Keep on Truckin'
Words by Larry T. and Eryka Bagwell
Platypod’s founder, inventor and owner Larry T. is both an artist and educator. Each day he finds himself actively helping artists discover creative solutions and fresh perspectives using their Platypod gear. Take a look at the thirty-second video clip below and you’ll find yourself fully immersed in Larry’s creativity. In this video, he explains how to achieve a unique point of view using two cameras and Vlogging.
In cinematography, a “truck shot” refers to side-to-side camera movement with respect to the action. In the video below, Larry demonstrates how the Platypod Ultra commercial twin pack can be used to achieve a stable POV truck shot along the road, as well as an eye level view using a second camera pointing into the car directly at the driver. BTW, if you don't want to use two Platypods and don't need the inside camera, you can achieve the same with just one Platypod Ultra or Max. Just use a block of wood on the inside and some wood screws to achieve the same effect.
“Two Ultra's are mounted back-to-back using two of our spikes or any two 1/4”-20 bolts with just enough space in between them to accommodate the car window plus our silicone pad or just some cardboard to protect the window from being scratched by the bolts. Once that is done, attach a ball head or a gooseneck to either side or both. Now you have numerous choices of the equipment you want to attach. For our purposes, I mounted a Platyball Ergo (pre-production model, available for pre-sale in mid-January for delivery in April-May 2022, limited quantities…click here) on the outside. Next, my iPhone and DJI Osmo OM4 gimbal with a Platypod Disc at the base clamped into my ball head. Between the stabilization in the gimbal and in my video software, I knew I didn’t have to worry about any vibration. Inside the car, I mounted my little Sony RX 100 camera on a Platypod Disc on a Benro IN00 ball head. Alternatively, one could mount a gooseneck on the inside together with a GoPro action cam or your smartphone of choice on a Square Jellyfish tripod mount.
“I gifted myself a new DJI Osmo OM4 gimbal over the holidays to use with my Smart phone and I absolutely love it! This product enhances stability when taking videos of my family and also Platypod work.
“My gimbal included a folding tripod which spreads out to a diameter of over 10 inches. This is beneficial for placing it on the ground or a larger table, however, if you have a really tiny working space, it’s less than optimal. I’ve noticed that there is no way to mount that tripod using a strap or hook. Also, unless you want to turn off any gimbal, you must set it on a stable base when putting it down. Fail to do this and the motors go a little crazy!
“Enter the Platypod, which, when used with the gimbal is a huge problem solver. A bonus, the Platypod takes up almost no space in the pouch that comes with the gimbal. One additional tool I added was my Platypod Arca compatible disc. This now allows me to mount that gimbal onto any Arca compatible tripod head and will also adapt to any 3/8”-16 device (which included my Platypod) and any tripod for that matter.”
“Check out video to show you how to prepare for mounting this rig on a car window for traveling “truck” shots.”
You may already have all the equipment you need to achieve this set up but if you don't you can find all the rigging devices here
