Killer Camera Rigs

Kevin Myhre · January 8th, 2007, 07:39 AM

I've also been looking at getting this book. I was wondering what kind of weight these rigs can hold. I have a XH-A1 that's something like 6 or 7 lbs. would this camera work with these rigs?

Dan Selakovich · January 9th, 2007, 10:37 AM

Hi Adam,

I've been so freakin' busy lately (still work in the industry, and gearing up to do a film of my own), that I've been thinking of offering the plans for the next book individually as a PDF download as I get them finished and get them back from the "beta builders". The total book would be a bit more expensive this way, but you could also pick and choose which plans you want. What do you guys think?

Kevin,

7 pounds isn't a problem. I just got off a shoot where we used the new Canon HD camera fully loaded down: much heavier than 7 pounds. The only rigs I wouldn't recommend are the stabilizer, which is hand held (it would hold the camera, but could you hold the stabilizer!) and the touch of evil cam, which anything over 2.5 pounds would be possible, but a hassle.

Best,

Dan
www.DVcameraRigs.com

Kevin Myhre · January 11th, 2007, 10:17 AM

Thanks for letting me know. I would be interested in the PDF format. Like you said you could pick an choose which ones you wanted. And for someone like me I can buy one when I have time to actually build it and wouldn't have a whole book of things I might not get around to building for a while.

Dan Selakovich · January 11th, 2007, 10:22 AM

I'm so glad to hear that. It would really leave me a lot more time to work on my own films as well!!!

Dan
www.DVcameraRigs.com

Kevin Myhre · January 11th, 2007, 10:24 AM

Well just ordered the book. I'll be looking for it in the mail in the next couple of weeks. Would like to see the rest of the stuff you have if you put it up for download on the web.

Dan Selakovich · January 11th, 2007, 10:33 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin Myhre

Well just ordered the book. I'll be looking for it in the mail in the next couple of weeks. Would like to see the rest of the stuff you have if you put it up for download on the web.

Couple of weeks! Try the next few days! I'm sure you'll get a ton of use out of it. We sure do around here! I'll let everybody know about the downloads as soon as they become available.

Thanks a million,

Dan
www.DVcameraRigs.com

Kevin Myhre · January 13th, 2007, 09:55 PM

Got the book today. Looks really nice. Thanks, I just need to figure out what I want to build first. I'm having a problem finding the square aluminum though. Guess I'll have to call a few places tomorrow.

Adam Beck · January 14th, 2007, 02:08 AM

The download option sounds good to me. Good luck on your film.

Dan Selakovich · January 14th, 2007, 11:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Kevin Myhre

Got the book today. Looks really nice. Thanks, I just need to figure out what I want to build first. I'm having a problem finding the square aluminum though. Guess I'll have to call a few places tomorrow.

Make the dolly and the Killer's Kiss crane to go on it first!!! I'm shooting a film right now, and am completely overwhelmed, but if you can't find the square tube aluminum this week, I'll give you some help when I finish up the shoot on 1/22. BTW, I'll be using the killer's kiss dolly combo for 90% of the shots, so it's a pretty handy combo to have!

Best,

Dan
www.DVcameraRigs.com

Eric Pettit · January 26th, 2007, 10:18 AM

I have had the book for several months, and am very very pleased with it. I will probably only end up building a few of the rigs, but each one of them would easily save me way over the cost of the book. The ideas that Dan has come up with for the rigs are very functional, and so, so simple. I was particularly impressed with the idea for the gimble unit on the stabilizer, very clever indeed. As stated previously, they may not look as good as their 10-times-the-cost counterparts, but they do get the shots done very nicely. I am very eagerly awaiting the "Son of Killer Camera Rigs."

Dan Selakovich · January 26th, 2007, 10:42 AM

Thanks Eric! I just finished shooting my short "It Ain't Easy Bein' Dead" and if I uploaded it correctly, here's a photo of Mike Ferris (one of the top operators in Hollywood) using the dolly with the short jib; "The Killer's Kiss Crane". I've never upload a photo to DVinfo, so I hope it shows up!

Dan
www.DVcameraRigs.com

Ari Shomair · January 28th, 2007, 10:31 PM

Hey Dan - I sent you an email about this a while back but never received a reply - Big fan of your book by the way.

Would you happen to have any video from your "Touch of Evil" rig in action?

Dan Selakovich · January 29th, 2007, 09:55 AM

Sorry Ari, you must have gotten lost. I get tons of spam, even with double filters working! Would you mind shooting me an e-mail today so I can make sure it's not marked as spam? dan@dvcamerarigs.com I always answer all e-mails.

The short answer to your question is 'no'. The original footage I had gotten was lost in a hard drive crash, and there is a whole DV tape missing of all the rigs in action (which really sucks, as I didn't get them all uploaded!!!). It's obviously a curse at work! The original shot took 4 people to accomplish: crane up a building, move across the roof, and crane down the other side: following a character climbing the fire escape, across the roof and climbing down the other side. I'd like to redo that shot instead of just throwing anything up, and getting myself and everybody else coordinated with the weather hasn't been easy! The secret of the Touch of Evil cam is that it is a helium balloon rig. There are obvious limitations to it: if it's breazy out, it can be a mess unless you use the wind to your advantage. A 2.5 pound camera takes about 10 3' balloons. Heavier cameras obviously need more. If you want to do a shot down a hallway, it's got to be a pretty big hallway! On the other hand, it can add AMAZING production value to your film if conditions are right. Hope this helps!

Best,

Dan
www.DVcameraRigs.com

Kevin Myhre · January 30th, 2007, 11:48 AM

I just built The Killer's Kiss Crane. Works great. This book is very nice to have. Now I just have to find the time to build the dolly. Been having a hard time finding the L brackets but found some others that might work but are kind of narrow. I can't wait to get it all put together.

Dan Selakovich · January 31st, 2007, 09:43 AM

Hi Kevin,

You don't have to use the L-brackets. You can use any angle (L shape) aluminum or steel and run them the entire length of the dolly. In fact, your bed is probably sitting on angle steel. Take a hacksaw to it! You just need to be careful drilling the holes for the axles. Make sure they are ALL the same distance from the bottom edge of the angle or your dolly will wobble. To attach it to the platform, use smaller bolts than in the book. 1/4" or a little bigger along 4 spots on each side. When drilling into steel, aluminum, etc. MAKE SURE YOU CLAMP YOUR WORK!!! If the bit catches the steel will go spinning into your flesh if it's not clamped down.

The advantage of using angle the entire length of the dolly is it will hold a lot of weight without having to double up on the plywood. The disadvantage is you can't take the brackets off and move them to a different size platform. I have 3 platforms: a 12"x12", 24"x24", and a 3 foot by 2 foot that uses angle. I'll upload a photo of the one with the angle, so you see what I'm talking about. It uses a razor scooter as a handle and has scooter wheels. The only reason I'm using the larger scooter wheels is I found them on sale super cheap.

E-mail me if you have any questions: dan@dvcamerarigs.com

January 26th, 2007, 10:42 AM	#26
Dan Selakovich Major Player Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 220	Thanks Eric! I just finished shooting my short "It Ain't Easy Bein' Dead" and if I uploaded it correctly, here's a photo of Mike Ferris (one of the top operators in Hollywood) using the dolly with the short jib; "The Killer's Kiss Crane". I've never upload a photo to DVinfo, so I hope it shows up! Dan www.DVcameraRigs.com Attached Thumbnails

January 31st, 2007, 09:43 AM	#30
Dan Selakovich Major Player Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 220	Hi Kevin, You don't have to use the L-brackets. You can use any angle (L shape) aluminum or steel and run them the entire length of the dolly. In fact, your bed is probably sitting on angle steel. Take a hacksaw to it! You just need to be careful drilling the holes for the axles. Make sure they are ALL the same distance from the bottom edge of the angle or your dolly will wobble. To attach it to the platform, use smaller bolts than in the book. 1/4" or a little bigger along 4 spots on each side. When drilling into steel, aluminum, etc. MAKE SURE YOU CLAMP YOUR WORK!!! If the bit catches the steel will go spinning into your flesh if it's not clamped down. The advantage of using angle the entire length of the dolly is it will hold a lot of weight without having to double up on the plywood. The disadvantage is you can't take the brackets off and move them to a different size platform. I have 3 platforms: a 12"x12", 24"x24", and a 3 foot by 2 foot that uses angle. I'll upload a photo of the one with the angle, so you see what I'm talking about. It uses a razor scooter as a handle and has scooter wheels. The only reason I'm using the larger scooter wheels is I found them on sale super cheap. E-mail me if you have any questions: dan@dvcamerarigs.com Attached Thumbnails

January 8th, 2007, 07:39 AM	#16
Kevin Myhre Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Rochester MN Posts: 68	I've also been looking at getting this book. I was wondering what kind of weight these rigs can hold. I have a XH-A1 that's something like 6 or 7 lbs. would this camera work with these rigs?

January 9th, 2007, 10:37 AM	#17
Dan Selakovich Major Player Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 220	Hi Adam, I've been so freakin' busy lately (still work in the industry, and gearing up to do a film of my own), that I've been thinking of offering the plans for the next book individually as a PDF download as I get them finished and get them back from the "beta builders". The total book would be a bit more expensive this way, but you could also pick and choose which plans you want. What do you guys think? Kevin, 7 pounds isn't a problem. I just got off a shoot where we used the new Canon HD camera fully loaded down: much heavier than 7 pounds. The only rigs I wouldn't recommend are the stabilizer, which is hand held (it would hold the camera, but could you hold the stabilizer!) and the touch of evil cam, which anything over 2.5 pounds would be possible, but a hassle. Best, Dan www.DVcameraRigs.com

January 11th, 2007, 10:17 AM	#18
Kevin Myhre Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Rochester MN Posts: 68	Thanks for letting me know. I would be interested in the PDF format. Like you said you could pick an choose which ones you wanted. And for someone like me I can buy one when I have time to actually build it and wouldn't have a whole book of things I might not get around to building for a while.

January 11th, 2007, 10:22 AM	#19
Dan Selakovich Major Player Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 220	I'm so glad to hear that. It would really leave me a lot more time to work on my own films as well!!! Dan www.DVcameraRigs.com

January 11th, 2007, 10:24 AM	#20
Kevin Myhre Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Rochester MN Posts: 68	Well just ordered the book. I'll be looking for it in the mail in the next couple of weeks. Would like to see the rest of the stuff you have if you put it up for download on the web.

January 13th, 2007, 09:55 PM	#22
Kevin Myhre Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Rochester MN Posts: 68	Got the book today. Looks really nice. Thanks, I just need to figure out what I want to build first. I'm having a problem finding the square aluminum though. Guess I'll have to call a few places tomorrow.

January 14th, 2007, 02:08 AM	#23
Adam Beck Regular Crew Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: Visalia, California Posts: 41	The download option sounds good to me. Good luck on your film.

January 26th, 2007, 10:18 AM	#25
Eric Pettit Tourist Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Bluffdale, UT Posts: 1	I have had the book for several months, and am very very pleased with it. I will probably only end up building a few of the rigs, but each one of them would easily save me way over the cost of the book. The ideas that Dan has come up with for the rigs are very functional, and so, so simple. I was particularly impressed with the idea for the gimble unit on the stabilizer, very clever indeed. As stated previously, they may not look as good as their 10-times-the-cost counterparts, but they do get the shots done very nicely. I am very eagerly awaiting the "Son of Killer Camera Rigs."

January 28th, 2007, 10:31 PM	#27
Ari Shomair Major Player Join Date: Dec 2003 Location: LA, California, USA Posts: 224	Hey Dan - I sent you an email about this a while back but never received a reply - Big fan of your book by the way. Would you happen to have any video from your "Touch of Evil" rig in action?

January 29th, 2007, 09:55 AM	#28
Dan Selakovich Major Player Join Date: Jun 2004 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 220	Sorry Ari, you must have gotten lost. I get tons of spam, even with double filters working! Would you mind shooting me an e-mail today so I can make sure it's not marked as spam? dan@dvcamerarigs.com I always answer all e-mails. The short answer to your question is 'no'. The original footage I had gotten was lost in a hard drive crash, and there is a whole DV tape missing of all the rigs in action (which really sucks, as I didn't get them all uploaded!!!). It's obviously a curse at work! The original shot took 4 people to accomplish: crane up a building, move across the roof, and crane down the other side: following a character climbing the fire escape, across the roof and climbing down the other side. I'd like to redo that shot instead of just throwing anything up, and getting myself and everybody else coordinated with the weather hasn't been easy! The secret of the Touch of Evil cam is that it is a helium balloon rig. There are obvious limitations to it: if it's breazy out, it can be a mess unless you use the wind to your advantage. A 2.5 pound camera takes about 10 3' balloons. Heavier cameras obviously need more. If you want to do a shot down a hallway, it's got to be a pretty big hallway! On the other hand, it can add AMAZING production value to your film if conditions are right. Hope this helps! Best, Dan www.DVcameraRigs.com

January 30th, 2007, 11:48 AM	#29
Kevin Myhre Regular Crew Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Rochester MN Posts: 68	I just built The Killer's Kiss Crane. Works great. This book is very nice to have. Now I just have to find the time to build the dolly. Been having a hard time finding the L brackets but found some others that might work but are kind of narrow. I can't wait to get it all put together.