If you went ahead and build yourself a Krotocam (which is one of the best DIY Steadicams I have seen to date), you may have noticed that it was not perfectly balancing on the right/left axis. This was the only thing stopping this half shaft based rig from being perfect.

But, tables have turned (or stars aligned or something). The good Chad Bredahl over at krotoflik has a great follow up video that shows how to fine-balance the Ktorocam and also how to use it with a GoPro. Tutorial and sample footage (AKA Chad eating his own dog crap) after the jump.[Read More…]

The steadicams building tutorials are among the more popular builds on the blog. No wonder, as using a Steadicam produces significantly smoother video than just holding a camera by hand.

Chad Bredahl over at krotoflik has a new tutorial (and his tutorials are top notch – see his Jib and Travel Jib tutorials). This time it’s a $30 steadicam based around a half shaft and some double flash brackets. (A full fledged system is about $799 if you were wondering).

For a build tutorial a demonstration short and some musing from me hit the jump.[Read More…]

A few days ago we shared a quick sneak peak at the RotoRig – A light weight jib that resembles Light Craft’s trapezist, Zolinger’s ZP1800 and DSLR devices MK4. It’s the kind of jib (or crane) that lets you do amazing Hollywood style sweeping shots. But, in some aspects it is even better. If you are a solo shooter and have to carry your gear alone, the RotoRig saves you from having to carry multiple rigs. It doubles as a video shoulder rig and triples as a hand held jib. We also shared a shot flick shot entirely with the rig in its three positions, and the fact that it can so easily transforms really makes me sad that they did not have a movie autobot back in the days.

The response has been overwhelming and basically everyone said the same thing? How do you build one? In fact, Amazon’s stock of the monopods was nuked.

Well, Chad Bredahl is not the guy to keep you waiting and he put up a video showing how the rig was built. He also shared a complete parts list (as noted below). So everyone who grabbed the monopods off Amazon before the price went up can go ahead and complete the build. For the rest of you, Walmart has them for $9.99.[Read More…]

When I get asked what’s the first thing an HD shooter should get to boost production value, I usually say a slider. But things are changing and light weight jibs are starting to emerge and take the spot of the first thing you may wanna buy for added production value.

DSLR devices makes the MK4 for about $350 and Zolinger makes the coveted ZP1800 for $750. Both would be a good start in the jib world. Chad Bredahl made a DIY jib – The RotoRig – that is not only travel friendly, but also doubles as a shoulder rig and a hand held jib. (which used with the IS-enabled 18-55 Canon kit lens is way more stable that what I would have thought possible).

To make his point Chad made a short movie made entirely with jib/shoulder rig shots using the RotoRig.[Read More…]

Awake in the Woods is a short film by Chad Bredahl. The first thing that I noticed is the extensive use of jib shots. I love jib shots (and jibs), as they are an interesting way to add movement when you tell a story.

Chad made his jib, dubbed the KrotoCrane, at minimal cost – about $20 including the fuel to get to Home Depot. And the results are pretty impressive.

Here is the best part: Chad, being the nice guy that he is, made a couple of videos showing both how to build the KrotoCrane and how to use it we share them right after the jump.[Read More…]