Using a dolly out in the wild?
 

Hi again everybody.
As most people in here i am always looking for more ways to improve my outdoor footage. I am currently building myself a homemade dolly to get those smooth moving shots.

Anyone else using dolly's out in the wild ?
What kind do you use and how do you drag that equiptment with you in the nature surroundings.
Would be great to get some input on how other people are doing it.

Hi Vegard,
I've build myself a dolly recently, no picture yet but I'm planning to do something in next uwol!! Marcus Nord did some shots in uwol-8 with dolly shots. Maybe he will chime in...
And I've also doing some jib-shots, the uwol-7 the eagle has landed, shows a couple of jib-shots.
I've try to find locations near by roads, but sometimes you have to carry a lot of gear for quite a distance to succeed!

This could be the answer. I am considering this but have contacted the builder yet, but the footage looks good and in the wild this is not a lot of equipment.

I think it would have to be modified for each tripod, but it could work.

Link: http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...ight=DIY+Dolly

Moved here from UWOL Challenge (topic is not related to our UWOL contest).

and this http://www.dvinfo.net/conf/showthrea...586#post877586
thread seems to do the works :)
Looks like im doing another smaller DIY dolly!

As Per Johan wrote I used a dolly during the last UWOL. My dolly it produced in Sweden and are not an expensive one… that’s why I got it… otherwise I would have built one my self.
I got this one:
http://www.mgrip.com
it’s a nice tool to work with… it’s light and easy to carry around in the wild.

I really like the dolly shot in my last UWOL, it’s bringing the film up to the next level.
Good luck with you search for a DIY or a finish one on the market.

This looks like a useful piece of kit. Markus - please could you describe how the camera attaches to the dolly? It isn't clear to me from their website.
I would be using it with a Manfrotto 501 tripod head and a Canon XH A1 camera.

It's mostly a question of what track to use. Dollies tend to work well on flat hard ground, but can be a pain on bumpy and sloping terrain. I've got a Cinekinetic Pocket Dolly which runs on plastic pipe, but levelling it up outdoors is a nightmare. A commonly used item is the ladder dolly http://www.b-hague.co.uk/Universal%2...Dolly%20D5.htm which solves this problem as the ladder can be mounted on tripods or clamps - just limited by the length and bulk of your ladder.
Steve

You just screw the tripod head to the dolly, I use a 503 Manfrotto head. then you can use al the heads pan and tilt during your dolly shot. if you missed it check out my UWOL film here

I agree... I use different thing in the terrain to stabile the rail. I also tried to get two small tripod, but they was to week.

I use a Tube Dolly; you can also use a western dolly if you have room. (Westerns are wide with Balloon tires, but can carry all your gear). You can rent them for like $25 - 40 bucks. I have always built them myself out of light weight aluminum, and PVC as track. Then you strap the tripod to the sled. Depending on your camera using a combined Easy Jib can give you lots of options and great shots.

For my filming, I am using a Ladder Dolly. I am traveling a lot, and ladders are everywhere. On my last mission, I borrowed a ladder for free from a hardware store, if I returned it without a scratch. Ladders are very stable, lightweight, durable, and all over the world.
If I want a high platform, I mount it on top of two tripods, and if I want a low shot I hang the camera under the ladder. On my own ladder, I have made some simple adjustable legs for low shots.
I made an adjustable dolly from some aluminum and wheels from 3 skateboards, and a 6 - 12 Volts engine to make it move. Now I am modifying the dolly with a 100mm bowl.
Next project is to raise the ladder against a tree or a wall, and make the dolly travel up and down the ladder. That way I can leave my Jib in the car in many occasions.

Yes I've used dolly's in the wild. How I got it there: I put the equipment in the back of a pickup truck and drove as far as I could and then carried it the rest of the way.

It was standard track, and a combo skateboard / doorway dolley (sorry I don't know who made it. I don't own it.)

One other note: bring a bunch of material to level the track. I thought I brought a lot but found myself running short.

I use a Pegasus from Cinevate. Works great - I bought a cheap 2nd tripod which fits in the same bag a main tripod. 3 feet of track is enough in many situations. 3-4 minute set-up time on any surface. Smooth as butter. You can always buy 15mm tube to make longer tracks.

I tend to only use a one metre length of glidetrack these days - you'd be surprised just how effective such a short length can be if you've got good foreground interest - and it isn't hard to carry up hill and over dale...
It's also useful for getting outside of the tripod's footprint: you can hang the camera right at the end of the track and so get angles that you wouldn't get otherwise. In fact, this is one of the main uses of the glidetrack in movie uses - using the offset and not just the movement.