How to Build a PVC Fig Rig (Steadicam)

This great PVC project can save you over $400! Why buy a real Fig Rig when you can build a PVC version that does the same thing for about $10! Great idea!



http://www.instructables.com/id/EMZUNUPGPIEPUCHYT8/

Though the instructions can be confusing, and are not very thorough/detailed, the idea is easy enough to comprehend and replicate.
indy filmmaking

How to Make The Poor Man's Steadicam

This fantastic idea for making cheap but effective steadicams is pure brilliance! They're cheap, they work, oh, and did I mention they're cheap?


http://steadycam.org/

The plans seems easy enough, and the design is very popular, so they're are lots of variations and other tutorials, not there needed with the detailed instructions and clear pictures presented on the site.

Highly recommended for any indy who wants a cheap but effective Steadicam!
indy filmmaking

DIY $25 Lightkit

In this great Indy Mogul video, they cover how to make a $25 light kit, and the basics of lighting in video.



The video gives a great explanation of 3 point lighting, mood lighting, and free lighting (aka the sun). It also gives examples, which are helpful when describing the mood lighting.

Very cheap, very good ideas, and a great tutorial!

QUICK POST: DIY Cheap Soft Lighting

Cool tutorial and idea for DIY Soft Lighting on the cheap. Easily adaptable for video.



http://www.diyphotography.net/homestudio/blz/soft-light-panel-frame

Great DIY Backdrop Stand and Lighting Tutorial

This tutorial is a fantastic article on a DIY light studio. It's meant for photography, but can easily be implemented for greenscreen.



http://www.diyphotography.net/homestudio/blz/home-made-cheap-diy-backdrop-stand

Now, the instructions may seem confusing, but if you read through, and look at the pictures, you'll get by. It's a great use of PVC pipe and lights.

I don't recommend making a switchbox for the lights, or playing with electricity like that at all. I take no responsibility if you shock yourself.

Overall good ideas, and great tutorial.

How to Make a Portable Greenscreen with Stand

In this excellent video by the guys at Indy Mogul, they show us how to make a cheap and portable greenscreen, for less than $40. They also give tips on keying and lighting that are extremely helpful. Be sure to check it out and visit there awesome website!



The video has a great backdrop stand tutorial, which is awesome, and highly customizable, made out of PVC.

Overall great video, definitely check it out!

How to Build a Cheap Greenscreen with Backdrop Stand

This excellent DIY project tutorial shows you how to make your very own greenscreen and a backdrop stand. It also gives you tips, and the design is highly customizable and easy to build. Oh, and did I mention it's CHEAP?



http://www.diyphotography.net/diy_studio_equipment_backdrop_stand

Let me start off with describing how brilliant but easy this design is! It uses cheap PVC piping available almost anywhere, it is a simple design, which makes it easy to customize (which I need to accommodate my 10' x 20' greenscreen), and it's portable, because it can be easily disassembled and reassembled anywhere.

The design works, it has to! It's to cross stands and a cross bar. Also, it's cheap! I calculated with the costs in my town (which is more than anywhere else fyi) to buy all the PVC supplies would be about $30! That's great! And that's for my 7 x 10 design, with 4' bases.

This design really is amazing! I highly recommend you check it out!

Cheap Lighting - A Very Helpful Video

This is a fantastic video on the different alternatives to professional studio lighting you can use, and how to use them properly.



I have watched and reviewed this one, and the work lights seem to be one of the cheapest and most effective forms of lighting for Indy film makers and photographers. They are cheap, very powerful, and easy to mount and use.

I myself have a set of work lights for my studio, 2 x 450W Halogen floor work lights for lighting the foreground and actors, along with 2 x 150W Halogen Clamp work lights for lighting the backdrop and removing any additional harsh shadows.

Then I have a regular clamp desk lamp for lighting behind the actors, for improved chroma keying, with a fluorescent bulb.

The hole set up was very cheep:

450W Halogen Floor Worklights

• $14.00 each at WAL-MART

150W Halogen Clamp Worklights

• $13.00 each at WAL-MART

40W Clamp Desklight

• $13.00 at Staples

I'd definitely recommend reflecting the Halogen Worklight's light, because it is very very strong and very very bright light. Standing in front of the direct light is very bad, as it will cause subjects or actors to squint from the light, and make them sweat (the lights get very very hot). It can also be damaging to the subjects skin, or to any object in front, due to the intense ultra-violet light that comes out and the heat. Follow all the warnings that come with your lighting, and pay attention to any cautions and follow instructions!

Also, as the video says, replace the bulbs with Ultra White Light ones, because the bulbs that come with them make white doors look yellow. Don't touch the bulbs with your barehands, as the oil from your skin can damage the bulbs, and create in influx in temperature on the glass causing them to explode (when turned on). Once again, follow instructions that come with your bulbs, and pay attention to warnings!

And when working with these lights BE VERY CAREFUL!!!! They will start fires if flammable materials are placed near them, so watch costumes, paper, and anything that can light on fire.

Finally, do not put too many lights on 1 circuit in your home or studio, or you will be blowing switchboards or fuses every five seconds, as the lighting set up I have alone is over 1200watts. That's a lot, and wires and fuses have trouble handling that much, be careful of electrical fires when using these lights.

I take no responsibility for any damages, injury or loss of life. Everything should be fine if you are careful and not stupid. Follow instructions and be safe!

Exclusive Cheap and Easy Lightstand Tutorial

Here's my highly ingenuitive, highly brilliant, and highly easy idea for a cheap light stand. This is an Indy Burst exclusive, you won't find it ANYWHERE else.

Download the free PDF manual file here.

Remember, this is a Indy Burst exclusive tutorial and an idea made and thought up by me! You can't get this anywhere else!

Very clear and easy to follow instructions! Pictures, illustrations, and cartoons! With a bit of humor too!
indy filmmaking

Great PVC Lightstand Tutorial

This seems like a extremely affordable PVC stand. The design looks great and the instructions are fantastic!



http://www.cs.hmc.edu/~geoff/diy/lightstand.html

This is another tutorial going on my list of things to try. Very ingenuitive, very inexpensive, very customizable, very simple, and looks very sturdy.

The article is well thought out, well organized and well illustrated. Finely written and explained. Definitely check this out.

I can't see any negatives about this design! Looks stable, is inexpensive, and is very customizable.

Sturdy PVC Lightstand Tutorial

This design seems very very sturdy and versatile, and looks perfect for backdrop and light stand use.



http://www.diyphotography.net/pvc-backdrop-light-stand

This is going on my list for considerations. It looks very stable, and relatively easy, I just don't want to use PVC glue. Dangerous stuff that is...

The stand itself looks complex to build, but the easy and detailed instructions on the site make it much easier. The tutorial is fully illustrated, and easy to read and understand.

Nothing I can see going wrong, other than the possibility of tipping with the sqaure base. Using sand bags, or making the base large enough so you can feel comfortable should do the trick though.

I'd recommend trying this if you need something stable, strong and sturdy.

Lightweight, Cheap and Easy Lightstand Tutorial

I found this awesome idea, which I am strongly considering trying out! It seems effective, cheap, and is perfect for small spaces!



http://www.diyphotography.net/super_easy_hardware_store_light-backdrop_stand

I really suggest trying this out, I know in the tutorial it shows a backdrop, but making one of these and attaching a clamp light to it would work perfectly!

Cheap, effective, small and portable. Just remember to put some sort of bag over the plunger, or find some way to make sure it doesn't leave white marks on the ceiling.

This idea seems like pure genius! Very cheap, but still sturdy. It looks like it would be a really really good idea for places where you only have a small amount of space, or if you're going to peoples homes/traveling with it. It seems very easy to set up quickly.

The article is very clear and humorous, and is a great read. Examples of the humorous nature of the article come here:

When at the till, make sure you have some explanation ready, because you will get funny looks standing in line with a 4-12 foot toilet plunger. I just mumbled "the toilet in the basement keeps plugging up". I've rarely seen a more confused look on a store tellers face as she tried to figure out whether she was dumb and not getting what I was talking about, or if she thought I was a serious idiot. I had a good chuckle on the way to the car and congratulated myself on my ingenuity.

Very good article, very good design, I highly recommend you try it!