@freaksarise Thnx! The wheelset is attached to a piece of metal using a bolt that's tight enough so the wheels dont wobble yet lose enough so the wheelset can rotate. Then that piece of metal is screwed into the wooden dolly platform
@Toemta I know I want to do it the second I get a bit of free time. There's a lot of things to talk about in a tutorial like that so it might even have to be a several part tutorial.
Thanks Tom for the info. I like your DIY dolly a lot and will be replicating it for my upcoming feature film here in Nigeria. Can you please make available the details of your construction plans (measurement details). once again, I want to thank you immensely for what you're doing for guys like us with little financial resource to be able to bring to reality our dreams through the medium of film... You're the man!
@theryaner On low budget videos I only work with DSLR's now... haven't touched a 35mm adapter for a year now simply cuz of the problems with light loss and constant checking of back focus etc. They still produce great image quality specialy when used with Sony EX1 or 3, but too much of a hussle and too big in my opinion.
Well done Tom...I enjoyed the tutorial, very informative / instructional. Tks for taking the time and effort in sharing your knowledge. Cheers...Gary (Australia).
This is awesome. I wish we'd had this tutorial back in '98 when I helped my friends shoot their college films. Instead we had a HUGE dolly that weighed a ton. x.x
Tom great videos! You were one of the first to teach me camera and cinematography tricks. In this one I really wish you gave us some detialed close ups of the wheels. It's hard to see how they are made. Great stuff though! Keep it coming. p.s. I suggest you make another channel and announce it in a video here so that you can seperate the DIY from your short films. Later!
I'm actually dealing with this problem myself right now. I recommend using a thrust bearing. However, since I didn't figure this out in time to order the bearings, I'm going to use a bronze bearing with a threaded nylon insert in the meantime since those are pretty available from your average hardware store
I have to say polcan99, really am impressed with so much of what you say and suggest. I found making a Dolly was difficult, I originally used Wheels from a pram (stroller) 8 in total. Nice height, but no practical use with increased weight of rig + operator. Also making glass, which I wonder if you will cover. Too me a few attempts, still not happy with it, but it is better. Great vid to watch.
Hey Tom ! this was a great design for a DIY Dolly Film Riot also did an episode about 3 years ago, however i found their design was limited cuz u couldnt really turn the dolly, nor sit on it so watching this i was like "why didnt i think of that ? the axis where the wheels are placed should also rotate to make it curve O.o " ... brilliant work mate :D
@rajivraj00 not sure what it's called but its easy to do. film a person walking super slow. as if they were in slow motion and then in your editing program speed up the footage till that person looks like they're walking regular speed and everything around them will move fast
great video for diy dolly. fyi, black plastic pipe is abs, not pvc. pvc plastic pipe is white. they grey pipe you used to connect the pipe track is a great idea.
1...nice explanation 2...u have explained the pros and cons of all the variety of dollys 3...but what if we remove some air from tyre from a dolly which is on tyre..?
Thank you for posting great videos. I will definitely watch all your short films and save up to buy your short film school dvd. However, I wanted to know if a slider mounted on a tripod would serve the same purpose a dolly.
@Tom Antos Great Video! We need something like this, but on a 90° Curve. Do you think, this could also work with flexible PVC hoses (about 1.75 ") fixed with wood plates as rail sleepers?
Your videos are great and informative! I'm looking forward to see more of your videos :) its really good for us people who have rly low budget. Thanks again! :D Peace
The professional dolly you show in the beginning is called a western dolly and you're right, it doesn't fit all doors but it's not meant to. Something like a fisher door dolly is made for doors, but very heavy...600lbs.
great tutorial :) thank you very much , hopefully i will get the time and money to try this out, could you make a tutorial on how to make a dyi steadycam? greetings and keep these lovely tutorials coming :)
If you are going to use it for 30 - 60 cm shots, just go with a slider. It is a lot easier. Dolly is great when it comes to shots with longer distances like 1-2 meters or more.
Hey Tom! We did a pretty similar version of your dolly. Do you have any hints for us to smooth out the ride when you connect more pipes to make a longer track? We noticed that you can see the bumb when the dolly crosses the edges of the pipes. (You get what I mean?) Thanks and please keep up the awesome work!
Very good job!!! I'm trying to make something similar, i think this can be my reference model! A curiosity, what tripod are you using in the dolly at the end? Is that the weifeng?
how to make dolly wheels rotate? that's the only thing i can't figure out. i even thought about using a lazy susan. please explain. Thanks on the car door mount, it works just like you said it would.
I'm sorry, couyld you please give me a little more detail about how you connected the "wheelset" to the dolly board? I'm not really sure if I understand what you're saying. Maybe a pic or simple diagram? Also, did you use nylon washers or anything in that area? Thanks.
have you completely made the switch to DSLR's? Or is there still some use for 35mm adapters. I'm aware of the benefits of a video camera, I just want your opinion if the pros out weigh the cons.
@polcan99 Where did you get the piece of metal. Is it something prefabricated or did you make it. I have the wheels but I cannon quite see the piece of metal they are attached to. Thanks
A more in depth video focusing on the nuances of how to build each part, the specific model of the wheels and perhaps a schematic would be VERY helpful. All in all a great video, but it would be so much easier for others attempting to build their own if you were to elaborate on your procedure.
Where exactly can you buy the wheels online? Pre-made, I mean. I can buy skateboard wheels, and skateboard wheels on a 90 degree aluminium frame, but not rotating. Can you post a link?
How do you make your wheels rotate? Do you use ball bearings? Would you please give the parts for that particular set up? Everything else is clear, but I am not sure about the swivel wheels. Those swivel wheels would be ideal. And I am planning to buy skateboard wheels and make them the same way that you have on the video to save money. Thanks
First of all, Great Tutorial! I will use this as a guide to make my own. Thank you. Do you have any hints about how to make a curved part to the track?
For some reason the amazon links I put in to illustrate what both of those bearings are didn't pop up. However, just google the words "thrust bearing" and "bronze bearing" and you'll see what those look like. Hope that helped
Is it possible to point us all to a tutorial where we can learn to assemble the wheel system in this tutorial becaus ei personally have searched fpr hours and cannot seem to find one and i would like to build my dolly using this method.Thank you in advance
Thank you mr.Tom.. your video help me alot... im 18 and still no working and studying, im learning to be filmmaker like you.. TQ .. SUBSCRIBE!! LIKED! :)
It would've been great if you provided sizes for everything you purchased. Especially for new ppl who aren't familiar with hardware like miiself lol Great video tho. I'm building miiself one! So, could you provide sizes to everything? 😊🙏
Hi ther, one thing I find a bit confusing is how do you synchronize all the different shots with the audio track? maybe you could do a tutorial on that? Im a beginner here sorry thanks
good video, Tom, but the first 'dolly' is what us average joe's call a sack truck, or if a welder, a cylinder truck; a 'dolly' is what a 2-3year old girl plays with!!
Hi Tom, Could you please help me with the rotating wheels. I watched this video many time and the indy mogul one too but i just cant figure out how did you do it. Please help me!
