I'm looking to shoot some video and I have a limited budget, but I'd like to be able to get some shots where I'm panning. Anyone know how to achieve this look with homemade tools or inexpensively (meaning under $50)? Thanks in advance.
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Cheapest but most realistic homemade way to pan?
- Thread starter jayeskreezy
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Do you perhaps mean truck (the ability to move laterally, not simply pivot around a fixed point)? The way you worded your post, it sounds like you want more than a simple pan, because literally any tripod does that. I don't know that there is a non-panning variety.
http://www.mapacourse.com/DVpages/camera_move.htm
Ideally you'd use a "fluid head" tripod. They are not all that expensive. One way to make a cheap (and $50 is really cheap) tripod work better is to suspend a weight between it's legs and sandbag the legs. The added mass makes the thing much more solid.
Turn the image stabilized off or you will get some "lag" effcts n the pan and use the fluid head to keep the image steady. Be sure and level the tripod using a decent bubble level or the pan will go up or down hill. The beter tripods will have a built-in level but a good 6 inch level is only a few bucks at the hardware store. Every photographer or videographer needs a level
THere are several common types that don't
The "ball head" triods that wildlife photographers like to use do not pan well. In fact they are a PITA to use outside of wildlife photography.
I also have a Bogen "3D" head that is very good for field microphotogaphy but is not pan/tilt.
This is why the heads come off the better tripods so you can get the one you need without re-buying the expensive legs.
no not so much trucking or panning now that I read that page....but I guess something that involves using something that can get higher shots and wider views...maybe a crane
If you're wanting a moving shot to were where the camera starts low and ends high, or vice versa, it's not going to be the easiest thing becuase you'll need weight to keep the movement smooth and steady. Here is a DIY link.
If you just need a static shot where a ladder and tripod won't do the trick and a roof won't do, just do what every budget filmmaker does and think of another way to do the shot.
You could also rent one of those massive moving truck for an hour and put a ladder on top of that. It doesn't sound like the safest thing in the world, but it might not set you back too much.
For other people who looked at this page looking for trucking / panning tips, the classic cheap way is to buy/rent a hospital wheelchair (with large wheels) and have the camera operator sit in it holding the camera, while someone else wheels him/her around.
The large wheels work to smooth out the bumps. Also works great for dollying (zooming in and out by moving the camera - much better than pressing a zoom lever)
The really cheap way is to use an office chair
Over rough / bumpy ground, mount the camera in the middle of a longish stiff plank and have a person at each end carrying the plank around.
Hope that helps.
The large wheels work to smooth out the bumps. Also works great for dollying (zooming in and out by moving the camera - much better than pressing a zoom lever)
The really cheap way is to use an office chair
Over rough / bumpy ground, mount the camera in the middle of a longish stiff plank and have a person at each end carrying the plank around.
Hope that helps.
For other people who looked at this page looking for trucking / panning tips, the classic cheap way is to buy/rent a hospital wheelchair (with large wheels) and have the camera operator sit in it holding the camera, while someone else wheels him/her around.
The large wheels work to smooth out the bumps. Also works great for dollying (zooming in and out by moving the camera - much better than pressing a zoom lever)
The really cheap way is to use an office chair
Over rough / bumpy ground, mount the camera in the middle of a longish stiff plank and have a person at each end carrying the plank around.
Hope that helps.
yes that helps me...thats awesome! you can find those for cheap too