Homemade and Cheap Overhead Camera Rig and Studio Light with Softbox!

We're back! And for our first real post of 2010 we're going to share not one awesome instructables, but two!

Here we go! The first instructable we found is an excellent tutorial for making an overhead rig for your camera. This is perfect for heavicameras that strain your arms carrying all day. Sadly, there's very little stability, and it bounces when you walk, so we suggest using this only for non-moving shots. Still very cool though! Check it out!

The second is a great light for indoor shoots! It combines a regular worklight, with a softbox. This allows a softer, less harsh light, and helps minimize hard shadows, especially important for green screens. Remember kids, lights can be BIG fire hazards, especially when used indoors. As always, we take no responsibility for any damages, injury or death caused by anything here on the site. Just remember to be careful where you put your lights, as they get VERY hot and can cause fires and burn skin.

For more tutorials on camera rigs, click here.

For more lighting tutorials, click here.

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 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!