How to Build a Dolly Track for $50 (Cinematography Hacks) | Filmmaking Tips

bit.ly/2FvOucp - For a step-by-step breakdown of what you need and how to build it, follow along over on the PremiumBeat blog.
SUPPLIES:
1/4 inch hex bolts (8)
1/4 inch nuts (16)
1/4 inch washers (8)
2' x 2' plywood board
L brackets (4)
Wheels (8)
2" PVC pipe (2)
MUSIC:
“Blue Notes” by Mattijs Muller - bit.ly/2FhCax6
"Caribbean Lounge Groove" by Mattijs Muller - bit.ly/2G3j9Md
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[@PremiumBeat]

ATTENTION: We recently launched a pop music channel! If you're a content creator, video editor, or music lover, you'll love this channel! ➡ bit.ly/premiumbeatpop ⬅

[@A1Bokeh]

This slider is amazing. Using it on a movie set now its truly incredible and versatile

[@samanthacashx]

If you want to save $20 try shopping at your local thrift store for the roller skates. They will almost always have a pair. Thanks for the video!

[@ElementsMMA]

Or just buy a roughneck dolly for approx $20. Normally they have pivoting wheels too so even better than roller skate wheels and no effort to build.

[@whengrapespop5728]

@Lela Gray Or just buy cart wheels at Walmart

[@davidnoffsinger5214]

@@whengrapespop5728 I wish I could do a cart wheel.

[@captainradio5894]

@@ElementsMMA pivoting wheels suck because they will pivot when you don’t want them to, causing jerks in the footage.

[@EastonJames]

And if that doesn’t work, 5 below has skateboards for $5 each. Just buy 2.

[@ian-sauer]

Great video! Just bought all the same supplies to do this, but forgot I need titanium drill bits for the metal L brackets. Looks like a second trip to the store for me as well!

[@zackjasper4230]

Update to 2023: I had my own wood. I had my own wheels. I decided to elevate mine so I got 1 1/4 emt conduit. And the rest was the same hardware and angle brackets. Cost with tax was 88$ still pretty good for DIY slider. Thanks for the video!!

[@EmmysVerySeriousVideos]

I just came home from making a similar one, watched a few tutorials and came up with one, it’s a lil more complicated but it works amazingly

[@VOZM]

Will you share a video of how it is done? Thanks

[@EmmysVerySeriousVideos]

@@VOZM damn, what a way to take me back 5 years haha Sadly no, did not get any footage and it didn’t last very long. I needed a weird specific slider so I took it apart and made the slider with it. It was a lot better than my dolly ! Maybe one day I could make a slider tutorial ? Idk. As for the dolly I don’t remember what I did different from the tutorial. Maybe I used thicker and softer wheels from a longboard (don’t do that, get very hard wheels, the softer ones tend to skid over the pipe), but I’m sure you can achieve great results just watching this. Careful when choosing your pipes, pvc isn’t always straight and it can suck.

[@GregWallis]

Simple, effective, why pay more? The only change I'd make is to build a couple of struts to join the ends to keep the track tubes aligned.

[@craigsawchuk198]

Greg Wallis The weight of the camera, tripod, and dolly pretty much forces the pipes to stay equidistant without need for struts.

[@lilmattmondays6814]

Yeah that’s true you can keep yours like that but I like the idea of that extra security measure. In the end i know Il be happy with my shot sequence.

[@KettleVallei1555]

with the angled wheels the track will be forced into that distance, I'm sure you could even use a a length of tubing to create round or curved track if you wanted.

[@Noahshz]

Super awesome i was actually thinking of buying a slider...fuck that i‘m buidling this thing thanks a lot 💪🏼

[@TRITONFPV]

Great Video. Not only did I learn how to build the dolly but also a Rollercoaster 😉

[@phillipbade]

I love how simple you kept this video. Very straight forward, good job! Thanx for the info!

[@firebird7479]

I learned this in 1994 in a book on low budget film making called Persistence of Vision.

[@warsameadam5572]

Author please ?

[@firebird7479]

@@warsameadam5572 I'll do you one better. Here's a link to the book. www.thriftbooks.com/w/persistence-of-vision-an-impractical-guide-to-producing-a-feature-film-for-under-30000_john-gaspard_dale-newton/762927/item/451231/?mkwid=qmNYahkX%7cdc&pcrid=11558858230&pkw=&pmt=be&slid=&product=451231&plc=&pgrid=3970769304&ptaid=pla-1101002864651&Bing+Shopping+%7c+Arts+&+Photography&NYahkX%7cdc%7cpcrid%7c11558858230%7cpkw%7c%7cpmt%7cbe%7cproduct%7c451231%7cslid%7c%7cpgrid%7c3970769304%7cptaid%7cpla-1101002864651%7c&msclkid=dfde5c3471371f216e663c9fc18b9abb#idiq=451231&edition=4158891

[@rickhickman2730]

@@firebird7479 worth the read still?

[@firebird7479]

@@rickhickman2730 Yes. This is pre-video (Film look was the technology of the day that turned made things shot in video look like 35mm) and pre-digital. The authors used 16mm film. But there are tricks and techniques in there for low budget filmmaking that is still useful.

[@SayedYasin]

God bless you guys for this video Finally!!!! I looked up so many diy tutorials about that Dolly ...but nothing solid... until now. Thank you

[@terryrhuebottom]

I was thinking about building something similar to this for capturing textures of flat surfaces like floors boards and such. I'd have to engineer a way to overhang the camera so the pipes and Dolly are out of frame but this is much more simple than the design I was working on. Thanks a ton.

[@joshuasuperneau6469]

This is great! I love this kind of stuff! I'm wondering how to make one of these, just smaller and on an auto moving left to right pan track so that I can capture the drummer on our worship team. One thing that would make the brackets more secure would be to get some scrap wood the width of the bracket, use the bracket to mark you L shape and then cut the scrap wood to fit inside the bracket. Then glue the wood to the board, put the bracket over the wood and screw it in. This way you have more to screw it into and it's not just held into the wood by a single screw.

[@kingdomofyah8259]

Dude out here doing the Lord’s work 🙌🏾

[@Morokavisuals4481]

I will be using that on my next video, you are the MAN.

[@kevinadams9468]

I am working on making a movable carriage for my solar panels along a concrete sidewalk. This dolly idea is a great idea, especially since it uses less expensive parts. Thanks for the ideas!

[@VonFaderVideo]

show it!

[@GalacticForceMedia]

Built it. Love it. Using it. Wheels come loose after a few passes and have to re secure.

[@saltnationTV]

Wow!! Definitely trying this. Thanks

[@BILLIEJOHN17]

Thank you so much for this video! I tried it and it worked out amazing!! Great work bro!

[@MySweetandSourLife]

Wow crazy how similar this is to Ponysmasher's DIY dolly tutorial. Great minds obviously think alike.

[@anirudhgoud5035]

This guy ripped it off from pOnysmasher.

[@alen-commentnazi8774]

@@anirudhgoud5035 shut up

[@davidgentry8982]

FYI if you try drilling into into those L brackets, make sure that you keep a can of WD40 on hand, I broke 2 drill bits trying to drill those holes.

[@nickvokey]

This is so stupidly brilliant

[@A1Bokeh]

Bro I used one of these. It's freaking awesome

[@Aishahlife]

Awesomeee! Made me miss my technical workshop school days and life in the media!! Thanks!!

[@alexanderlvt]

I love it. This will work great for me. Many thanks 😊

[@yashsahu9324]

Definitely want more of such

[@kalexfilmmaker]

Nice work

[@groundbreakerexplore]

Thank you so much for this tutorial video. Very interesting and informative content. I am learning a lot. Stay safe.

[@Direct19681]

Great video but you could have use two inch bolts. It’s easier to transport not having to worry about extra length snagging on, or damaging stuff.

[@PremiumBeat]

Thanks David! We did end up trimming the bolts, but it's not in the video. For anybody else reading this, you can use a hacksaw or a Dremel to shorten the bolts.

[@thefullnelson7279]

Feel like I know this guy. Maybe just from watching "the office" too much, reminds me of Krasinski. Great hack!

[@dariameyer5708]

this is gold

[@tlberglund]

So simple, yet so helpful. Love it!

[@jstownsend]

Fantastic video!!! Thanks!!! Have you or anyone else who’s done this needed anything to secure the tripod to the plywood? Do you get slippage while pushing or pulling? Thanks!

[@redumbrella4218]

Great Video! Congrats! Very helpful for anyone!

[@kspec2001]

found this from an advertisment on facebook! nice to see more DIY stuff

[@RobertGossCreator]

Love things are simple to make great job

[@oscarmateofilms5638]

My mann you are the best🔥🔥🔥🎥🎥

[@Tfive_Productions]

Building mine now!

[@asap.6283]

Oh this is perfect. Thank you

[@joshwrb]

Love doing DIY builds.

[@josephtvshow7467]

Wow!!!! Iove it this great idea thumbs up now I can built mine in the near future.

[@Von_McKnelly]

Right on...thanks for the DIY dolly video.

[@lexxymajira2765]

I love you bro,you are my mantor,ai happy to make one like this

[@dongwonbryanchung]

Wow! It is awesome. Thank you for the video.

[@Solarfactor]

Great idea.

[@mikeystu]

So sick

[@papafutbolero]

Thank you so much, I will be using this on my next video!

[@AustinParenti]

Thanks so much--it turned out great!

[@fatouuchandmomo637]

Thanks you for all brother.. i’m from Guinea (west africa) and today I was able to make my first dolly with only $13.

[@82maor]

OMG GENIUS! more DIY Equipment pls

[@imivanmayor]

That was awesome

[@OffDutyTruckers]

U groove wheels will be another option but setup will be different. Camonwheels has different sizes

[@Albanez39]

I wish I had such a store in my country where I can find all the building/construction/DIY materials I need. Fortunately, those few shops that carry such materials are not this expensive.

[@takur7819]

GENIUS

[@mr.sunnymahiwal4199]

Wow man great job

[@larrywilson8142]

Awesome thank you

[@MexicanMovie]

added to favorites !

[@qtour99]

Excellent Video - thank you! I want to build a dolly, but I want to photograph cars.. I love the idea of your dolly, it's given me a lot to think about. Any suggestions?

[@guitargaleria8038]

Great stuff. I want to ask if the wheel setup works on curved or circular tracks? thanks!

[@elephantgrass631]

You would probably need the wheel assembly that connects to the wood to swivel to account for the curves. That's not a hard addition to the project. Should work in theory.

[@Lilylo]

Thank you this video is excellent! much love

[@savageintellec]

This is nice thank you

[@emircanlas]

great! just what i needed. more of these, man!

[@lichtfang-photography]

Nice video. Thank you!

[@kvri-beats]

Magic

[@amandacerami5086]

So radical! Thanks :)

[@BruceWayne-pl4fx]

What size are the L brackets?

[@dylancoleman-blount1502]

How do you keep the PVC pipes stable?

[@terryrhuebottom]

I would guess that the angled wheels and downward force of the weight of the rig stabilize the pipes naturally. You could, however, build a support platform for the pipes but that is probably unnecessary.

[@rusemode]

Fill the pipes with cement

[@callumgillies9611]

I've heard copper pipe instead of pvc works

[@Lmaoh5150]

Sand bagging each end works

[@AlexTangoFuego]

"EMT" galvanized steel electrical conduit would be more rigid than PVC. You could make a wood "trestle" that could be leveled and shimmed underneath, and that would hold the pipe tracks. You could drill a small hole in the pipe at the trestle locations and screw through into the wood. (larger hole on top of pipe to get screw through, smaller hole on bottom/contact side). Then the outriggers on the trestle could be weighted down with sandbags or CMU concrete blocks.

[@yessyyuniarti1326]

Thank you so much

[@RemiCazenave]

excellent !

[@PositiveLifeVlog]

Great work building the dolly! What screws did you use to secure the L brackets to the wood? Thanks👊

[@the-viewer]

Amazing and thanks

[@ChadRHembree]

This is awesome More Videos! A lot of DIY gear looks chinsey (sp?) and ugly. This appears to be well made and more visually appealing. My only question is if you have any tips on adjusting the PVC pipes if the ground it is on isnt level. Thanks!

[@javonlehman5133]

Chad R. Hembree I would say you need a set or to of notched blocks to level each end of the pipe with. Should be a simple fix although perfect results are impossible.

[@craigsawchuk198]

Chad R. Hembree try using some sandbags under the pvc pipe.

[@stilartman9671]

Good job ! Possible create rail slider 360 degrees ?

[@ravijadhav538]

Superbbbb👌👌

[@mpess8569]

More videos please!

[@nagaboyinashesamma2525]

Super sir....

[@ameeralijaffery6457]

awesome

[@dilipraj8121]

Hi, even I made almost same dolly watching your video but my dolly slightly vibrates during moving it forward or backward. Please suggest an idea how can I fix it.

[@timbrink9647]

Try adding more weight to your dolly. This could help prevent the vibrations.

[@johnbarasa9929]

Nice work 🇰🇪🇰🇪🇰🇪🇰🇪

[@HomemadeHorror]

Thanks for this. What do you have going on at the bottom of the tripod that helps it stay put on the plywood?? We're unfamiliar with that.

[@terrynicklin417]

Years ago I worked on a job with a video pro and he used an almost identical (and expensive) piece of kit. What is really great is how the pipes align themselves as the dolly passes over them. I recently built my own, but I do get a creaking sound that is very audible in camera. Now looking for different tubes or wheels with tyres. Any ideas?.

[@trnmedia4101]

Put baby powder on the pipes. I was on a set that used something similar to this and the powder did the trick!

[@amadeusbiel6062]

I wonder if I could use a heatgun to make a curved track

[@hzubovi1]

Thank you for the video. I would like to make a 360 dolly

[@SageMolotov]

Thanks for this video, you just saved me 'hundies!

[@livemorededicated3881]

Freaking dope thx

[@cheppanubrother367]

Nice andi

[@elieh.studio]

Didn't you notice any minor jitter when filming? I made one and the footage I got is somewhat shaky

[@duchmais7120]

Hi. Thanks for sharing. Is the motion smooth?

[@lokesh_pareek]

Yes Yes Yes More videos

[@MrTommybadger]

The bolts are still too long. Maybe use 1-inch or 3/4? Or take the bracket and the wheel to the hardware store and get the exact size you need and those little plastic caps to slip over the ends of the bolts to make them less likely to maim the crew.

[@jourdanbrasil9890]

Is the movement of a dolly automated when its keeping track of someone jogging or is it someone just pushing it to keep track of the runner?

[@user-ck7ko9tc3d]

This video is kind of misleading. You need exactly the right wheels to do this or you’re gonna end up buying twice as many nuts to give clearance between the bracket and the wheel. Also screwing a screw into the board from the L bracket is kind of a pain. Not as easy as you think

[@oscarhealey]

Skateboard wheels are generally universal in size and it isn't difficult if you have the right tools for metal working which are relatively inexpensive.

[@sathwikbala9912]

great video!! But we even have another choice- use a skate board🤔🤔🤔

[@GalacticForceMedia]

Great concept and idea, but by the time I got the supplies, did the work and drove around, it’s easier to just go and buy a camera dolly and spend a little more

[@Coanmenell]

a little more?? did you find a dolly for under $100??? because this job took me 3 hours total. from watching this video. driving to get the supplies. and putting it all together. and i spent less than $50 because I got cheaper wheels

[@brianatyson2155]

Any recommendations on how to build a product that will allow the same even movement but going around a corner?? Something that’s able to make an arc

[@harleydanger123]

Look up PEX piping

[@sleepmeditationyoutube]

What’s the size of the actual drill that you used to fit the 1/4 bolts?

[@avoloskov]

cool! doit more video !

[@IGGAMERANI]

Ok thank you bro I help full this track some more videos in this concept ok bro .....

[@RapEmphasis]

SO much harder to buy these things in the UK and way more expensive! Just to give people a heads up in the UK. We just don't have shops you can get all this at, some can be bought from homebase, B and Q and pluming dealerships. The plywood is surprisingly hard to buy too. As for the video, really great and clear, I will make this somehow!

[@RapEmphasis]

@@emw989 Well, I live in London and regularly travel to Cardiff - 2 capital cities.