cable rig clip

[Andy Graham]

I'm new to the whole file hosting thing so I thought i'd test it out in here with a clip from the cable rig I built. The file is an 8mb m2v so it should be ok.....i guess you know to rename the m2v file to mp2 if your on a pc.

The rig was built for around £100, part list below:

100 meters of 5mm steel cable bought from ebay
1 two tone ratchet bought from a local hardware outlet
two 5inch pulleys with bearings (meant for sail boats) bought from ebay
and the main body i built myself from 2x4 wood.
i used the low mode from my glidecam to mount the camera.

i can post pics if you want ,just let me know.

http://www.savefile.com/files/135207

Andy.

[Marcus Marchesseault]

Great shot! I've been wanting to do a shot somewhat like that. I got some plastic-coated cable, nylon pulleys, ratchets, and some carpet to protect the trees. I would like to see how your camera rig attaches to the cable.

Of course you should post pictures. Also, what camera and any software enhancements did you use?

[Meryem Ersoz]

yes, please post the pics. that was a great shot, very smooth. i've been wanting to get one of my climber friends to rig one of these for me, just for fun, but haven't found the time yet...too busy.

your rig is awesome. i'd really like some behind-the-scene clips....

[Andy Graham]

Glad you like it and thanks for the comments.

Here are some pics of the rig and as you can see it was shot on the HD100e.

click 'origional size' under the pic for full rez

http://camerashyltd.livedigital.com/content/996862/
http://camerashyltd.livedigital.com/content/996856/
http://camerashyltd.livedigital.com/content/996860/

Marcus the only alteration i made was some CC to make it a bit warmer and i croped it to 2:35:1 only because i prefer it.

Meryem behind the scenes on this clip would have been boring cause it was just me there alone. The rest of my crew and actor friends were busy so i grabbed my cammy's and my AK47 and did it myself. I rigged it shot it and was in it, thats how easy te rig is to use.

Andy.
PS . I could have swore i put this thread in the cable forum!

[Ken Diewert]

Andy,

That's great. I've been trying to get some interesting shots in a forest we're trying to save. This would be a perfect rig.

Just to get it straight... the shot drops in elevation so I'm assuming you had the rig tethered from below and ran/walked behind/underneath it while it was in autofocus. It seems the cam doesn't pan,tilt or zoom. If so wasn't it a little scary having your camera hanging suspended like that?

or were you running along - directing the cam somewhat?

Thanks for posting the shots.

Edit: I looked at the 3rd pic and saw that the pulley was shielded against jumping off the wire.

[Andy Graham]

Ken if i was in your area i would lend you the rig for such a great cause as saving a forrest.

The camera was in manuel and zoomed right out, and i used Paolo Ciccone's true colour v3 scene file.

your right the cable pitches down from about 20 feet to around waste height, so if you make the pitch steeper it will run faster. i have a rope tied on at the other end to stop it from hitting the tree.

at the moment it does have pan and tilt but only so far as you set it before it goes, it turns 360 degrees and you can tilt it straight up or down.

It works purely with gravity, so you run it up to the start and just let go. Although an electric motor would allow me to set the cable level and get some great long tracking shots.

thanks for the feedback

Andy.

[Mark Sasahara]

Andy, Great looking stuff and great workmanship. My only suggestion is for the car rig "Hostess Tray". I suggest replacing the buckles with ratchet straps. That way, there is no danger of the safety coming off. You would just need to modify the rig so that there is a bracket resting on the door where the window comes up.

If you go to the Matthews Studio Equipment site, you can see how they rig a tray. msegrip page . Click on "Camera Support" and there are some other examples and shots of their hardware. The hooks on the ratchet straps should hook under the chasis to the frame, in a way the doesn't interfere with the wheels, or run the risk of getting cought up in the wheels.

Click around, there should be other photos on the site.

Keep up the good work.

[Charles Papert]

Looks good!

A really low-tech but effective way to increase stability for this rig may be to attach a horizontal pole with weights on each end, mounted perpendicularly to the camera body (so it sticks out on either side). Think tightrope walker's pole. It will give the camera substantially more inertia in the roll axis.

[Andy Graham]

Mark your right the buckles are the week link in that rig, I think i actually have some ratchet straps lying around somewhere. Thanks for checking it out.

Charles that sounds like a good idea, it would be pretty simple to make so it detaches for transporting it. I did have on my origional testing of the rig a length of rope with a weight on the end hanging down but in order for it to be effective the rope had to be a couple of feet long which made it hit the ground. Ill give the pole idea a go.

Thanks for the feedback guys.

Andy.

[Charles Perkins]

hi, i'm trying to build something similar, but i cant find suppliers of cable as cheap as you seem to be able to get them. i've looked on ebay and the cheapest i can find for 100m is 135 quid. who did you get yours from?

[Andy Graham]

Charles the exact auction i bought mine from is no longer there but if you check your e-mail i have sent you an ebay link with 100m of 5mm wire rope for 90 quid , more than i spent but i saved you 45 quid. Have a look.

Andy.

[Philippe Dionne]

This link is very interesting about a cable cam :
http://www.bignoz.com/steadycam%20et...gecablecam.htm

His stabilisation system is a bit complicated.. but the demonstration video isn't shaky.

[Jay Fisk]

Awesome shots!

Check out http://www.garrettcam.com/ for some more ideas. I love the clip from the tropical resort flying off the deck and over the pools. Looks like most of his rigs are a looped line vs a single strand. His fly cam is the ultimate in 3d positioning and gets a lot of use in Superbowl type events. $100,000 per hour LOL. Nice toys!

[Alister Chapman]

Instead of steel cable you should also look at non-stretch climbing rope. Proper climbing rope will only have very minimal stretch, and if it breaks or comes free it won't whip like a steel cable, making the rig safer.

Nice set up.

[Jay Fisk]

There are several good options in aramid fiber strand products, Dyeema if you're in Europe, or AmSteel Blue 12 strand UHMWPF (ultra high molecular weight polyethylene fiber). These marine products yield the maximum in strength to weight ratio and while being stronger than steel cables, they float and are ultralight. Unlike steel cables, these synthetic lines store zero energy under stress and in the event of breakage; there is zero whiplash. They have super-low stretch, less than 2%.

I'm playing with a length of 1/4" AmSteel that is spec'd at #9,000 lb breaking strength, it's amazing. I'd guess about 2 pounds per 400 feet.

If I can figure a way to split the last 50 ft or so into two divergent strands, it will provide a variable decelleration ramp by separating the tiedown points. Flying bricks coming soon!

Most marine suppliers carry Harken sheaves (high-grade pulley devices). They're very precise and induce zero vibration.

More toys!