--- On Wed, 10/6/10, skulldrinker <[email protected]> wrote:
> Lee,
>
> I had the pleasure of balancing one of the big studio size
> cameras on my shoulder for this shoot. Not an easy chore
> with just a shoulder pad. The camera is more suited for a
> tripod. Too back heavy. Plus this was my first hand held
> shoot and there was a lot of moving around on the sidelines.
> Of course I'm great with the tripod! We all are.
Something you could do for that. Build a back brace support for the camera.
Basically a piece of rigid metal or plastic bent to conform to your back, with
padding and holes for ventilation. Add straps like a backpack, including one
around your waist. The goal is to not have it be able to wiggle around.
Low temperature thermoplastic sheet is great for this, but a bit expensive.
It's main use is for making custom fit splints and orthotic devices. It's
available in different thicknesses, perforated or solid. It softens in hot, but
not quite boiling water and when softened will bond to itself simply by
pressing together until it hardens. To make a back mount from it you'd need
some padding to insulate your back, as thick as what will be on the finished
brace. Then you'll need a container large enough to put the plastic in hot
water and a couple of helpers to lay the softened plastic on your back and push
it into shape as it cools.
For metal, aluminum sheet is light enough but will have to be cut and bent then
welded or riveted to become a rigid shell. A person who makes metal armor (look
up the Society for Creative Anachronism) or has experience doing good auto body
repair could beat out a form fitting piece. By good auto body repair I mean
beating out the metal until it needs little or no plastic filler.
Some types of plastic sheet can be bent and riveted too, using metal washers on
both sides. For a lighter camera, coroplast could work.
The next part is a mount that connects the camera to the brace while supporting
it in a normal shoulder sitting position. If you make it with a tapered slide
together mounting on the brace, the camera can be quickly mounted and
dismounted.
Another thing to google is DIY steadicam. Many people have made their own
balanced articulated arm camera mounts that work much like the original
Steadicam. Some of them have used genuine Steadicam mounts and have added
improvements to their own designs.
For smaller, handheld cameras, a very simple pole with a counterweight at the
bottom can help drastically smooth out shooting. Some people have built such
with a side handle and a two axis gimbal plus swivel. That can help with things
like smooth tracking shots of a thrown football. The problem with these
stabilizer poles is that they add two or more pounds to the camera.
If you want to really keep cool packing a back brace mounted camera, sewing
some small diameter plastic tube all over the outside of a snug fitting shirt
with ice water pumped through it will do the trick. Do a google for DIY cool
suit. Some amateur racers make their own. 'Course you'd have to come up with a
way to tote along the ice chest, like a small wagon. Doesn't have to be a big
ice chest, a two gallon one filled with ice and starting with just enough water
to circulate should last an hour or so just standing around and walking a bit.
One source for components are post surgery cold treatment setups. They're built
into small insulated coolers and have a built in water pump with an external AC
to DC power pack and timer. Replace that with a battery and the cooling pad
with your homebrew cool shirt. Those systems have quick connect fittings with
valves so water doesn't leak when disconnected.
An air cooled system could be made by combining a perforated sheet of low temp
plastic with a solid sheet and some strips for spacing and you could make a
ventilated brace. Hose fittings could simply be sandwiched in by pushing the
soft plastic around them. A battery powered fan blowing into a plenum box on
your belt could be connected through several hoses to the back brace. Have to
have enough connections so the airflow won't be choked off. Harder to build
than a water cooled shirt but you wouldn't have to pull a wagon and ice chest
behind you. ;)
Strap enough stuff onto your body to hold a camera and you'll begin to resemble
a Borg drone... addressing yourself in the third person as Two of Eight is
optional. ;)
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