Monday, December 17, 2018

Make Your Own Curved Track Dolly


Putting a camera on a curved dolly can add production value to a low-budget video. It's easy and inexpensive to build one. (Link to 13 minute YouTube video)


If the curvature is a section of a circle, and the camera is pointed toward an object placed on the center of a circle, that object will stay in the center of frame.


The movement of the camera is controlled with a geared down Lego motor. This one travels about one foot every 15 minutes, or about an inch minute.  


The cart is also made from Lego. I remove the tires from normal wheels and run the cart on the rims. The track is made from flexible Pex pipe, which you can get from the hardware store. 


3 comments:

  1. Inventing in the spirit of Alexander Graham Bell. Need to coin a new term for all this cleverness. “Artimation”? “Funimation”? 🤔

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  2. I love the tinkery joining together of unrelated elements to make the tool you need for this. It's very creative in a crunchy gears kind of way :D

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  3. This was really refreshing James! I think ; for me at least; the problem solving shown here is the main reason I became an artist.
    Having the idea, and using what was readily available to solve the problem. It reminds me of the time in the not so distant future when all this electronic, digital, technology comes crashing to a halt, for one reason or another. When it happens only the people with real skills will rule the world.

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