DIY Camera Dolly Track

[@darrenbivings4227]

Lord have merci, I love what you did here. The simplicity of your design has left me speechless. Thank You many times over.

[@WorkMateGuy]

You are certainly welcome and thanks for stopping by.

[@CreativeMinds312]

Great Idea Sir! I mostly try to produce feature film type. Dollies are so expensive.

[@WorkMateGuy]

Thanks! Glad you like it. Cheers!

[@STlTCHlZ]

I love this idea, exactly what I was looking for, thanks for the video.

[@WorkMateGuy]

Glad it was helpful!

[@IanVuittonDon]

Love the video and thanks for all the info and insight. I'm looking to build (at least) a 10ft track so I was just looking at different "DIY builds" to see how they were done. I'm finding that regardless of the distance/track, anything over 72 inches will 'sag' in the middle and require some sort of support. How far do you think you could run a stretch of angle aluminum, without sagging? Was 72" the longest you could use?

[@WorkMateGuy]

For this grade of angle I would say 96". But, not certain that they have thatsize. Cheers.

[@MexicanMovie]

This is a great idea, THANKS for sharing it ! I liked and subscribed to your channel. I film weddings, corporate videos, commercials and music videos and pretty much do everything myself for the most part, and I'm always looking to build as much of my own equipment as possible. Doing a commercial for Lowe's in January and it's gonna require a "Dutti Dolly" or suitable substitute (which i do not have) and that is how i found you. Thanks again !!!

[@WorkMateGuy]

Kevin P You are certainly welcome and welcome to my channel. Thanks for subscribing. Congratulations on your contract with Lowe's. "Break A Leg". I would be interested to know what type of cameras you use. I just upgraded to an older Cannon G20 and really like it. Probably more features then i'll ever use. I especially like the dual memory card slots.

[@MexicanMovie]

@@WorkMateGuy I mostly use the Canon C100 and the Canon XC15 cameras, but when the job requires extra bit depth for tv commercials then I use my Blackmagic Cinema Camera and shoot in 12 bit raw. My C100 has dual 256gb SD cards and I have it set to record backup video to the 2nd card in case something goes bad on my first card. The XC15 is actually a DSLR shaped camcorder that has a fixed lens but has several automatic settings and records cinema quality 4k video and it is probably the most fun and simple to use camera I have ever owned. It was made to be a B camera for the Canon C300 mark 2 for motion picture work.

[@WorkMateGuy]

Kevin P Well, you certainly know your way around cameras and definitely more advanced in your cinematography then I am. I really enjoy making videos for KZbin and would enjoy getting into something more advanced then just product reviews.

[@MexicanMovie]

@@WorkMateGuy Well I'm 53 and kind of boring, so I stick behind the camera as much as possible :) I'd really like to film a feature film and direct, edit and man the cameras all three, but not sure if I'll ever have the time or money to do that. I started out doing stock photography for Shutterstock back in 2009 and somehow ended up in video production because it is a lot more fun.

[@denaroken]

Great idea to use aluminium angle for the skater dolly guide. One question: how would you mount a centre plate for a tripod mount? Is there sufficient clearance beneath the skater wheels to bolt on a plate at the mid point?

[@WorkMateGuy]

I cannot think of any way to do so without causing an obstruction to the wheels.

[@iiiiiMILLYiiiii]

Great job...

[@WorkMateGuy]

Thanks!

[@IanVuittonDon]

Also I gotta admit, the demo shots you included at the end are 🔥🔥🔥🔥! Clearly your DIY build works extremely well! Just curious, have you figured out a way to "automate" the camera movement yet? (I typically use my hand with some rubberbands to move the dolly). I'm really just wondering if you've figured out some way to have the dolly move slowly without using your hand to hold it? If you have, I'd like to know how you did it??!

[@WorkMateGuy]

Everything was done by hand. The automated trolleys end up being big bucks.