How To Build A DIY 2 Axis Cable Cam

One of the fun ways to ad motion to a movie is by using a cable cam. We featured a short tutorial about building a gravity driven cable-cam back in February, but as the name suggests it was gravity driven, meaning you have very little control over the speed and duration of the movement.

This tutorial uses (not one but two) motors for making a 2-axis cable cam that is more controlled. Specifically, they are using the Genie, but even if you don’t have the budget for this (and willing to let go of some control), you can use slower servo motors instead.

The tutorial is 90% carpentry and 10% photography, but the results are really sweet. While the rig itself is a few dollars at Homedepot, 2 Genies will set you back about $1800. For those $$ you get to play your move before you start shooting to coordinate the motors and have the ability to shoot-stop-shoot in case you need long exposures.

Here is the shopping list for the project:

And here are the instructions:

Thanks for the heads up, Ben.