Okay, So I remember watching a promo video for the Glidecam 1000 pro way back a few years ago. I remembered seeing something about how if you hold the glidecam with your arm while in a moving vehicle that it would continue to stabilize the video.

So here's my question. If I were to take a glidecam 2k and say for example a bogen magic arm and attach it to a cart/garden dolly that doesnt run on tracks, do you think the glidecam would still stablize the video when moving the cart? I'm pretty sure it would stabilize if I sat on the dolly holding the glidecam, but would it if attached via a magicarm/grip?

It might keep the shot somewhat level if the dolly shot is slow enough, but it wouldn't absorb any bumps. For dolly work with no track on an uneven surface, it is best to lay out sheets of plywood that have been leveled for the tires to run on.

Dan Selakovich
www.DVcameraRigs.com

Dan is correct here. While operating a hand-held stabilizer in the "normal" way, your body's own arm is taking the place of the spring-loaded stabilizing arm on a full vest-mounted rig. If you attach it directly to the dolly, by way of grip equipment, it will cease to have any ability to stabilize the vertical motion of the dolly moving over any uneven terrain, and will be useless with jarring bumps, etc. Therefore, the solution, as you said, would be for you to actually RIDE the dolly, and have someone else push or pull the dolly.