Cheap, effective, cheap dolly!

Super Chicken · Post by **Super Chicken** » Sun Nov 09, 2003 2:14 am

im not sure where to actually post htis, but im sure a kind mod will move this if they feel necessary

I needed a dolly for my movie, but i was running short on time and recouses... and money. Im sure there will be a couple of you in the same position as me.

So this is what it did...
I got the very computer chair that im sitting on right now (it has those little wheels on the bottom and it can spin in circles (you could get a skateboard instead)), tied a piece of rope to the frame of the chair and had a car (you could get a person to pull you, or a dog or anything) to pull me alone at a steady speed.
I sat in the chair with the camera on a tripod and the camera was kept remarkably steady.
The makeshift dolly was easy to assemble, and cost me $0, and it worked a treat. It provided terrific camerawork.

I just felt i had to post it somewhere... its my personal little triumph.

Super Chicken · Post by **Super Chicken** » Sun Nov 09, 2003 4:26 am

Ha ha! i used it again this arvo - it really is quite good! I recommend it for those who cant get a real dolly.

Epsilon · Post by **Epsilon** » Sun Nov 09, 2003 8:51 am

Good for you. If it works it works.

I still like my bicycle wheel idea better. It can handle faster speeds and rougher terrain.

You could probably build this out of junk lying around at home.

Austin · Post by **Austin** » Mon Nov 10, 2003 1:33 am

ep, i could see your idea working better behind a car or something...

Super Chic, didnt you have terrible amountsof noise comming from the wheels?

Super Chicken · Post by **Super Chicken** » Mon Nov 10, 2003 9:34 am

when i was outside on the gravel yes. but at that point in the movie i only had music over the top so the osound wasnt recorded in the final product.

idid it inside aswell on some lino. Made extremely little noise, and proved rather effective.

It looks rubbish but worked a treat!

Also... ep im liking this oter invention here... looks dandy! I might begin constructing one fomr useful things around the house.

xander · Post by **xander** » Mon Nov 10, 2003 7:41 pm

Originally posted by Epsilon
Good for you. If it works it works.

I still like my bicycle wheel idea better. It can handle faster speeds and rougher terrain. You could probably build this out of junk lying around at home.

doesnt look like it would work; there are only two stabilising points and they are at the centre of the wheels so the board would be like a see-saw tipping and wobbling all over the place - how is it held flat?

Epsilon · Post by **Epsilon** » Mon Nov 10, 2003 10:45 pm

Well, it is just a basic concept. You could add a third wheel if you wanted. I originally figured it to be held up by the second person pushing/pulling the device. It's a two man operation. One sits on top with the camera (this also adds to wieght) and another who moves it. The advantage of the bike wheels is that it offers a slight suspension. Getting it to move perfectly flat would be a result of practice.

Super Chicken · Post by **Super Chicken** » Thu Nov 13, 2003 9:10 am

BRILLIANT!

i made a quick version of it - im going to upgrade it better soon, but so far its great!
One man sits in it, whille the other man pushes it like a wheel barrow. (i put two bits of pole for the handles.

I had to do i high speed car chase too:

DONT TRY THIS AT HOME KIDS!

got some rope and attached the handles of the crappy dolly to the tow bar of the car. I sat in the seat (and hoped to god i wasn't going to die) and the driver sped off at high speeds (around 60 - 70 km/h) while i flimed another car also speeding around (the car chase). The only advantage the whacky seat gave was about 270 degrees unobstructed view of my surroundings.

Note: i wore a helmet and some padding - and pillows! I has pillows strapped all over my body over my helmet and joint pads... taped on with ducttape!

Luckily i stayed well in the rickety seat.
I have never been more frieghtened in all my life - but that has gotta be one of the most fun stunts i have ever done. It wasnt even filmed so i cant show pictues of me screaming.

film fanatic · Post by **film fanatic** » Thu Nov 13, 2003 9:28 am

Whats the frikking point in not filming it! what a b**ch!

ideas_man69 · Post by **ideas_man69** » Thu Nov 13, 2003 11:55 am

got some rope and attached the handles of the crappy dolly to the tow bar of the car.

why didnt you attach a trailer to ur car and sit in that? wouldve been HEAPS smoother and alot safer. at least u would be scraped along the ground if u went over a stick

Epsilon · Post by **Epsilon** » Fri Nov 14, 2003 7:17 am

Sounds fun. Shoulda got in on tape. For one, you could show us how funny it looked! Or simply use it as footage for a jackass movie.

Super Chicken · Post by **Super Chicken** » Fri Nov 14, 2003 9:20 am

lol ahahaha!

i dodn't get footage of me but i got footage of the car chase. I assume you can hear me screaming or somthing in the tape though... soon to be edited out...

As for the trailer... welll we made this thing and were experimenting... and didn't htink of the obvious...

Super Chicken · Post by **Super Chicken** » Sat Nov 15, 2003 2:11 am

I have some terrible, terrible news.
*hangs head low with hat off*

The footage i filmed whilst dressed in pillows hurling around at 70km/h in a rickety piece of dump....

WAS BLURRED!

it would appear i was travelling way to fast for the camera, and there would only be about 5 -10 seconds of actual good footage, which is spread out really sparsly.

I went to my friends house to edit (i normally do it here, but its his turn) and the footge was terrible. I think we decided to turf the whole scene and think of somehing else... or another technique, but i still wanna scavange up the 5 seconds of separated good footage and use it! i didn't get dressed in pillows and go flying through the air for notheing!

So we spent the rest of the arvo playing Halo.

Jass Films · Post by **Jass Films** » Tue Nov 18, 2003 11:01 pm

I love the whole idea of the pillows. It's great. It's the perfect aussie blokes idea. I personally wouldn't do it. But i have some mates that would, (just for a kick). That's why i love being an aussie.

Super Chicken · Post by **Super Chicken** » Wed Nov 19, 2003 8:58 am

ah pillows, the wonder protection!

if i can summon enough courage i might to the pillow thing in the back of a ute and film it... but i dont know if i wanna do that again! my mates are encouraging me... i might... we will see.

death to traitors · Post by **death to traitors** » Mon Nov 24, 2003 7:32 am

BRILLIANT!

i made a quick version of it - im going to upgrade it better soon, but so far its great!
One man sits in it, whille the other man pushes it like a wheel barrow. (i put two bits of pole for the handles.

I had to do i high speed car chase too:

DONT TRY THIS AT HOME KIDS!

got some rope and attached the handles of the crappy dolly to the tow bar of the car. I sat in the seat (and hoped to god i wasn't going to die) and the driver sped off at high speeds (around 60 - 70 km/h) while i flimed another car also speeding around (the car chase). The only advantage the whacky seat gave was about 270 degrees unobstructed view of my surroundings.

Note: i wore a helmet and some padding - and pillows! I has pillows strapped all over my body over my helmet and joint pads... taped on with ducttape!

Luckily i stayed well in the rickety seat.
I have never been more frieghtened in all my life - but that has gotta be one of the most fun stunts i have ever done. It wasnt even filmed so i cant show pictues of me screaming.

This is the reason i stay the hell out of australia. I dont know if i think what you did was funny or just dumb, i am leaning towards dumb. and epslion dont encourage people to make cky movies no one can do it like bam,ryan,brandon and raab so dont even try.

Simon Rylance · Post by **Simon Rylance** » Mon Nov 24, 2003 9:27 am

i resent that remark

dont stereotype auzzys.......

im cool

death to traitors · Post by **death to traitors** » Mon Nov 24, 2003 3:43 pm

not that i dislike you or anything... i actullay like you guys alot i see you ever 4 years in the olympics and you guys do a great job at swiming really fast. you most have inharited that from your ancesters that were shipped there as convicts and tried to get off the island. you will never be more then just another island to me!

Jass Films · Post by **Jass Films** » Tue Nov 25, 2003 8:12 am

i actullay like you guys alot i see you ever 4 years in the olympics and you guys do a great job at swiming really fast. you most have inharited that from your ancesters that were shipped there as convicts and tried to get off the island. you will never be more then just another island to me!

I'm a swimming teacher, (Australian), and i think that it is the teachers that create good swimmers. SOme teachers have very bad kids and others have ones that are really excellent swimmers. So basically, if the teacher is good the kid will grow up to take on the world in the olympics...

Epsilon · Post by **Epsilon** » Sat Nov 29, 2003 7:48 am

LOL That figures.

Olympic swimming is fun to watch.

Originally posted by death to traitors
and epslion dont encourage people to make cky movies no one can do it like bam,ryan,brandon and raab so dont even try.

Hey, what is wrong with a little inspiration?

JohnTravoltaisMyHero · Tue Dec 02, 2003 3:04 am

Epsilon wrote:Hey, what is wrong with a little inspiration?

As a member of the viewing audience, I personally get tired of copycat productions. I've had a few things like that taped and stored at school (i.e. taping someone get hit by a car, flipped on a roof and driven around the parking lot), and its funny to me and all that are involved, but if I were on the outside looking in, I'd probably would be shaking my head. I guess I personally just wouldn't want to be associated with making Jackass/Cky -ish clips. A parody is good every once in a long while, but too much of good thing goes bad it seems like.

But hey, whatever floats your boat.

Epsilon · Post by **Epsilon** » Tue Dec 02, 2003 5:27 am

Okay... I am lost now. I had originally suggested a concept for a dolly.

Not sure where the copycat ideas came around.

Curts · Post by **Curts** » Sun Dec 28, 2003 6:55 pm

I didnt read all the replys, but here is another great idea for good filming effects. It always makes me smile when I see it in movies, its that damn good if used right.

Go to Lowes, buy a sheet of wood that is about 1/4 inch thick and big enough for you to spread your tripod out on it. Keep in mind it looks a lot better with a lower angle, facing up, so if you have a extremley short tripod, use it.

Get those computer chair wheels, 4 in the corners and one in the center for easier pivotiabilty.
Make some sort of handle for it, so you can push it.

Now this looks great when your filming with a wide angle lens, and your going in a straight line, filming down the street or whatever, and then pivot it really fast to a person walking down the street, like in a hurried pace. It creates a lot of drama, because you just saw where he is heading, and your following him from the side. I think it looks hella good, but what do I know? I'm only 15.

CrowneyBar · Post by **CrowneyBar** » Sun Dec 28, 2003 8:33 pm

im just thinkin, what about using the lever at the side of your chair for up and down shots whilst also going along...*swiffles about frantically on computer chair, pushes off, first in a forward motion, then releases lever dropping in altitude and creating a subtle downward crash into office door* Hi, im new by the way(love this s***).

reflexive_cinematics · Sat Feb 19, 2005 11:35 pm

uh, instead of having a car pull all that wierd s*** around, why dont' you just sit in the car?