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Indy jib shot...


Ale Reynoso

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Hi:

Is there any example of a jib shot made really easy and cheap?

We need to swing up an SR for the ending shot of a short, but a jib arm is getting out of the budget. We need to start in a close up with the camera facing almost all the way down and raise it a little, perhaps no more than 1.5m or 2m...links to a creative solution photo?

Thank you!!

Best regards

Alejandro

Edited by Ale Reynoso
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Hi:

Is there any example of a jib shot made really easy and cheap?

We need to swing up an SR for the ending shot of a short, but a jib arm is getting out of the budget. We need to start in a close up with the camera facing almost all the way down and raise it a little, perhaps no more than 1.5m or 2m...links to a creative solution photo?

Thank you!!

Best regards

Alejandro

 

Something like an egripment classic jib arm won't cost any more than $70 (US) for a days hire. I'm not saying its out of the realm of possibility but I can't think of any other way to create a crane like (smooth) ascent.

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The SR is lot heavier than most pro-sumer cameras, not to mention a lot more expensive.... rent a proper jib or change the shot; else risk a lot of film/glass/German engineering crashing to the ground. Last time we used a "cheaper" jib from one of the Ebay sellers, while it looked nice before the camera was on it, bent and twisted the hell out of the tripod it was on and the mounting for the camera almost sheered off. and that was just with a stock EX1.

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Hi:

Thanks for the reply.

Of course safety (of equipment and people) is first. And may be we can afford a small jib arm after all, but wondering if someone had an interesting (and safe) idea.

(i.e.) not exactly a "jib shot", more like a smooth hadheld, but I read that Christopher Doyle used the camera hanging from bungee cord to slowly move it down to a table in an interrogatory room in "Paranoid Park".

 

Best regards

Alejandro

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I use the Pro-Am jib (from Ebay). It's a cheap option, but it does tend to twist up in the tripod head. I'd be too chicken to use it without someone spotting at the camera end. The tilting is really stiff as well and I haven't found a way to loosen it up safely. Guess it's that old adage about getting what you pay for? It does break down easily and can go in the back of a cab or subway.

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I suppose if you were really brave and crafty you could rig something up with a rope and pulley and have your operator on a ladder with a hand on the camera to help steady it. Tons of kudos if you actually try that!

 

I would hit up rental shops and see what you can get on the cheap. They are often willing to make a deal.

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Is this just a straight up pull-out? If you don't need head movement, you can easily build a wooden jib out of 2x4s and bolt the camera straight to the jib facing down.

 

If you do need simple head movement (pan only or tilt only, this doesn't work well for both) you can build the wooden jib and use sash tied to the head in such a way that pulling the cord executes the movement you need. It takes some practice and isn't as good as a jib, but it does work.

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An addition! This completely slipped my mind, but it just might fit the bill. I had to do a straight pull back where the camera needed to go straight up. I had no jib. I did have ratchet straps, sandbags, furniture polish, and a pipe grid.

 

We positioned the desk (the move was a pull out from a document) directly under a pipe. The camera was rigged to one end of the webbing from the ratchet strap. The ratchet part wasn't used. The webbing went up over two pipes and back down. It goes over two pipes to get the weight well out of the way of the operator, camera, etc. Furniture polish was added to the pipes to reduce friction. Sandbags were added to the non-camera end of the webbing until the whole thing would balance if you took hands off of the rig, just like a jib. Totally a one trick pony, but it worked great for what we needed it for.

 

I suppose you could do the same thing with junior stands and speedrail. If you try it, you'll want speedrail horizontally between the two courses of stands because the tops will want to tilt in together.

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An addition! This completely slipped my mind, but it just might fit the bill. I had to do a straight pull back where the camera needed to go straight up. I had no jib. I did have ratchet straps, sandbags, furniture polish, and a pipe grid.

 

We positioned the desk (the move was a pull out from a document) directly under a pipe. The camera was rigged to one end of the webbing from the ratchet strap. The ratchet part wasn't used. The webbing went up over two pipes and back down. It goes over two pipes to get the weight well out of the way of the operator, camera, etc. Furniture polish was added to the pipes to reduce friction. Sandbags were added to the non-camera end of the webbing until the whole thing would balance if you took hands off of the rig, just like a jib. Totally a one trick pony, but it worked great for what we needed it for.

 

I suppose you could do the same thing with junior stands and speedrail. If you try it, you'll want speedrail horizontally between the two courses of stands because the tops will want to tilt in together.

 

 

In addition, you could overcrank a bit, more film I know but might smooth the move out some.

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