Tech-Talk part 6 - DIY Mobile - Surfboard - Mount & Steady - Cam
We are currently preparing the new video-clip for our single "The Machine". What, you didn't listen yet? Check it here:
Emma Heartbeat - The Machine by EMMA HEARTBEAT (EM♥A)
As cameras we are using three Xperia Z by Sony. We decided on these weapon of choice as they are water resistant, small and good to handle. We flew to an island to shoot the video, so we were in need of the above qualities. This blog-post is kind of a DIY, to deliver some background info on the steady-cam and the surfboard-cam we built and how you can do it yourself. This is the steady-cam. It was built to save the mobile-camera from shaking while walking. It works for the Xperia Z very well but it also works for other sport-cameras (GoPro etc.). Everything we needed was found at a building supplies store for less than 10 EUR (Best-Buy, Hellweg,... wherever you live). - a wheel (from a desk-chair) - a handle (balcony-supply) - a metal plate (with holes) + screws, screwdriver, hot-glue pistol
The metal-plate was brought into shape (kind of a "c" shape) with the use of raw power. The Xperia Z was mounted in a mobile-holder which we attached on the metal-plate (with hot-glue and lots of gaffa-tape). In the middle of the "c" we fixed the wheel with screws and and hot-glue and extended it with the handle. Feeling puzzled? Just have a look at the pictures. At the end we put some extra weight on the bottom to balance the mobile. This part is try and error. We were done and it worked very well! (Of course a "real" steady-cam for thousands of Euro with a ball-joint is probably going to be slightly better, so don't expect a wonder to happen).
The other thing is this surfboard mount we built. It was even less work. We simply attached the mobile-holder to the surfboard. We used gaffa-tape to fix both, the mobile to the holder and the holder to the board. For safety reasons we knotted a fishing line to the mobile and the other end with the leash of the surfboard (cover in gaffa so we wont get trapped in the line). That's it. Pretty simple, but it survived everything, from duck-diving, to cutbacks to the heaviest wipe-out.