Just embarked upon an epic and grueling journey. Trying to create a fiction film comprised of a cast of my former documentary subjects. For more: http://whispersinthestorm.com/soundandfury/
So…I just built a cage for shooting quasi handheld with the Canon 5D. I found a DIY tutorial here: http://cheesycam.com/?p=966
1. Rather than using the couplet (coupling?) to connect 2 bolts inside of the pipe I used a 1/4 inch threaded rod and created my own bolt by putting washers, lock washers and nuts on either side. You can cut it down to size (easy compared to cutting the strut) and even leave an inch of the rod sticking out to screw things into. I added wing nuts to tighten against anything I might screw into these rods. I found the couplet difficult to connect inside of the pipe and I was concerned that it might unscrew itself over time. You can add cap nuts to give a rounded edge to the bottom.
2. To mount a quick release plate you need to add something to separate the mount from the rig to give the release lever room to move. I found a piece of hardware in the lumber section (where the joist hangers are) called a fence bracket (something like that) this gives just enough room to mount the plate to the bar with space to move the lever. You will need to drill a 3/8 and 1/4 inch holes so you can put a bolt through the bar and plate and screw into the quick release plate.
3. A drill is nice because then you can put the vertical bars through 1/4 hole rather than slots…This makes it a bit more sturdy and it is easy to get everything square.
4. I created a smaller version 9inch vertical that works well and I just used a gate handle at the top. BTW the pipe clamp that cheesycam used at the top is found in the electrical section.
5. I bought some conduit to try, but if you don’t have the tools to get a nice smooth cut it isn’t worth it for the vertical poles because they need to be exact for the rig to be square. I think conduit would be fine for the top handle as it doesn’t need to be a smooth cut.
Here’s a link to a video explaining the mods I made from the original plan:
I am currently trying to put together an interactive project using the photos, sound and video that I took of Andrea before she died. Here’s a really early rough version here:
I miss Andrea and I miss having the kids living a few blocks away…
So, the little movie I made with my friend Joe last Winter has made its way into the Chicago Underground Film Festival. It is part of a program entitled “Urban Artifacts”. It will screen on October 30th. For more info go here: Chicago Underground Scrapper Section. You can also check out the Scrapper website: thescrapper.org
This was voted my POW (photo of the week) for my first critique in my photo darkroom class.
Stats: Ilford Warmtone Paper, 45 sec, f11, #2
I have been working on a handful of never-ending projects and I haven’t really kept people up to speed on the progress. This site will act as a dumping ground for bits and pieces of the various projects I’m working on and news concerning my art. This will allow me to share my adventures in real time and build a bit of history leading up to the polished finished pieces (nothing is really finished…so it’s best to just put of the fragments while I have them). Thanks for checking it out.