Hi all from Cornwall, Ontario.
I am currently working on a film that will be distributed to film festivals upon its completion in the fall of 2013. 90% of the shots are ‘timelapsed.’
What I would like to do is mount the camera to a motorized type of dolly…remote control car type. I would need the car to move slowly, with the camera mounted on it…in a straight line only. This would give a ‘timelapsed’ walking effect.
The rate of speed needed would be approximately 3-10 feet per minute. I was wondering if RobotShop sells anything of this nature, or what can be recommended.
Thanks so much,
Dennis J. Jaciw
Seaway Films.
Thank you for the reply Coleman.
It is true what you say…you are getting lots of inquiries regarding timelapse gear. I find your prices and quality are far better than the countless other businesses out there.
I already have a dolly track system. I will go for a motorized dolly system next, indepenent of the track. I find that shooting intervals of 1 shot (frame) every second makes for a smooth timelapse.
Thanks once again for your help and knowledge.
We’ve had many people approach us about building time lapse rigs despite the selection of products currently available online (perhaps it’s their high price which impedes sales or the specifications don’t match well enough with their project?).
When moving at 3 feet per minute, you get into a “sticky” situation of friction changing between static and kinetic, which can result in the rig jittering. Two general approaches are:
- Have the dolly motorized
- Have the motor connected to the track and a belt will pull the dolly
In either case, it’s best to start with a track and dolly with as little friction as possible. You can then add a drive wheel / motor to the dolly (very easy and effective) or attach a pulley system to one (or both) ends of the track. You can use a stepper motor or DC gear motor. To reduce the speed to what you want, we suggest a combination of high gear ratio and motor controller.
