Mounting a resistance

Following along the path of the previous entry, here are a few pictures to illustrate one of the low budget 5D Mk2 car mounting systems we used on the main Dodge vehicle in the film and several point by point descriptions of how we achieved the in car action shots.

Rather than going for an 'on rails' system where the actors do not drive the car - we just made sure they could drive and had them drive the car. Much easier.

As we were using miniature tripods mounted like steady cams to make the hand held shots more stable (instead of a shoulder rig) it was always going to be easier to use them as part of the car mounts too rather than having to change to an arm or suction system.

To keep the tripods locked down to the door frame (and to avoid damage to the door) we first made sure they had durable but soft rubber caps on the ends of the extendable feet.

The next step was to add elastic bungies (with plastic coated hooks) to strategic places on the tripod and balance it by attaching to corresponding places on the door and interior panels. Luckily the Dodge Grand Caravan has a million and one attachment points and so this was not a problem.

The final step and one which, while not strictly necessary, was to doubly secure the camera and lens by way of the shoulder strap.

Looking at the finished rig... it sure isn't pretty. Not next to the likes of a go mobile or a nice camera car but, it cost less than fifty dollars and it served well; providing us with really smooth shots for for three weeks of filming and didn't break the bank.

For more info on the 5d system and ways of using it creatively (and from an expert cinematographer) head to http://www.hurlbutvisuals.com/blog