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Doc Rig Solution?
  • johnboscojohnbosco

    I'm a relatively recent lurker and this is my first post. It's been a lot of fun catching up on a lot of the work put in here with the hacks, and it has been pretty interesting to get insight into what matters for shooters/filmmakers/pros/amateurs alike, so thanks again for providing that space! I've learned a lot, and I am grateful!

    I'm working on a documentary on a musician friend of mine, purely self-motivated and unfunded, in part because I think that too often people decide that budget or tech restricts their ability to just make something that is good and entertaining with what they have. I started back in February with a borrowed T3i, kit lenses and a friend donating his time and 7d (or 6d? i can never remember.) kit to help shoot. I saved up some money, got a used GH2 on CL and a used Roland R26 (from a pawn shop for $150, no less!), and am looking to continue shooting.

    Based on how we were shooting/the needs of the doc, I'm going to get a Benro monopod (w/the S4 head) as I venture into run and gun situations. I like the portability combined with stability. It seems good for live performances of the musician but also flexible for following him in everyday situations, which the doc is a blend of.

    Enter my dilemma/question to everyone: mounting the Roland R-26 with this setup. Any tried and true monopod + audio setups out there? With a second person helping, they could run audio easily enough, but with most of my days being a one-man-band setup, I'm looking to minimize handling noise (the weak point, in my opinion, of the R26) and maximize space efficiency.

    I will say that I bought one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Movo-SMM5-Universal-Microphone-Shockmount/dp/B00RF1BQZ0 But I returned it because, although it worked well mounting the zoom we were using, the roland has some added weight/bulk to it and the one I received was broken. I had concerns with the lightweight plastic standing up in the field.

    I was thinking I could mount the device to the monopod itself, rather than the hotshoe on the GH2, but I am unfamiliar with the hardware side of this and wanted to see if anyone had experience/advice with what might be a good option or alternative to the linked movo thing.

    I'm open to a cage, but that's a bit pricier, and, as I mentioned, I'm working out-of-pocket, so would like to keep costs to a minimum. Still, the best solution is the best solution, and I'm just looking for options to generate ideas as I look to build my first rig. Any ideas? Thank you!

    And if you want to see what I've been shooting, here's a trailer I made for the project in question:

    https://vimeo.com/johnbosco/sergeygetsahaircut

  • 8 Replies sorted by
  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    As far as I remember on ebay you can find cheap metal things made for mounting two cameras or such, in the middle they have mount point for monopod/tripod and on the ends (adjustable) they have screws to instanll camera/recorder.

  • johnboscojohnbosco

    great suggestion, thanks! somehow, i had only really considered mounting to the monopod leg itself, for whatever reason, and i hadn't considered a way to mount them side by side. thanks for the tip, this seems like it is a workable configuration that I might even be able to make myself.

  • matt_gh2matt_gh2

    I think the metal thing Vitaliy is talking about can be bought for $25 on Amazon or ebay. Also, I haven't used a monopod, but personally I'd prefer a tripod for 100% stable shots for documentary, so maybe some monopod users can chime in on just how stable a shot the monopods offer. Best of luck on the project.

  • griplimitedgriplimited

    If you don't plan to change from monopod to tripod, you can screw a noga/magic arm to the left opening thread where the tripod handle would connect to. This would be specifically for your Roland, alleviating any weight on the camera itself. Downside is without some type of quick release, it'll get cumbersome when you want to place it down. Of course you can also then do the reverse and place the noga/magic arm attached to the gh2 cold shoe. best of luck

  • Vitaliy_KiselevVitaliy_Kiselev

    image

    Varavon Approach

    dog_19.jpg
    800 x 528 - 46K
  • peternappeternap

    There are a lot of solutions to that. Most music stores carry arms that will clamp to the neck or legs on a tripod, cages are simple to make with a top and bottom bar with two handles made from bicycle grips or drill side handles, I've made a lot of bars with the center hole tapped for a hotshoe fitting and just holes for thumb screws on the sides...just use your imignarion.

  • tinyrobottinyrobot

    This is my experience after doing my first doc. Go for the rig with the least weight and less complications from shoulder to tripod. Things move fast in docs. In narratives, you will be working with a bigger crew so heavy and sophisticated rigs will not be so much of a problem.

  • johnboscojohnbosco

    Thank you all for the perspective. I think I may have a few more options to test out before I plunge in and buy anything now, so big thanks there!

    @tinyrobot - I'm leaning towards primarily doing my shooting from a monopod. Stability coupled with speed when adjusting on-the-fly, especially nice when I am using a non-OIS prime w/ my GH2. After using tripods over the first few weeks of shooting, I have found them a bit cumbersome for the aesthetic I am after, especially for those days when I don't have anyone around to help me (that is to say- definite points for the monopod when shooting live performance/in crowded/confined areas).

    @vitaliy_kiselev that looks awesome and a pretty great price point! might be an awesome way to go from a monopod to handheld. any feedback on stability/camera shake with light cameras?

    Interviews are another thing completely, and I'd be foolish to say a tripod wouldn't serve me well there, but I've found that I'm moving away from that and more interested in capturing what unfolds...all of that to say that I agree that the less complicated, the better!

    Thanks again for all the ideas, y'all.

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