Here are five hilarious DIY rigs for filming on a tight budget

How many times did you have a great idea for a video, but then you realized you don’t have the budget high enough to get all the gear you need for it? Well, the DIY approach always comes to the rescue in these situations. In this video, Dan Mace shares five of these DIY ideas he calls “sh*tty rigs.” Some of them are just hilarious, but hey – they work!

Dan saw these crappy rigs in various places online and he recreated them for the video. While some of them aren’t the safest ideas you’ll ever see, they indeed produce some pretty amazing shots.

1. Remote car + GoPro camera: this DIY rig is great to follow the action. Dan filmed skateboarders and the video looks great! He rates the rig 7/10 though because it’s a bit unreliable with controls. Still, this is probably the best setup of the bunch.
2. A fish tank with a camera inside for underwater shots: Dan made this rig, and while kneeling on a surfboard, he filmed Amy, the swimmer, in a swimming pool. Honestly, shooting this way looks beyond challenging, and according to Dan, it is. He rates the rig 5/10: it takes a lot of effort to use it, it’s pretty unreliable, plus putting glass in a swimming pool isn’t the best idea ever. But the video is pretty cool, though.
3. A ladder and a truck: please, please, don’t try this at home. But Dan saw this “sh*tty rig” somewhere and he wanted to recreate it to replace a jib. He filmed an indeed beautiful shot, which is why he rates the rig 8/10. “For cinematic value,” as he puts it. But it’s 2/10 for the pain, effort, and risk to get the shot. So please, be responsible and don’t do this.
4. A crotch-rig: I don’t know how else to name this, and it looks as hilarious as it sounds. It’s basically a tripod with a camera between the actor’s legs and strapped onto their shoulders. It gives you “The Blair Witch” kind of shots, which can look pretty cool. Amy tested it out and rated it 2/10 because it’s very uncomfortable, and Dan gave it 4/10 because the footage looks pretty cool – but yeah, you don’t want to put a strain on your talent.
5. A vaping smoke machine: If you vape and have a lot of friends who do, and can’t afford a smoke machine, just gather your friends and vape away for smoke effects. Although, I’d always rather save my lungs and get a $30 smoke machine, but that’s just me.

Make sure to watch the entire video, as you may get some DIY inspiration but also a good laugh. And let us know, what’s the craziest DIY idea you used for your photos or videos?

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