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Tripod dolly. On rails.

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    Tripod dolly. On rails.



    For a timelapse project, I had a need for a tripod dolly. And not only that, a tripod dolly that would run on rails.
    So, with some lengths of wood and 4 coaster wheels from the local DIY store, I built this.
    Note that each rail is in 2 parts, with metal brackets at one end, so that the other rail could be clipped into it.
    Then when I'd moved the dolly onto the 'front' rail, I could unclip the 'back' rail, and reclip it at the other end to become the new "front". And so it became a rolling road.
    I'd seen "proper" movie versions made of metal for £250 - mine cost me a couple of hours and £20.
    Last edited by Moushu; 28-10-2011, 13:39.

    #2
    Re: Tripod dolly. On rails.

    I like the idea of DIY photography, makes it all worthwhile when it works and a touch of self-pride.
    Good luck with that.

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      #3
      Re: Tripod dolly. On rails.

      Originally posted by Hereford_EOS2 View Post
      I like the idea of DIY photography, makes it all worthwhile when it works and a touch of self-pride.
      Good luck with that.
      Thanks - this is what I used it for - the lack of smoothness was more to do with the rough, undulating ground rather than my contraption



      PS. Watch in as high-res as works for you.....

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        #4
        Re: Tripod dolly. On rails.

        I love the idea of the video.
        Although it took a year to make it must of been great fun.
        The sun rising, shadows changing and seasons changing is great and the dogs ... well that made me laugh.

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          #5
          Re: Tripod dolly. On rails.

          That is brilliant! Love the dogs on the bench :)
          “Seeing is not enough; you have to feel what you photograph” – Andre Kertesz
          http://smphotography.foliopic.com/

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            #6
            Re: Tripod dolly. On rails.

            Originally posted by Hereford_EOS2 View Post
            I love the idea of the video.
            Although it took a year to make it must of been great fun.
            The sun rising, shadows changing and seasons changing is great and the dogs ... well that made me laugh.
            Fun? Yes, mainly - but toward the end it was driving me mad though ;)
            Interesting technical & creative challenges - how to do transitions, how to negotiate sharp bends/tree trunks etc, how to film at night, how to keep explaining what I was doing to passers-by over a year, and of course how to get my dogs to put in a cameo ;)
            And would my camera cope with the 9000 stills taken to create it.....

            I know how I could improve it, but I'm not going to put in another year to do so!

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              #7
              Re: Tripod dolly. On rails.

              Originally posted by Mazzie View Post
              That is brilliant! Love the dogs on the bench :)
              That bit seems to get everyones attention ;)

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                #8
                Re: Tripod dolly. On rails.

                I like this alot. I like how you have the chimes in the music appearing when there's snow on the ground. Very Christmassy and I like at 5:10 where you have the light patterns going across the trees. The ending is well thought out as well imho. Why don't you ask the wood managers if their interested in using it to promote the woods?
                Di ~ Trying to take "the" photograph.
                Di's Flickr

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                  #9
                  Re: Tripod dolly. On rails.

                  Originally posted by DeeGee View Post
                  I like this alot. I like how you have the chimes in the music appearing when there's snow on the ground. Very Christmassy and I like at 5:10 where you have the light patterns going across the trees. The ending is well thought out as well imho. Why don't you ask the wood managers if their interested in using it to promote the woods?
                  Glad you like!
                  I had a piece of music in mind for it, but while it fitted generally over the whole film, it didn't match anything in particular going on at any one point, and so I took the scary decision to create my own soundtrack using Garageband on my Mac. At least I was able to sync the musical themes to the action (I hope!).
                  That static-position light-pattern bit was actually done from a full days filming, well, about 8 hours of a day anyway - the wife kept bringing me out cuppas and snacks ;)
                  And the big secret about the end is that because of the position of the start/end point, the only way I could get the ending as it is was to film at sunrise, and then string the frames together in reverse - don't believe anything you see in films ;)
                  This wood is actually owned by Derby City Council - I tried contacting them on Twitter but got no response - Derbyshire County Council liked it though.....

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                    #10
                    Re: Tripod dolly. On rails.

                    Great stuff
                    Trev

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                      #11
                      Re: Tripod dolly. On rails.

                      Moushu

                      Another nice application of your T&D, would be making panoramic still images.

                      Trev

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                        #12
                        Re: Tripod dolly. On rails.

                        Thanks for sharing. I really enjoyed watching. Just one thought. How many people approached you to ask what you were doing deep in the woods with a sledge. Okay in the snow but I think you may have gotten some funny looks in August.
                        Thanks again loved it.
                        Cheers
                        Treff

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                          #13
                          Re: Tripod dolly. On rails.

                          A lot ;)
                          It's a very popular wood, as it's on the border of rural/suburban Derby, and in fact I walk my dogs there twice a day.
                          Some people assumed I was taking pics of squirrels/woodpeckers, some thought i was taking pics of them(!).
                          But I think most thought I was mad ;)
                          Each week I added each new section to the film & then downloaded it to my phone, so I was able to satisfy many peoples' curiosities by letting them see the work-in-progress, which usually turned the frowns upside down ;)
                          Most were very accommodating: the path is narrow in places & sometimes I blocked it & there were a few occasions when I had to lift pushchairs/children/bikes over my contraption - and then on the penultimate week I actually encountered 'path rage': a guys dogs skittles the whole lot & then said "well, it is a public footpath", which actually it isn't. There's always one though?.....
                          Not much scope for being a shrinking violet when doing that sort of project ;)

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Re: Tripod dolly. On rails.

                            Hi Moushu,
                            That is very interesting, I think your TL was well worth all the agro. Loved the movement of light on the trees. Thanks again. Looking forward to the next.

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Re: Tripod dolly. On rails.

                              Originally posted by Treff View Post
                              Hi Moushu,
                              That is very interesting, I think your TL was well worth all the agro. Loved the movement of light on the trees. Thanks again. Looking forward to the next.
                              oh, aboslutely - don't regret it for a moment - of course, it can be improved, not that I'm going to devote another year to it though!
                              Have you seen the other timelapse I posted in the "Specialist Subjects" forum? That one only took me a single day though ;)

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