Some people don't like wearing Nike jumpsuits with Adidas running shoes. That's called cross branding. If you're not fond of the colors in the RJ Follow Focus, Vimeo member HD-tography shows how he addressed the 'Cross colors' issue. There's some additional information following the link to the video.
DIY Equipment
Pico Dolly Update – International Shipping
Sorry everyone, I didn't expect the Pico to become so popular in just two days. There was only a small count of Pico Dollies manufactured and it's expected to sell out soon. There will indeed be another batch order (no ETA yet) which will then be open to International Shipping. To be notified when International Shipping is available, you can add your email to the subscription list here: https://www.photographyandcinema.com/index.php/international
Also since there were many orders placed without the optional friction arm, the website has been updated at some point so that the excess Friction arms can be purchased separately from here: https://photographyandcinema.com/
Joby GorillaPod DIY Slider
No this isn't a post about the Joby on wheels that could run you several hundred dollars. This video from Peter Wiren is a very simple method creating less friction to the Joby GorillaPod ends and sliding it on some basic rails. The rails are made from brackets normally used for hanging closet shelves, held together with basic joining plates, all found at any local hardware store. [Thanks Peter]
You'll need that sturdy large SLR flexible tripod base from Joby found below.
Joby GorillaPod SLR Flexible Tripod
DIY Portable Sound Booth
This won't eliminate all ambient noise like a true sealed sound proof room, but when you can control or eliminate sound deflections that can reach your microphone, it takes your audio to another level. An excellent tool when doing voice over or narrative work to your videos. Here's another cool looking portable DIY sound booth for microphones. The walls break down using Eyelets and Hooks when not in use. [Thanks Joel]
Materials
$109 Auralex ... Box of 24 Studiofoam Wedgies (enough for audio walls, plus a back wall that I built to put behind speaker. Use Liquid Nails to glue the Wedgies to the particle board walls).
$10.75 1/4" 4x4 sheet of Particle Board @ Home Depot (probably need 2 sheets)
$1.18 Metal Eyes @ Home Depot (pack of 8)
$1.18 Metal Hooks @ Home Depot (pack of 4)
$2.29 2x2x8 Wood @ Home Depot (use for reinforcement on walls. The amount depends upon how much you want to reinforce, but you will definitely need these to anchor the Metal Hooks and Eyes for attaching the side walls to the back wall - and for the ceiling to prevent sagging)
Dimensions
Ceiling: 35" wide x 28" Deep (it simply sits on the two walls with a bit of overhang)
Side Walls: 24" tall x 28" Deep (walls connect to the back with the eye hooks
Back Wall: 24" tall x 36" long
Clip on Ikea desk lamp for $5.99 (see photo).
For the not-so-diyers there are a number of these Portable / Collapsible Traveling Sound Booths available on both eBay (click here) and on Amazon (click here).
Portable Sound Booth
Sony HX9V on Palo Alto
I know I must have looked like a complete idiot spinning around with a Painters Pole, but the real reason the HX9V is placed on top is for Pole Aerial Photography. Here's a few samples of today's P.A.P. as I follow along to annoy Olivia during her recent shoot. You can see my shadow on the ground holding up the pole (above)
First image is eye level of the location.
Second image shows more of the scenery. Set the Sony HX9V camera on 10 second timer, and raised the Shureline pole. I used a palm tree in the foreground to give it a little more sense of height.
This will all become much more interesting as soon as my 30' Pole rig is complete...
JuicedLink Bearing Slider Sample Footage
One of the biggest questions about JuicedLink's DIY roller bearing slider (bring your own rails), was what the footage could possibly look like. Finally here's a couple of samples and some clever use of a bike wheel along with an extended version of rails which shows that the trolley can stay put. More on the JL DIY slider kit can be found at the JuicedLink blog (here).
JuicedLink DIY Slider
Sony HX9V Spun on Painters Pole + Palo Alto
After recently posting up the Palo Alto adapter from PhotographyandCinema.com, I decided to take mine out for a spin (literally). With this little adapter and a cheap Shurline Pole, you can get some really cool views in both Photos and in videos. It's more than strong enough for something like the Sony HX9V. This time out, I decided to see what it would look like if I spun it around pointing towards myself. It's definitely weird, but stems more ideas on some cheap yet creative camera movements. I'm seriously going to stack two of these poles together to see if I can double the height....
Palo Alto – Painter Pole Adapter
Self Portrait GoPro HD, Palo Alto, Shureline Painters Pole
If you're familiar with the Palo Alto adapter for Painters Poles, it's back online with a very very limited amount. This is just a fun little adapter that will add a standard 1/4x20 thread to the top of any painters pole for added height to small cameras. Would be a fun thing for the HX9V and built in image stabilization. I gotta take this thing back out. My favorite painters pole is the Shur-Line Easy Reach Extension Pole
If you're already familiar with Pole Aerial Photography and the Palo Alto, it's available below through PhotographyandCinema.com, if you're not familiar, check this article out http://cheesycam.com/palo-alto-custom-camera-mount-adapter/.
Palo Alto Painters Pole Adapter
Motorized Lazy Susan – Heavy Duty
A project I worked on a while back when I was requested to spin a person around with a green screen background. I needed a Lazy Susan that could carry a large amount of weight and still flow like butter, or actually flow better than butter. Maybe flow more like 'I can't believe it's not butter'. Sample video of what rotating a model on a green screen looks like (not my video) http://cheesycam.com/rotating-video-shot-with-model/
Having some experience with cars, front wheel hub bearings are the stuff of dreams for spinning heavy loads. Small, cheap, and can spin hundreds of pounds with ease. Sorry I don't have the full breakdown of how I assembled it piece by piece, but I never intended to show this DIY. It was a rush job I needed to put together a few days before the shoot. But since there's a trend lately around motorized Lazy Susan tables, I thought I'd share my front wheel hub bearing concept.
You can find a way to mount a table directly to the top, and a platform below and you're all set to spin a large amount of weight slowly and smoothly. If you want to motorize it, I stacked round tables to create a type of 'spool'. The center table is smaller in diameter and created a grooved area for a belt to be wrapped around. By using the outer circumference of the large table a small motor has much more leverage, so it doesn't require anything heavy duty. In fact the DIY belt i'm using is just an old bike tire inner tube. Without having to do direct chain drive to the motor or belt tensioners, you can see how very little force is required to spin the table. You gotta love these wheel hubs. I used one under my heart shaped vibrating spinning bed.
I kept it battery powered in case I need to move it around. For this I just cannibalized a very cheap 12V drill. I kept the speed controller (trigger) to operate the motor at slow speeds. I used L brackets to prop the motor up, and 2" pipe clamps to attach to the L Brackets. You could replace this with many other speed controllers if you wish to go hands free - just set it and forget it. I might do that soon. The motor is not attached to the table, so it's easier to transport. If you guys want to look into building heavy duty spinning tables, Buick has some cheap wheel hub bearings following the link (click here).
