Jaco and I decided to make our very own steadicam or glidecam after I showed him some videos that my YouTube hero Devin Super Tramp made.
The next day Jaco sent me a link to a DIY page and today we actually started building our own one.
We went to the local Builder’s Warehouse where we found the parts quite easy, but paying for it and leaving the premises was another story.
At the contractor’s desk the lady first had to call in “professional” help for us to be able to buy the wood and pipes we wanted in the minimum length of 1m.
In the end we only got the 100mm pipe in 1m the 75mm we had to take the full 6m and they gave us 5.4m wood after the sales lady confirmed that it is only 1m that costs R41. At the security gate the lady insisted on remeasuring the wood claiming that it is 1m to long. Upon telling her that I did not have anything to do with the loading of the wood (Builder’s warehouse staff took the slip, cut the wood and put it in the car), she said: “He could be your friend” referring to the guy that cut the wood. Seriously? In the end she let us go, with a “warning”.
We finished the basic concept within 2-3 hours. We still need to add the weights, better secure the gyroscope thingy and build a camera mount, but the preliminary results looks promising.
Watch this space as we fine tune this baby.