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Build a Steadicam

Author:EnJork

If you’re like me, you’re probably not a big fan of shakey camera work. A little is cool, but not “Cloverfield” style (at least not for me). One thing that the studios use is the steadicam. Of course if you’re shooting with low or no budget, you can’t afford one of these big pimpin’ Steadicams like the one in the pic. You can however make something that does a decent job with some time and a little money. When shooting “C for Chaos” we made a simple Steadicam to use with the Cannon GL-1. The new Panasonic DIVX-100B is heavier so I’ve been looking for something different to try.

These links all go to video tutorials. Each sort of has their own build type. Some are straight out counter balances some are more complex. Check ‘em out and let me know what you think!

This first video is a tutorial for how we built the steadicam we used. It’s a good tutorial that shows how to build a steadicam with some pipe and fittings. Very easy DIY project!

How to build a pro level steadicam for $14 | Video « Wonder How To

Build a pro level steadicam for $14 |► Steadicam is important in filmmaking and can help you get the perfect shot. If you are a budding filmmaker and don’t have the cash to shell out for a professionally made model, check out this …

Steadicam – build story « gadas.eu

I have completed my in-house small project building the Steadicam from scratch. This is the 2nd try. 1st one was not so very successful or better say stable. 1st try was based on very small u-joint. I kept the old one: …

DIY Merlin Steadicam Camera stabilizer with test footage | Diy …

Josh, thanks for the great tutorial. It was probably the easiest one to build on Youtube. It works pretty well when perfectly balanced, and that’s where the problem lies. DIY steadicams take a long time to fine tune. …

This one looks pretty Awesome, but not so easy to build. Plus not as cheap.

*UPDATED* How to build a DIY $100 Merlin-type Steadicam camera stabilizer that really works.

The Jaybilizer 3000 started out as a DIY Merlin-type Steadicam project. I wanted something that was better than the barbell on a stick type of camera stabilizer but not as expensive as a Steadicam Merlin or even a GlideCam 1000. I assembled a couple …

Point Pivot Steadicam design

This video demonstrates a steadicam rig that I designed and built for about $12. It utilizes a unique “point-pivot” which eliminates the need for mechanical gimbals, reducing costs and maintaining a full range of motion. Shoot me a message if you are…

I hope this helps to have several styles of steadicams to build in one spot. Please let me know if you’ve built any of these or if you have a video walking people through how to build a steadicam. I’ll check it out and possibly add it.

Thanks!

Vampire Narc

Let’s set the wayback machine for 1991 as we check out an early Mutantville Production written and directed by our very own make-up FX jedi Todd A. Britt and starring none other than a bodacious young Brent Bowers as the titular Vampire Narc! This is exploitation filmmaking at it’s finest.

The New Grindhouse Era

From horror-movies.ca:

Back in 2007. Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino teamed up to make a two part feature film experience appropriately titled Grindhouse. Each director provided their own feature length film in the grindhouse cinema tradition including bad edits, missing reels, and noticeable film grain. It was a throwback film designed to not only be an enjoyable time at the movies, but to recall a point in history when the rejected films of society were celebrated in dollar theaters in big cities around the country. These films usually consisted of taboo subject matter including large amounts of sex, violence, and drug use and in some cases, all of those. This was a form of entertainment that a large portion of society wanted to see, but Hollywood was just not producing at the time. When Grindhouse came out in 2007, it inadvertently opened the flood gates to a style of filmmaking that would invoke a new renaissance of stylistic qualities.

Read the rest of the article at the link below:

via The New Grindhouse Era – HorrorMovies.ca.

Behind The Scenes of MVP’s Zombie Day on G.H.O.S.T.

Check out the latest behind the scenes videos from the set of G.H.O.S.T. Editor Brent Bowers has been working overtime to provide you with some great footage and give you a peak behind the curtain of filmmaking on the Mutantville Mothership.

Streebo’s Video Log for G.H.O.S.T. Week Nineteen And Still Going Strong!

In this video, writer/director J.T.McRoberts brings us up to speed on the current status of G.H.O.S.T. as well as other happenings in the MVP universe.

G.H.O.S.T. Finale Ends With Whimpers And A Bang.

Make-up FX Maestro Todd A. Britt brings another ghostly creation to life during the wee hours of the night.

Last night, Mutantville Productions wrapped principle photography on G.H.O.S.T. after a long fifteen hour shoot.  Kathy Sandvoss earned her final Scream Queen stripes and Super Diva status by battling her way through another challenging shoot.  Thanks to our good friend, couture designer, Luis Machicao for lending his tremendous talents in supervising the filming of his costume designs for the finale of the movie.  Lead actor Scott Thomas persevered another bloody and bruising shoot to bring our central ghost to life.  Clint Jones showed his horror heart by enduring several make-up sessions.  Dave Tunik gave his all in taking another bloody bite out of his role and a gelatin prop.  Jason Wheely gave a heartwrenching performance as a haunted young TV producer.  Jack Stecher pulled out all the stops to give a bravura performance as the crazy caretaker of the opera house.

Special thanks goes out to MVP’S own maestro of make-up FX – Todd A. Britt for bringing all of his Sith talents to bear in creating several macabre make-ups over the course of the fifteen hour marathon.  Additional thanks goes to Sylvia and Sierra for lending their talents to the make-up department by resurrecting our supernatural visitors once more.  Thanks again to Allan Whitley for toughing out another long night to lend a strong hand and keep our boomstick steady for another night.  Special thanks goes out MVP’S own Costume Diva, seamstress and assistant to Mr. Machicao, Angela Pritchett  who although unable to attend our final shoot due to schedule conflicts, put in many a long night on the set of G.H.O.S.T., lending her considerable costuming talents to help bring the production to life.  Thanks to John R. Sexton for putting on a layered performance as Grandfather last month.  Thank you to Kayli Tolleson and her mom Janna for lending their talent, energy and support to G.H.O.S.T. over the course of the shoot.  And last but not least a very special thanks goes to my mom, Momma Streebo, for being a beacon of strength and inspiration to me over the years and for dusting off her sewing machine to create Johnny Reb’s jacket in whole – mere days before the first shoot.  And to anyone that helped that I may have overlooked here, thank you for your help, we could not have done it without you all.  Thank you.

This project has been an amazing journey and I thank you all for sharing it with me.  Production may be complete – but post-production begins immediately as we will continue with editing, sound design and shooting final make-up FX shots of the movie.  Be sure to keep tuning in to Mutantville.com and Mutant TV for your up to the minute news on G.H.O.S.T., C for Chaos, and MVP.

~~Streebo

Final Shoot of G.H.O.S.T. Tonight!

Mutantville Productions is proud to announce that today is one year and a day since we began planning what became G.H.O.S.T..  Tonight marks the final shoot of principle photography.  We  are very excited about how great the performances, FX and footage has looked so far.  We couldn’t be happier.  Better still is the fact that next week we all get to celebrate by being lazy and enjoying Thanksgiving with our families.  See you all soon.  Remember it wouldn’t be possible without you.

~~Streebo

G.H.O.S.T. Haunts The Opera House Once More.

Last night heralded yet another amazing day of filmmaking on the set of G.H.O.S.T..   We had an absolute blast shooting all of the elements that make horror fun – chases, ghosties, and other supernatural occurrences.   Kathy Sandvoss put on a bravura performance as our gutsy heroine enduring take after take and bump after bump like a seasoned pro.  Jack Stecher brought all of his years of experience to bear to imbue our creepy caretaker with a life of his own.  Clint Jones continued to put on a solid showing as the beleaguered Seth.  Dave Tunik and Jason Wheeley were able to survive a grueling make-up session to bring an amazing sequence of supernatural terror to vivid bloody life.  Scott Thomas had his moment to take the center stage and bring the spirit of our ghost into four colored action!  Thank you to Sylvia and Sierra for coming out and lending their talents as make up assistants again.  Props to our ever reliable boom stick operator Allan Whitley for his sure hand and attentive ear throughout the shoot.  Thanks to Jeremy for lending a hand shooting the behind the scenes segments.  Everyone would like to extend a hearty handshake to Anne Reid for lending her talents as a massage therapist to keep everyone relaxed and loosened up for the duration of the shoot.  Thanks to everyone for staying late and toughing it out.  We are on the home stretch now – with the end in sight.  Next Saturday will mark our final major shoot on the production of G.H.O.S.T. and we couldn’t be more pleased with the results.  This will be an amazing project and you will all be very proud of the final film.  Thank you all – because without you – our movie wouldn’t be possible.

~~Streebo

Six Quick Tips to Keep Your Low Budget Film From Sucking

From ASAP TRIP:  The Film Sensei’s Six Quick Tips to Keep Your Indie Film From Sucking!

And here, my loyal students, are those tips to help you avoid some of the pitfalls I encountered as a beginning low budget filmmaker.

1. Lay Off the Zoom!

Yes, I know that George Lucas did it in the new Star Wars films and, yes, I know it was popular in the new Battlestar Galactica show, but all playing around with the zoom on your camera will do is make your footage look like a tourist shooting vacation movies out on the Florida Keys. A really good cameraman can make a zoom look ok (or semi-acceptable)…a really really good cameraman, that is. For the most part, though, a zoom will look shoddy and amateurish. Your best bet is to break your zoom controller or, at the very least, the finger closest to it. A dolly, stedicam or even hand-held track in will all look 1000% better than a crappy zoom.

2. Vary Your Angles

One of the most common mistakes of most new directors and a whole heck of a lot of indie and guerrilla filmmakers is shots all looking alike. Most low budget films are shot very tight and never really open up for a long view – they’re full of close-ups, two shots and cramped quarters. They also tend to be diagram shots framed at eye level. If you want to make your film more excited, or more interesting, pull back for longer shots, tilt your camera, shoot from a bird’s eye or worm’s eye angle – use your camera angles to help set your mood and control your audience’s level of tension/suspense/drama. A good guide is to pull back further than you think you should (or push in further). Make sure to change things up a bit or your footage and your film will become stagnant and boring.

3. Use Proper Lighting

One of the hardest things for most indie, low budget and guerrilla filmmakers to learn is how to properly light for the DV or HD cameras they’re filming on. With a much lower contrast range and higher need for light than the human eye (and film), lighting for DV/HD cameras can often be a bit counter intuitive. In other words, what looks good to your naked eye often won’t work for your finished film. If you’re not careful you’ll wind up with footage too dark to use. If you’ve worked with, or lit for, film cameras then it may take a little while to get used to the change in methodology. I’ve shot with a number of really good DPs recently who made the mistake of lighting for their eyes and not for the camera we were shooting with. Shoot some lighting tests before you begin principal photography so you can get used to your camera’s dynamic range.

4. Write for What You Have

Since most low budget, indie and guerrilla filmmakers also happen to write their own material, the number one thing you should keep in mind when putting your new screenplay together is: write for what you have! The best way to give your film a higher production value is to make use of anything and everything you’ve already got access to. It’s tough to go out and find a cemetary or a muscle car or an airplane, but if you’ve got friends/family with unique locations, props or wardrobe then you can make your little $5000 movie look like you spent tens or hundreds of thousands on it. It worked for Robert Rodriguez and it will work for you.

5. Get a Good Tripod

Hand holding is great on a date with your girlfriend (or boyfriend, we’re not sexist here at the Film Sensei’s DOJO), but it should be used sparingly on a film set. Get a good fluid head tripod and make use of it as much as possible to give yourself a solid base to work from. Remember, hand held footage is great as long as it is used for a purpose and for an effect. If you’re just doing it because you’re too cheap to spring for a good set of sticks then your film will suffer for it.

6. Get a Good Mic

I feel like I’m starting to sound like a broken record after yesterday’s post about essential audio equipment for indie and guerrilla filmmakers. However, it’s a point well worth repeating over and over. While your audience may forgive a little wonky storytelling, dark images or even bad acting, the one thing no one will forgive is bad sound. There is almost nothing you can do that is worse than poor sound quality, and nothing that will make you look more like an amateur – well, short of accidentally filming all day with your lens cap on. Decent mics are available even for those of us on a more modest budget and there is absolutely no excuse to be shooting with your camera’s onboard mic – EVER!

There you have it: the extent of my wisdom. Yes, I know there are a lot more things to keep in mind and that will help (like making sure to get a good AD to help run your set properly or not hiring actresses you want to sleep with), but if you follow these six tips you’ll have a good head-start on keeping your first low budget film from sucking worse than a two-dollar whore.

That’s it from the depths of the DOJO for tonight. Until next time, Keep Shooting!

-Mat N., the Film Sensei

via Six Quick Tips to Keep Your Low Budget Film From Sucking | Asap Trip.

Blackout Sets G.H.O.S.T. Back By One Week.

We had a rather productive day of filming this past Saturday – productive that is – until we were set to roll the cameras on our finale scenes when we lost all power to the opera house.  We hoped it was nothing more than a tripped breaker or perhaps a blown fuse – but after three hours in the dark – we were worried that it was something a bit more serious.  We sent the cast and crew home only to discover to our pleasant surprise – that the problem was indeed a blown fuse which was easily fixed.  Before losing our power – we were able to shoot two scenes earlier in the day as well as an extended photo shoot featuring our full cast.

With help from assistants Sylvia and Sierra, our make-up FX expert Todd A. Britt was on hand to provide some amazing ghostly make-ups.  Their make-up efforts were not lost as we were able to catch the supernatural victims in an exhaustive series of photos and promo shots.  Expect to see those pop up as promotional posters somewhere down the line.

The producers of Mutantville Productions would like to extend a hearty thank you to our cast and crew.  You all dealt with the delay like real professionals and we were able to make the best out of what was potentially a disastrous situation.  Due to the set-back – we have extended the shooting schedule of G.H.O.S.T. to include November 14th and 21st – giving us just enough time to wrap before Turkey Day!  Thank you all for everything you do.  I look forward to seeing you back on the set for our finale this Saturday!

~~Streebo