Can I make a DIY slider that hooks onto a tripod?

H

harmonica44

Every tutorial I found is for a slider, you would just set on a table or something but if I want to put on a tripod, and angle it a certain way, and slide and tilt at the same time, is their any DIY slider tutorial for that?

Basically I want shots like this for this weekend, but do not have the equipment that would normally be used for it. What can I do to get shots like this, if not a DIY slider?

The shot at 0:59 into the video and the shot at 1:38:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6kw1UVovByw
 
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Yeah both those shots are jibs/cranes, which are possibly mounted on dollys.

But you could attempt something similar, DIY is quite difficult with things like sliders because the end product needs to be very smooth
 
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Well what I mean is is that the jib can act as a mini slider as well. You hook it onto the tripod head and then use the head to tilt the slider up and down, like a mini jib. Either that or I can just try to mimic those movements with a DIY steadicam if that's better.
 
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A jib is a very specific piece of equipment that moves a camera through space while keeping its relationship to the ground consistent throughout the move. It's a parallelogram that keeps the far end level as it moves up and down, it is not a tilt. You could put a slider on a tripod (very unstable) and tilt it dramatically, then slide the camera up the slider, but it won't be quite as good as having a jib (unless the slider is all you have). The job of the jib is to keep the nose of the camera pointed precisely the same way through the vertical movement through space.
 
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I think he's talking about a slider that you can Dutch or tilt vertical for a different range of motion. Yes, there are plenty of those. No, I don't know of any DIY plans for them. Plan on adding a cable and counterweight.

As far as moving the camera along a slider while pointing it on it's own head AND tilting the head if the tripod that the slider is mounted on simultaneously... Well, I don't know how many arms you have but even with a 6'5" arm span I don't think I could pull that off with my two arms with any real control. Throw focus in the mix and game over.

Matthews sells a killer motorized slider that does exactly what you're talking about with computer controlled slide. I think it's around $5k. Double that for a cheap motion control head as well and you my friend are in business.
 
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harmonica44 said:
.......You hook it onto the tripod head and then use the head to tilt the slider up and down, like a mini jib. ........
Click to expand...

When your camera looks to the side, this will make your horizon rotate.
When your camera looks forward it will be a fast move rotating up or down.

There must be situation where those moves can be used, otherwise you need to find a way to keep your camera pointing the right way.

BTW, do you need a forum to give you the idea to drill holes so you can put it on a tripod???

BTW2, this time you can actually buy something made in Canada: Cinevate's Atlas 10 could be what you need. Less cheap than DIY, but you know what you get and you know it will work. :P
(I don't know how good you are with making stuff, but the 'I want to put the slider on a tripod'-question predicts loads of questions about drag, screws, profiles, etc ;) )

I have a Atlas 30: it takes like 5 minutes to get it ready and it's smooth as it can be.
No 10 takes hoping for a smooth one, but 10 takes to choose the best performance and timing.
(Atlas 30 uses a lot of ball bearings, so I must admit, it's not completely silent. I've never seen a Atlas 10 in real life, so I can't say anything about that. The design is quite different.)
 
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