Make movies, not excuses: Director David F. Sandberg shows you how to make a camera dolly for under $100
posted Wednesday, September 7, 2016 at 4:59 PM EDT
If you want to get into movie making, but you're put off by the steep prices for even relatively basic gear like camera dollies, David F. Sandberg has a message for you: "Make movies, not excuses!"
Sandberg, who's best known for directing this summer's horror flick "Lights Out" -- and for writing and directing the earlier film of the same name on which the Hollywood version was based -- isn't afraid to pinch pennies himself if it gets the job done. And in a just-published Vimeo video, he shares a great tip for how to make your own camera dolly on the cheap.
(NSFW content warning: This isn't your typical run of the mill, dry video tutorial. As well as giving you the info needed to build your own camera dolly, Sandberg also throws in a fair few jokes at his own expense, along with some language which may not be considered safe for work. Take heed, and if necessary, save the link to this article for viewing once you get home!)
Sandberg's new camera dolly, which he made to replace one left back home in Sweden, really couldn't be much simpler or more affordable. All in, it'll run you perhaps $80 complete with a short distance of home-made dolly track, and almost all of the necessary hardware can be picked up at your local DIY store. (The only things they won't likely carry are skateboard wheels, but even if you can't pick those up locally, they're just a few clicks away on IR affiliate Amazon.com.) And you won't need any special tools, either -- a pair of pliers and a screwdriver should be enough to do the trick.
Towards the end of the clip, Sandberg shows what he was able to achieve when panning using his home-made dolly and a Blackmagic camera -- and we'd have to say that the result are pretty impressive. If you've made one of these dollies yourself, we'd love to see your results, too! Sound off in the comments below, and if you have any money-saving, movie-making tips of your own, we'd love to hear them too!
(via ISO 1200)