The Ultimate DIY Film Cart!
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- Опубліковано 1 гру 2021
- Do you want a film cart that does it all but doesn't cost ££££? As a working DP, I've needed to find a way of moving my camera gear around on set to save my back, but when I looked at what was out there (Inovativ, adicam, Proaim) I wanted to cry at how much they cost! So I have created the ultimate DIY Film cart.
Whether you are running a production company or a solo shooter, this cart could save you thousands, not to mention the time and physical pain wasted moving kit around on set. Enjoy!
I'd love for you to leave a comment, it really encourages me to keep making new videos and I'm always open to a chat. And no pressure but a like and subscribe is always appreciated!
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UA-camrs who inspired this:
/ kevinvreyes
/ dslrvideoshooter
/ @cinemak1759
Cart necessities
Cart: amzn.to/3EmiByf
Top shelf: amzn.to/31dXMqB
Carpet: amzn.to/3lufgps
Edge foam: amzn.to/3pijPnP
Natal drum clamp (x4 needed): www.andertons.co.uk/natal-per...
Alternative clamp: amzn.to/3ohI06O
Spray paint (x2 needed): amzn.to/3lt2W95
Bracket (x10 needed): www.diy.com/departments/abru-...
Bolts/nuts: amzn.to/3rvMOHK
Metal border: www.clickmetal.co.uk/click-by...
Upgrade your cart
Cheeseplate: amzn.to/3de0izq
Spigots: amzn.to/3xLhntX
Smallrig clamp & magic arm: amzn.to/3ruWBxB
Reusable cable ties: amzn.to/3lvpE09
Wheels: www.liftmatedirect.co.uk/8-x-...
Flat tripod head: amzn.to/3IoLgoW
VCT plate: amzn.to/3DgvBEi
Multisocket power bar: amzn.to/2ZL0yTh
Small bungees: amzn.to/3DkAgoC
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UA-cam filmmakers in 5 years: "Yo, welcome back to another video. TODAY I'm unboxing my BRAND NEW Atkinson Film Cart"
HAHAHA. The day I have something named after me is the day I can die happy lol
This is is brilliant. Amazing work Aram!
Thanks Caleb!! Honoured that you've watched it and approve. :D
Holesum
Sick! I am currently in the process of modding my cart as well. For long production days this is great
Super creative! So well done! Thanks for sharing! Just one more example how thinking outside the box benefits not only you but others 👏
Thanks Kris! It's why I've been absent for so long. It's taken me so much longer than I expected and I became a bit obsessed haha. Hope you are doing well and loving Madrid :D
Amazing build, thanks for sharing!
Excellent, thanks! Really like how you combined several carts/ideas.
Cheers Phil! Combos are always the best!
This is truly phenomenal. I just ordered the cart and am getting started shortly.
Good luck!!!!
1 year later this video is perfect timing for my needs. Thank you
Great setup. Thanks.
This is fantastic! So glad I stumbled across your video!
Cheers Josh!
Thanks to you and @EndureFilms I also created one from the scaffold system base. What a smart move. With rising costs in everything everywhere especially here in Canada, I also didnt see the reason to spending 3-4K on a cart right now. So this DIY was perfect. Thank you for the inspiration. :)
Awesome! You're very welcome for the inspo. I'd love to see a picture If you have one!
Really loved the style of the video and the whole build is very well done!
Cheers Lucas! It's stood the test of time so far on several shoots so I'm pretty happy with the outcome!
Really good video and explanation. I didn't realise I needed one of these until I needed one of these. ha ha
Hahaha that is exactly the way to describe it 😂
This is fantastic. No one better than actually using it as much as you to create this stuff. Amazing! Def a good idea to sell it too, although I know you don't want to bother as you said in the video haha
Haha it's got a few too many flaws to sell. I'm sure someone will and make some money from it!
Love this Aram, even with my concise set up this would be game changing for the smaller commercial projects I work on occasionally like talking head pieces. It would save me multiple journeys between the car and location (providing it's accessible!) and with the added bonus of having the top shelf to work from. Nicely done!
Honestly it's been ammmmaaazzinnnggg. I got sick of doing a thousand car/location journeys so defo recommend! Thanks for watching Josh I hope you are all good
@@aramatkinson All good thank you! I'm actually going to be completely self employed as of Feb 22, so do let me know if I can help with anything at all :) Excited but nervous to finally make the jump! I hope all is going well for you?!
@@joshholgate9425 Dude that's so awesome! What's made you pull the plug? I'm actually going to be doing a trial run of a new cohort course in the new year that you might be interested in, I'lll drop you an Instagram DM and see if you're interested
This is fire bro! Thanks for the sharing!!
Cheers man!
Love this sort of ingenuity. I'd recommend a few things if you'd like. I would use SLS etching primer and then an epoxy enamel spray paint, this will give the paint the best finish and chance to stick.
I'd also advise that you don't go with 4 free wheels and instead use a traditional system of 2 fix and 2 free (front wheels fixed is easiest to manoeuvre), this is to prevent the trolley from shifting under it's own weight as you climb uneven surfaces. The last thing you want is thousands of dollars of equipment to go rolling down the side of a hill because it was too hard to keep straight.
Might give this a go myself!
Cheers Ryan! And much appreciated wisdom 🙏 painting/priming has never been my strong point haha.
Love the build, some cool innovations. Good to have an old man with a grinder handy :)
Cheers Terry! haha, he's come in handy over the years thats for sure lol.
This is an awesome idea! Great work man!
Cheers Jason!
Absolutely love this, just subbed!
Cheers Elliot! Must admit I absolutely love it too lol. It's nice when an idea actually works!
Love the cart, great build! never would have thought about the scaffolding.
Yeah it's not an obvious place to start lol but works a wonder!
@@aramatkinson I agree, when I started looking at carts, I was amazed at how expensive they were. I need mine to break down easy as I still haven't bought a van or truck yet.
@@thehuskyunicorn that's exactly where I began. Outraged by the cost but desperate for the benefits
Wonderful!
This is exactly what I need!!! Shame the frame is out of stock at the moment :(
Yeah it has a habit of being out of stock. Can usually find it somewhere online. Otherwise it's a bit of a waiting game
Love this bro!
Cheers Gianluca! It's served me well :D
This was amazing, You are great at making a seemingly boring concept interesting, imagine if IKEA came with a video like this, that would be something
Haha thank you. I'd love to make an IKEA ad, so many sofas to relax on
thank you for sharing!
Thanks for watching!
That's blummin brilliant! Loads of cool ideas man!
Ah cheers dude! I'm sure there's some others out there with better ideas but pretty happy with what I pulled together!,
@@aramatkinson tbh I'll never need anything as big as a cart, but like watching Arri demos, it's fun to dream! 😊
@@RedDwarfNerd Haha I know exactly what you mean.
Great job!
Cheers George!
You could also use F clamps for c stands as well! It works well on any straight and flat worktops. This was a tip given by a grip guy, often used in Japan
That's a good idea!
Clever!
Hi! Awesome insights! Thank you very much! Still happy with it? Did you change something? Can't find your specific cart but there is a very similar available on Ebay Germany over here. What specific wheels did you purchase? The link in your description is not working anymore. Keep up the good work and thank you again! Cheers from Berlin
This is a great idea, I am going to try it. I've wanting to get one of those fancy carts, but you are right. Why are they so fkn expensive. It is just metal and botts. Thank you for the Avant Guard concept and execution.
It's 'Film' Metal though so OBVIOUSLY it deserves to be 100x the cost. Lol. Good luck with the build! Would love to see how it turns out :D
Hello Aram. I built a cart like yours. How do send you a photo?
if you're worried about chipping and paint wear, use a 2 part or 2k paint. its super durable and its what they use on cars. you can get it in a spray can these days.
A little tip. I went with the Metaltech scaffold from Lowe’s. It’s the exact same but I didn’t have to angle grind the wheels, they fit very snug. May use some oil or a mallet because it’s a tight fit but don’t have to make any major modifications.
So yeah this is essentially a metaltech, just branded different in the UK. I was trying to find metaltech here for ages before I realised it was just called something different. I did try using a mallet to get it in but I was worried about damaging the integrity and being unable to get it back out as I like to take them off when transporting. How have you found it without any adjustments? Do you tend to leave them on permanently? You're a braver soul than I with the mallet haha.
@@aramatkinson I leave them on typically. I was actually able to get two of them in with a little bit of force. The other two I only had to hit a couple time with a mallet!
Great stuff. I've been struggling with a rock-n-roller cart for the past year and it's just too small and too wobbly. Planning on building one of these before my next shoot. FWIW, using a chemical de-glosser will save a ton of time and make your paint adhere better. Rave on!
A chemical de-glosser, that sounds like something far better than what I used. Out of everything I would change about the cart, it is the paint and also the stick on foam for the front-facing side of the top shelf, good to know I can fix one of these problems!
@@aramatkinson I'm thinking about water pipe insulation to wrap the frame too - at least on the verticals. I tend to bump into things on set. We'll see.
"I tend to bump into things on set'' sounds like there are some stories there I'd enjoy to hear haha. Pipe insulation sounds like a good idea. Bubble wrap probably best avoided unless you have a vendetta against the soundie.
ya bro! Great minds think alike! Except yours is way better :)
Cant wait to see your break down!
Thanks for making this, still an issue 2 years on 😢. I was just honestly shocked the other day when I thought," maybe a production cart could fit in the budget", only then to be immediately traumatized by all the price tags. I saw DSLR video shooters attempt, and if I'm honest it look kind of flimsy. I don't know if I can find scaffolding like this, but I'm sure it's weight rated way above some of the other options.
It's the nature of filmmaking I guess! "What's that, a spanner? £20. Oh wait ...a FILM spanner? *£2000"
Might be your video, might be something else, but that mobile scaffold platform seems to be sold out everywhere!
Great tutorial, and great idea. I'll be doing this for sure (especially after lugging all my kit around London ExCel the other day!) as soon as those platforms are back in stock!
Hahaha I know the feeling of lugging kit around the ExCel. You have my FULL sympathy. Yeah I had to wait for a while for it to come back in stock. It's super easy to get hold of in America but less so here. I wouldn't be surprised if covid and the current situation is disrupting supplies, but keep your eye out and I'm sure it'll come back in at some point!
@@aramatkinson I've got stock alerts on, so hopefully they actually work and I can jump on it ASAP!
Again, great tutorial - yet to check out the rest of your channel but with that quality you deserve a bigger following dude!
@@arkvisuals Fingers crossed! I actually got mine for like £60 from eBay, so worth keeping your eyes out there too. And thank you! Just a matter of consistency and time right?
This looks great, I see you only have two c stands on there (i think), how many do you think you could stack on there? Would you also be able to add more clamps to the other side to carry more?
You definitely could add.more the other side, you just need to be careful with 1. Balance. When I have the gimbal top bit up if I also put stands.on the back side I get nervous about the weight load, but without the gimbal bit it's better to have them both sides for weight distribution, and 2. Width. I haven't tried it, but I think if you put them on both sides you might struggle to get it through doorways/lifts. It might be fine, I've never found a door too narrow with them on one side, but I think it'd be close with both.
So I normally get 2 c stands, a heavy weight stand, a mic boom arm, and a smaller light stand or 2 on there. I think you could get 3 c stands on fine, 4 would be pushing it, and again you need to be careful you aren't making one side so heavy the whole thing tips over
I love that he has a BMPCC camera
This looks great man. How has it fared in more outdoorsy environments?
It's been absolutely fine. Not faced much wind, rain or tough mud yet though I must admit, but it's been fine stood outside in urban environments. I'm looking at if I can find some massive rain cover type situation as well lol.
@@aramatkinson I know people who use those massive fishing umbrellas, tied to a C-Stand. Otherwise it's got to be some sort of easy up style tent/gazebo
@@CharlieHurst My dream is to have an overland type vehicle with tarp, perhaps in the meantime I can do it with this film cart lol. I've seen the umbrellas but quite nervous about the wind on that. I might try a tarp first. Hope you're doing well?!
Great video, thanks Aram! Here's a crucial question: does it fit through a standard UK door? Or is it too wide?
I've not had any issues, it would 100% fit through without the cstands on the side, and.im 99% sure it will with the c stands too, it might just br a tight squeeze. I'm assuming all the doors I've taken it through with the cstands on the side have been standard UK size doorways. I've yet to find a door I haven't been able to get through if that helps
Best content I watched the whole day! Quality stuff. You should make few of these and sell them in ebay for a grant, on the side!😅
Haha, I thought about it, for about 5 minutes, then decided that would be way too much effort and not much fun!
Once you have it built up, is there a lot of wobble like the RocknRoller carts? So when your pushing or pulling it, does the table top shake a lot or sway a lot? Thanks for any feedback you can give me. Great video! Totally gonna build one of its sturdy than what the RocknRoller carts table top version. Those things shake so much, and for the price, I’m not that happy with the idea. Thanks again!
It's got a little bit of give. But unlike the rock n roller it kind of works symetrically. Like, if you push one end, the other end will move as well with it. Does that make sense? The table top does shake a little as well when on rough terrain but If you add some foam under it and find a better way to secure it I think it'd be fine. Most film carts, even the expensive ones, are gonna shake a bit when on rough ground. All in all I'd say I feel far more secure in general on this frame/shelf than the rock n roller one, but thats just my opinion. Another filmmaker (pete howler) has made a similar one recently with a more simple top shelf that might hep you decide (ua-cam.com/video/c2e1HSL9-d0/v-deo.html)
I've never wanted a scaffolding so bad in my life.
Hahaha! And probably never will ever again.
Would love an update on this cart! If there’s any modifications or structural integrity issues. I’m most curious in the stability of the wheels. Any info is greatly appreciated.
Hey David. I've had no issues. Admittely, I mostly just use it in a studio like environment now, I haven't taken it out anywhere for a long time, but that's more down to a career move I've made. But it's held up fine. I do think Adicam's cart is has less sway in it and is a bit more easy to transport though.
Great video thanks. Did you shave down your wheels if so please share. I can't find a metal worker company to do it I have sat on the wheels for months now depressingly so I gotta get them sanded/shaved down to fit into the cart. Help lol please.
Hiya, I took the advantage of my dad being a bit of a DIY man so he did the shaving for me. If you don't know anyone personally, I'd recommend either seeing if any friends of friends know someone who could, or perhaps try contacting a college/university engineering department and seeing if they can help you out (perhaps in return for a short promo vid or something). There may be some wheels out there now that would fit better, when I looked I couldn't find any, but that was a long time ago now.
that price on a magliner was 2x what we would pay in the states. there has to be a European equivalent
magliners or similar carts aren't that expensive at around 400-500$ for the base with the options need to add shelves. its the film brand shelves that really get you at 200-250$ each
magliner makes width extensions for under 80$ that get you to 18in wide for the bottom which is fine for larger cases. then its just down to DIYing a top shelf.
I did later on find a cheaper brand but even so was £850+ without any accessories. There's been a few times I've seen something film related at a good price only to realise it's an American product that would cost a fortune to ship here.
@@aramatkinson I just found magliners in the UK for £500 including VAT.
thats with the correct nose for shelves
I though 10.5% sales tax was rough, 20% VAT stings
@@gdrriley420 that's great, do you have a link? I'll check it out
@@aramatkinson pretty sure the link got eaten by a filter.
Would you please be able to elaborate further on the process required to fit the new wheels? This is the only part that's not clear to me, are you grinding the round peg of the new wheel smaller or widening the pipe on the cart?
It's grinding the peg down using an angle grinder. I have no skill in this so this is the one bit I left to soneone else, but definitely grinding the pegs. I personally wouldn't want to risk weakening the pipe integrity and the pegs are thick enough to have a bit of room for error. But only try it if you know what you are doing lol. Pretty sure I would have taken my thumb off if I had tried it myself
I went with the MetalTech scaffold from Lowe’s and the wheels fit right in. All you might do it use a mallet or a bit of oil because it’s a snug fit!
I keep seeing these scaffolding platforms as the framework for DIY carts but it costs a stupid amount of money to ship them to Australia! Unless I'm really bad at google, these don't exist in Australia at all!
It wasn't super easy in the UK either, had to do a lot of digging to find one, think it's mostly an American stocked scaffolding platform. I think now there are some good cheap alternatives rather than buiding your own, when I was building it the options were all twice as expensive as doing this, but I believe some have got cheaper now (at least over here!)
did you consider a cutting matt instead of the carpet? just thinking in terms of usability and removing it easily...
I did not, but that is an excellent idea! I have no real reason to remove it regularly but if I did that would be a great way to go for sure.
I've just stumbled across this idea and my mind is racing.
I don't suppose you still have this setup? I'm trying make an art-department/props+armourer standby cart and need to work out the clearance between the vertical posts to see if I could still access my milwaukee drawers.
I do still have it yes! :) That sounds like a great reason to have one. Useful having a rolling step ladder height access as props department! Tell me exactly what dimensions you need (if its lengthways or depth ways, from inside of post or outside) and I'll measure it on the weekend when its back in my hands.
@@aramatkinson Amazing! Thank you!! Ideally the interior distance between the vertical poles, width-wise. so opposite to the hinge-wall. I have a sneaking suspicion that although access to the drawers might not be impeded, actually getting them into the frame could be tricky. Shame no company seems to sell them off the shelf for me to investigate.
Also, the wheels on that website are bolt fittings, are the ones you used tube + pin?
The link to the wheels seems to be down. Is it the RocknRoller 8” 3” size? :)
It's been a long time now since I built this, but the wheels where definitely rock n roller. I think you are right though. rocknrollercart.com/products/r8x3cstr-ground-glider-8-x-3-low-profile-all-terrain-casters?pr_prod_strat=collection_fallback&pr_rec_id=fc50bd209&pr_rec_pid=357065361&pr_ref_pid=90671045&pr_seq=uniform
Why did you choose Rock n roller weeds? What did you go through what was rejected?
I went for them because I really struggled to find any wheels that had a spigot , most were flat bases. Plus id seen someone else use them with this scaffolding so I knew it could be done with some grinding. There may well be better options out there but they've not let me down yet
I was searching for these on fb market, and this guy wanted to sell them for 150$ for 2 one blue and other yellow, blue was Werner and the yellow was like mint new (nu-wave brand) I asked for a offer price, and so I was like I have 80$ and I’ll go tonight,, he actually agreed, then I was like. I thought I have 80$ I had 70$… and he still scepter my offer, so yes I got two of these scaffolding for 70$ and I just put all my gear caged in almost lol soo worth the price! The yellow one has bigger casters than the blue one though
Wwhhaatttt???!!!! Deal of the century my friend haha. That's ridiculously good work. 👏👏👏 I thought I was good at finding bargains lol
@@aramatkinson Yeaa!! But for some reason I kept thinking of the rock n roller and just last night,, I ordered the 18rt From Amazon cus it was way cheaper than the actual price with 15% discount.. so I was likeee why not….. and closed my eyes as I did it haha 😂
@@CayroproductionsAdan haha a fair choice!
Is this good for off road?
It's been fine on concrete, pavements etc. I can't say I've tried it over a field or anything 'off-road' though, so I can't really say. I personally would be hesitant about bringing any film cart off-road, in those cases I'd probably pick up something more like a heavy duty camping wheelie sack and use camera backpacks for important gear. Whenever I do conservation work I tend to just load up my F-stop tilopa bag to the brim.
what's that light you have on the articulating arm?
The small one? I think its a sokani x21???? I bought two of them and actually they're really super handy. I'd rate an aputure MC over them, but they do a job! Might be worth looking at the smallrig version of the small light though too as I think it's cheaper than both sokani and aputure ones
@@aramatkinson Thanks!
Do you imagine you would be able to push something like this across a college campus (say .32 kilometers, or .2 miles)? (Imagine crack-y sidewalks with mildly uneven surfaces.)
Yeah I'd say so! No less than any other cart, I'd probably carry the camera separate to be safe but I've used this all through a football stadium/carpark etc no problems
@@aramatkinson Thanks!
Please, sell me one! Thank You!!😅😅😅
Seem really hard to push and then look at it tilt???
This looks like a small scaffold
That's exactly what it is
Your missing a V12 engine for your cart.
next version, I'll add it to the list