hole in the jib's handle so you could mount the bar horizontally, oriented like a set of bicycle handlebars. Then you can add counterweights on either side of the 2x4 and secure them with the dumbbell clamps.

Counterweight mass is calculated by balancing the moments on the two halves of the jib arm. The basic calculation is pretty simple:

weight of camera * length of camera-side of jib arm = counterweight * length of operator-side of jib arm.

rewritten to solve for counterweight,

Counterweight = (weight of camera * camera-side jib length) / operator-side jib length

So if you have your pivot located in the middle of the jib arm, your counterweight has to weigh as much as your camera, but if you have the pivot located closer to the operator (say 1/3 of the total boom length) then the counterweight would have to weigh more than the camera (in the example, twice the weight of the camera)

Strictly speaking, for a heavy jib, the moments of the boom should be included in the weight figures as well. That equation is a bit more complicated,

Where:
Fc = the fraction of the boom that is on the camera side of the pivot
Fo = the fraction of the boom that is on the operator side of the pivot
Mb = The Mass of the boom
Mc = The Mass of the camera
CW = The Counterweight

Mc*Fc + (Mb*Fc)*(Fc/2) = CW*Fo + (Mb*Fo)*(Fo/2)

Solving for counterweight:

CW = (Mc*Fc + (Mb*Fc)*(Fc/2) - (Mb*Fo)*(Fo/2)) / Fo

Or you could just buy "a lot" of free-weights and keep adding them until the jib is balanced horizontally when the camera is mounted on it.;)

[17thletterfilms]

Okay, thanks a lot!

[JOJOGANGSTA]

It Would Be Tight If You Guys Made A Video On How To Make A Remote Controll Camera Head:Jib Arm/Crane With Camera Veiw Tv tO See What Your Doing.:D Video.Crane Not Made Out Of Wood.Steel,Metal.If Anyone Has A Website On How To Make This Happen Tell Me As Soon As Possible.Peace Out To My indymogul Homies.:fcross:


http://homebuiltstabilizers.com/MembersRigs/Jibsncranes/Wadefrancomsjib/index.htm

[WesScog]

Why does it have to be steel? Wood's cheaper.

I mean what about aluminum? But they've already shown how to make a remote controlled camera pod, and a jib, it wouldn't be too difficult to just combine those concepts into something you need.

[Apocalypse WOW!]

It Would Be Tight If You Guys Made A Video On How To Make A Remote Controll Camera Head:Jib Arm/Crane With Camera Veiw Tv tO See What Your Doing.:D Video.Crane Not Made Out Of Wood.Steel,Metal.If Anyone Has A Website On How To Make This Happen Tell Me As Soon As Possible.Peace Out To My indymogul Homies.:fcross:


http://homebuiltstabilizers.com/MembersRigs/Jibsncranes/Wadefrancomsjib/index.htm
I mean why would it have to be remote? Your pretty lazy.

[Fisherking]

Ehw deah...

Wes, pray You -- 'tis not the Steng'h of steel,-the Motrix of steel where'n its Indomi'bility? -Nay Friends, for the Nerve-Line of the steel is great (for is it not the Heart of our Industry?), and for Projeckts of this Natur' it must not remain Unus'd.

I question,-- however,-- ev'ry Man whom asks of r'mote Projeckts to Me. I question whether One grasps the En'rgy and Spir't involv'd,-whether One appreciates the Difficulty and Complex'ty Inherit. Is not the Beauty of a Projeckt in it's Simplic'ty? -Is not the great'r Complix'ty indicative of Man whom Supp'ses, per'aps, his Capac'ty great'r than it may or;-- indeed;-- need to be?

[uhrisuh]

Ehw deah...

Wes, pray You -- 'tis not the Steng'h of steel,-the Motrix of steel where'n its Indomi'bility? -Nay Friends, for the Nerve-Line of the steel is great (for is it not the Heart of our Industry?), and for Projeckts of this Natur' it must not remain Unus'd.

I question,-- however,-- ev'ry Man whom asks of r'mote Projeckts to Me. I question whether One grasps the En'rgy and Spir't involv'd,-whether One appreciates the Difficulty and Complex'ty Inherit. Is not the Beauty of a Projeckt in it's Simplic'ty? -Is not the great'r Complix'ty indicative of Man whom Supp'ses, per'aps, his Capac'ty great'r than it may or;-- indeed;-- need to be?


ahhh what?

[Fisherking]

Translation: Your capitalisation pattern irritates me.

I considered it amusing to communicate this by parodying the style of 18th-century documents, which are now difficult to read owing to their curious capitalisation (as far as I understand, it was related to the capitalisation of abstract nouns. eg. 'Arc' would be capitalised if you were referring to a trajectory, but not to a physical edifice).

It's not that abstruse, is it? Here:

"Wes, pray You -- 'tis not the Steng'h of steel,-the Motrix of steel where'n its Indomi'bility? -Nay Friends, for the Nerve-Line of the steel is great (for is it not the Heart of our Industry?), and for Projeckts of this Natur' it must not remain Unus'd."

Wes, the strength of steel is a compelling reason for its use in projects such as this.

"I question,-- however,-- ev'ry Man whom asks of r'mote Projeckts to Me. I question whether One grasps the En'rgy and Spir't involv'd,-whether One appreciates the Difficulty and Complex'ty Inherit. Is not the Beauty of a Projeckt in it's Simplic'ty? -Is not the great'r Complix'ty indicative of Man whom Supp'ses, per'aps, his Capac'ty great'r than it may or;-- indeed;-- need to be?"

However, I question everyone who asks about such complicated projects. I question whether he grasps the difficulty inherit and whether, indeed, that it needs to be that complex.

[DarkMirageProductions]

Ehw deah...

Wes, pray You -- 'tis not the Steng'h of steel,-the Motrix of steel where'n its Indomi'bility? -Nay Friends, for the Nerve-Line of the steel is great (for is it not the Heart of our Industry?), and for Projeckts of this Natur' it must not remain Unus'd.

I question,-- however,-- ev'ry Man whom asks of r'mote Projeckts to Me. I question whether One grasps the En'rgy and Spir't involv'd,-whether One appreciates the Difficulty and Complex'ty Inherit. Is not the Beauty of a Projeckt in it's Simplic'ty? -Is not the great'r Complix'ty indicative of Man whom Supp'ses, per'aps, his Capac'ty great'r than it may or;-- indeed;-- need to be?
http://www.orlyowl.com/upload/files/lolwut.jpg

[Jier]

Steel is easier to work with if you have the material and tools, more so than wood is, depending on what you're trying to do.

[WesScog]

Steel is heavy, almost impossible to drill into with normal tools, and hard to work with.

Aluminum is a superior metal for A/V roles, it's easier to work with and won't kill you if it falls on you.

[JOJOGANGSTA]

Wood Gets Rotten,Wet,Eventually iT Gets Fucked Up.Steel Can Get Rusty,Only If You Take Good Care Of It And Put Away.And Yes It Would Be Hard To combine those concepts into something you need.Especially With Wiring And A Large Tall Jib Crane.Cheap Ass Mother Fucker.Why does it have to be steel? Wood's cheaper.

I mean what about aluminum? But they've already shown how to make a remote controlled camera pod, and a jib, it wouldn't be too difficult to just combine those concepts into something you need.

[JOJOGANGSTA]

You Fuckin DumbAss You Cant Move A Camera Looking Up And Down Side To Side.While Something Thats High.You Dont Know What Type Of Shots Filmmakers Use These Days.I mean why would it have to be remote? Your pretty lazy.

[ArmedSaint]

could you make some thing you could attach to the dolly to make it pan or tilt smoothly like a crane that would be so cool:ohsnoes:

[ciwi286]

....That would kinda be the job of your tripod!

[Turlguy]

you could always use the remote controlled camera pod they showed a couple weeks ago on top of the dolly

[texabyte]

remote camera pod on the jib on the dolly
3 bfx in 1 = cool results

[Jier]

If you're going to do a camera jib on a dolly you'll need a lot of weight at the base of the dolly and possibly a bigger foot-print as well to keep it from tipping.

[redtail5]

you could put a lazy suzan ontop of the platform...

[ciwi286]

you could put a lazy suzan ontop of the platform...

What would that do?

[Jier]

Well, I'm going to assume he means under the Jib arm. Which, even if that's the case, you're just going from "maybe" needing a larger footprint/stance with the dolly to definitely needing a wider footprint/stance as well as weight on the dolly itself.

[ciwi286]

Well, I'm going to assume he means under the Jib arm. Which, even if that's the case, you're just going from "maybe" needing a larger footprint/stance with the dolly to definitely needing a wider footprint/stance as well as weight on the dolly itself.

But the jib has a built in lazy susan and the turbo jib goes on your tripod so it can pan anyway.

[redtail5]

What would that do?
it could move your entire tripod for panning.

if you are to lazy to move the head or dont have a fluid head

[ciwi286]

Laziness should not be a problem...if it is you should just not bother making the movie!.

But as a solution for a fluid head....yeah it could work. Might be hard to control or awkward but it could work.

[ArmedSaint]

im thinking if u mount a crane on there put some weight in the middle but i also thought of this there no point in making it unless u have a way to view what u r filming so maybe u could put a tiny external tv on it with the a/v cables plugged in damn sounds like alot of work and high chance of failure

[WesScog]

All the Jib threads merged.

[xjakknifex]

im thinking if u mount a crane on there put some weight in the middle but i also thought of this there no point in making it unless u have a way to view what u r filming so maybe u could put a tiny external tv on it with the a/v cables plugged in damn sounds like alot of work and high chance of failure

You can even put any tv on the side. If you are working indoors use any smaller TV with longer cords.

[Kcrash5]

Why did you guys use wood?

I've come across several different DIY jibs on the internet and every other one I've seen is made out of some sort of metal. I was just curious if there were any major reasons behind using wood.

[lostbutnotfoundstudios]

It's cheaper than most metals that would be durable, and much easier to work with. Working with metal can be challenging, and dangerous (don't get me wrong, wood can be too) and it takes more experience.

[WesScog]

Wood is easier to work with, lighter (usually,I mean there are certain woods heavier than certain metals, but I digress), and cheaper, without sacrificing a lot of strength.

You just need a normal 5 dollar hand saw to cut wood (although it's going to take longer than using a more expensive electrical saw, but hey.), tried to use the same 5 dollar saw on metal, and it would be spitting teeth out or slipping off and cutting your hand.

Metal is tough to work with for the inexperienced, wood is far easier to work with, and it takes less expensive tools to be able to cut it.

When I haven't been able to find tools before, i've improvised cutting pieces of wood, by scouring it with a serrated steak knife and then just breaking it over my knee. That's something you just can't realistically do with metal. (Not a preferable way to cut wood, obviously, just to serve as an example of how wood can be easier to work with.)

[Kcrash5]

Okay. But if I had the tools I needed, which would be better, wood or metal jib? Pros and cons?

[videonut]

Does anyone have any good ideas on how to make a good camera jib which can tilt up and down and pan left and right, without moving the tripod while your shooting? I've need a lot that tilt up and down but not pan left and right.

[WesScog]

Wood Gets Rotten,Wet,Eventually iT Gets Fucked Up.Steel Can Get Rusty,Only If You Take Good Care Of It And Put Away.And Yes It Would Be Hard To combine those concepts into something you need.Especially With Wiring And A Large Tall Jib Crane.Cheap Ass Mother Fucker.

That's why you seal wood with a lacquer, and keep your jib out of the rain.

[trimm]

Is there a way to make a $40 camera jib? I really need it for my next movie, I need to have shots from above and I can't come uo with something good.:ohsnoes:


Look at this http://soundofffairbury.aceboard.com/308482-2849-5296-0-video-self-defense-women.htm

My jib consisted of 2 aluminum conduits $2.50 ea,) 2 pieces of bent metal ($12 for one long piece that I cut into 2) and old tripod I had from a flash unit for a photo set up and 2 5lb. weights from my weight set and 2 vice grip clamps I had in my wood shop.

My cost when I went out to build was less than $20, but if I would have had to purchase the rest it might have gone as high as $100 with a tripod.

My advice, borrow as much of this stuff as you can. Old weights are a dime a dozen, and to my amazement, I actually had another tripod for another flash unit if I wanted to make another jib.

I have seen plans for constructing wooden tripods and if you have access to a friends furniture or woodworking shop can create some pretty inexpensive tripods. Just heavy as hell for transport.

Try a pawn shop for the tripod. It will need a screw type screw that sticks up that can hold down the jib bracket and be held in place with a wing nut.

I had fun making mine. It was like putting together a tinker toy and once you get it built, you will wish you had one all along because once it is balanced with the weight, you can get the coolest smoothest side to side, up and down and diagonal shots.

I did a music video shoot in my backyard where I spun the rig with my hand and pushed it all around and because it is balanced with a weight always self corrects to the point you set it to.

Because the weights are adjustable with the wood working clamps, you can set it for as high or as low as you want it to set at rest and it will always go back there when done.

Check out my video "On the wind" and wait for the guitar parts towards the end.

http://www.youtube.com/user/trimm3

[uzi1951]

That is one nice jib. That will be the one I make. Makes so much sense. Thanks