How to attach a GoPro to an F1 car? at DVinfo.net

Syeed Ali · October 24th, 2011, 10:45 AM

I've got the chance to attach some GoPro's to a Formula 1 race car next week.

What's the best and most secure way to attach it with out damaging paintwork etc?

Thanks

Ben Lynn · October 27th, 2011, 12:18 AM

What's the situation? Mounting a camera for a commercial shoot is a bit different than mounting one for a race. For a commercial shoot I would trust the standard double sided tape on the regular mounting bases. They're strong enoung to hold against the vibrations and yet they'll peel off the car (pry off would probably be a more accurate term) and won't damage the paint.

I won't offer any advice on how to mount one for a race, that's not an area I have any experience with.

Syeed Ali · October 31st, 2011, 11:38 AM

Thanks.

It's not a race, just some demonstration laps on a circuit.

I'll give it a go and see what happens.

Thanks again.

Dan Passaro · November 13th, 2011, 04:45 PM

updates?

:D

Jon Fairhurst · November 17th, 2011, 05:06 PM

F1 cars already have multiple camera connection points. Hopefully, somebody on the team can let you know what's available. With only a handful of tubs produced per year, I doubt that they'd let an AV guy mount just anything to the car.

One thing for sure, it will need to be a rock solid mount. F1 cars (I'm a fan; never driven one) are absolutely violent. They crash over curves, yet the suspension is near rock solid. Most of the compliance comes from the tire sidewall, not the suspension. They can pull five Gs on a hard lap. If there is any play in the mount, it might oscillate. If so, the car will record as a blur, rather than a solid object.

Even for plates shot at city speeds for "24", DP Rodney Charters noted that the mounts have to be super solid to get the job done.

Sounds like a fun shoot!

Justin Molush · November 17th, 2011, 07:38 PM

The 'paint' is usually vinyl wrap - I wouldnt worry about damaging it.

Ask the team, depending on their setup, they would recommend certain mounting points.

Ben Fullerton · November 18th, 2011, 06:43 PM

I would also assume that you wouldn't want you to mount it in a way that would compromise the aero dynamics. At those speeds, even something as tiny as a GOPro would intro significant drag. Again, the best answer is consult with the team, and they will likely know what the best solution is. Sounds like a great opportunity. Be sure to let us know how it goes!

Ben Fullerton · November 18th, 2011, 06:45 PM

Errr... I mean, let us know how it went. Just checked the OP date...

Gary Nattrass · November 19th, 2011, 07:03 AM

As Jon rightly says all the F1 cars have camera mounts built into the design so you best talk to the team as they will be able to use the camera that is designed to give pictures from the car during race conditions.

All of the car's also have dummy mounts so that all the cars are balanced the same if they have a camera on board or not.

Would be very surprised if they let you bolt anything onto it so best let them handle such things.

Syeed Ali · July 9th, 2012, 02:23 PM

Sorry all for not updating this thread.

The whole thing ended up as a bit of a mess.

On the day of filming at Brands Hatch everything became last minute and we were not sure if we could actually stick GoPro cameras on the cars. By the time we were told we could, I didn't have enough time to stick them on and only managed to stick one on top of a Ferrari Enzo and one inside.

Here's a quick vid I did a while back. Haven't done the proper version yet. that's me hanging out the back of the Range Rover.

Ian Newland · July 10th, 2012, 08:29 PM

Best way is to use only the camera naked without the housing. Remove the rubber skin on the base of the camera body and use quality double sided 3M tape to fix to the F1.

GoPro was mounted on the front wing on the RHS tip and was naked - no waterproof case.
Shot in R5 Mode 1080p, almost no jello. This will show you what the GoPro is capable of.
The original footage is clean and almost artifact free considering the car was doing 300kmh.
These F1 cars run very smooth, hence the lack of jello in 1080p, 720p @60fps would have been better again

Mounting position outside front wing tip

The 720p video clip can be downloaded from here. It's only 2000kbps but the detail at 300kph is amazing.
Full Onboard Camera Lap of Bathurst with Jenson Button!.mp4

Syeed Ali · July 17th, 2012, 05:23 AM

Thanks for that Ian.

Will test it out with the 3M tape.

October 24th, 2011, 10:45 AM	#1
Syeed Ali Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: London Posts: 161	How to attach a GoPro to an F1 car? I've got the chance to attach some GoPro's to a Formula 1 race car next week. What's the best and most secure way to attach it with out damaging paintwork etc? Thanks

October 27th, 2011, 12:18 AM	#2
Ben Lynn Major Player Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Bloomington, IL Posts: 636	Re: How to attach a GoPro to an F1 car? What's the situation? Mounting a camera for a commercial shoot is a bit different than mounting one for a race. For a commercial shoot I would trust the standard double sided tape on the regular mounting bases. They're strong enoung to hold against the vibrations and yet they'll peel off the car (pry off would probably be a more accurate term) and won't damage the paint. I won't offer any advice on how to mount one for a race, that's not an area I have any experience with.

October 31st, 2011, 11:38 AM	#3
Syeed Ali Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: London Posts: 161	Re: How to attach a GoPro to an F1 car? Thanks. It's not a race, just some demonstration laps on a circuit. I'll give it a go and see what happens. Thanks again.

November 13th, 2011, 04:45 PM	#4
Dan Passaro New Boot Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Miami, FL Posts: 21	Re: How to attach a GoPro to an F1 car? updates? :D

November 17th, 2011, 05:06 PM	#5
Jon Fairhurst Inner Circle Join Date: May 2006 Location: Camas, WA, USA Posts: 5,513	Re: How to attach a GoPro to an F1 car? F1 cars already have multiple camera connection points. Hopefully, somebody on the team can let you know what's available. With only a handful of tubs produced per year, I doubt that they'd let an AV guy mount just anything to the car. One thing for sure, it will need to be a rock solid mount. F1 cars (I'm a fan; never driven one) are absolutely violent. They crash over curves, yet the suspension is near rock solid. Most of the compliance comes from the tire sidewall, not the suspension. They can pull five Gs on a hard lap. If there is any play in the mount, it might oscillate. If so, the car will record as a blur, rather than a solid object. Even for plates shot at city speeds for "24", DP Rodney Charters noted that the mounts have to be super solid to get the job done. Sounds like a fun shoot! __________________ Jon Fairhurst

November 17th, 2011, 07:38 PM	#6
Justin Molush Major Player Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Montreal Posts: 388	Re: How to attach a GoPro to an F1 car? The 'paint' is usually vinyl wrap - I wouldnt worry about damaging it. Ask the team, depending on their setup, they would recommend certain mounting points.

November 18th, 2011, 06:43 PM	#7
Ben Fullerton Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 95	Re: How to attach a GoPro to an F1 car? I would also assume that you wouldn't want you to mount it in a way that would compromise the aero dynamics. At those speeds, even something as tiny as a GOPro would intro significant drag. Again, the best answer is consult with the team, and they will likely know what the best solution is. Sounds like a great opportunity. Be sure to let us know how it goes! __________________ Fullerton Images - Vimeo - FaceBook

November 18th, 2011, 06:45 PM	#8
Ben Fullerton Regular Crew Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Boulder, CO Posts: 95	Re: How to attach a GoPro to an F1 car? Errr... I mean, let us know how it went. Just checked the OP date... __________________ Fullerton Images - Vimeo - FaceBook

November 19th, 2011, 07:03 AM	#9
Gary Nattrass Trustee Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: Cornsay Durham UK Posts: 1,992	Re: How to attach a GoPro to an F1 car? As Jon rightly says all the F1 cars have camera mounts built into the design so you best talk to the team as they will be able to use the camera that is designed to give pictures from the car during race conditions. All of the car's also have dummy mounts so that all the cars are balanced the same if they have a camera on board or not. Would be very surprised if they let you bolt anything onto it so best let them handle such things. __________________ Over 15 minutes in Broadcast Film and TV production: http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1044352/

July 9th, 2012, 02:23 PM	#10
Syeed Ali Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: London Posts: 161	Re: How to attach a GoPro to an F1 car? Sorry all for not updating this thread. The whole thing ended up as a bit of a mess. On the day of filming at Brands Hatch everything became last minute and we were not sure if we could actually stick GoPro cameras on the cars. By the time we were told we could, I didn't have enough time to stick them on and only managed to stick one on top of a Ferrari Enzo and one inside. Here's a quick vid I did a while back. Haven't done the proper version yet. that's me hanging out the back of the Range Rover. Benetton F1 & Ferrari Enzo together on a race track - YouTube

July 10th, 2012, 08:29 PM	#11
Ian Newland Major Player Join Date: Jan 2009 Location: Brisbane, Australia Posts: 319	Re: How to attach a GoPro to an F1 car? Best way is to use only the camera naked without the housing. Remove the rubber skin on the base of the camera body and use quality double sided 3M tape to fix to the F1. GoPro was mounted on the front wing on the RHS tip and was naked - no waterproof case. Shot in R5 Mode 1080p, almost no jello. This will show you what the GoPro is capable of. The original footage is clean and almost artifact free considering the car was doing 300kmh. These F1 cars run very smooth, hence the lack of jello in 1080p, 720p @60fps would have been better again Mounting position outside front wing tip The 720p video clip can be downloaded from here. It's only 2000kbps but the detail at 300kph is amazing. Full Onboard Camera Lap of Bathurst with Jenson Button!.mp4 jenson button bathurst on Vimeo

July 17th, 2012, 05:23 AM	#12
Syeed Ali Regular Crew Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: London Posts: 161	Re: How to attach a GoPro to an F1 car? Thanks for that Ian. Will test it out with the 3M tape.