The best, simplest and cheapest project I've ever seen... Really amazing...

Honestly I have searched everywhere, compared every crane but nothing beats this one for price and ingenuity. I salute you.

Got 'em on eBay, but you can find them at most department stores (like Wal-Mart). Be sure to check out the Frugal Crane 2.0 video where I replace the training wheels with garage door pulleys for the same price.

Wow, your videos are always impressive and frugal. I like how you show everything required from tools to items and then show step by step instead of rushing through it like other vloggers. Thanks.

Great idea. I love the ability to be able to tilt the camera as you crane up or down. This is going on the "to do list". Thanks for the video and the time. -John

I like the DIY mindset. Not just for saving money. We as people usually use photography or videography as a creative way to express ourselves, but we generally only use our creativity on the end product. I think that sometimes even if the stuff you make might limit you, on the other hand it might open up new channels of creativity that you might not get from just buying equipment. Also what ever you make you have a general knowledge of how to fix it if it breaks. Great work!

I realize I'm late to the party, but I just found this and have to say what an awesome build! Thanks for sharing

..."Grind down the edge on the sidewalk"... I love ideas like this! This works extremely well, and will save you the expense of a bench grinder or Dremel grinder until you can afford one.

@LongboardBurlington My A-camera is the Canon HFS100 (it's in the video at the end of the pole with a wide angle lens), while my B-camera is the Sanyo CG10. The shots of me using the crane was shot by my friend and his Canon HFS200. The Sanyo was used for all the talking head shots of me as well as all the kitchen assembly stuff shot against the sink. The kitchen table stuff is the HFS100.

this is by far the best tutorial on building a jib.......... thanks man great stuff for us poor film makers xD

@cratedigger89 Originally, I tried using an L-bracket while keeping the tripod head level, but gravity would always pull the thing over due to the weight. Tilting the tripod forward solved this and allowed me to simplify the whole setup. If you get it to work for you, send me a photo and I'll feature it on the blog!

This is kool, your rigs are easy to follow plus clean enuff that you can show up at clients place, with your face up.. thank you for putting the time and effort, to make these tutorials.

You should be able to use the composite breakout cable (which ends in RCA ouputs) to connect to your RCA inputs. If you don't have those on your monitor (or camera/DVD player with an AV input), you'll need some kind of adapter.

I came across your videos and have to say Thank you! I have used several of your ideas already and will be building this one soon! Hope yopu will be making more soon! Thanks again!!

@JGDeRuvo After shaking all kinds of diameter PVC in the hardware store, I decided to go with the slightly more expensive, yet firm top rail. The tapered end that allows simple setup/breakdown was the clincher.

MADE IT!!!!!! LOVE IT!!!! only issue; my tripod is not that great, but we worked around it. We are shooting action sports stuff so I actually skipped the weights and just had the camera guy hold it. Its a pain, but cheaper and works. I have used it in two videos I have made now and I love it. It works great and a lot better than most we looked at simply because you can control the angle of the camera from below and it does not just simply hold the 90 degree angle that most others have.

This is amazing, did you ever consider becoming an engineer. Your creations are so professional. its unbelievable!

You might try a large speaker stand, like the kind DJs use to hold those giant speakers in the air. Drill a horizontal hole where you want the crane pole to connect, and attach it the same way as in the video. My tripod has a Bogen 501 head on Manfrotto 3046 sticks (legs).

@JaredEtherton The camera actually has a video input. All you have to do is plug in a cable and press rec/pause and an image will pop up. It's the Canon Optura Pi.

I'm a aspiring filmmaker myself and i do want to say I enjoy all of your tips & tricks of being FRUGAL and making and building the tools. I do want to say I've been hoping and wanting to see if you are ever planing to build a DIY steadicam and vest combo and as you are aware the good one range from $1,000 and up. This would be the ultimate build if you do you implement your techniques as you do with all of your other builds.

I made this today, it took a little over 3hrs, and that's only because we (my bro and I) did not follow all of the steps directly, but in spite of that hiccup, it went swimmingly, it looks great and I went ahead and added the 2.0 parts, so thanks for making that update. I cant wait to test it out!!!

This guy, his tech and the Nokia 808 PureView. Awesome!

Don't worry, I deal with a 10 feet pole every day... (2:11) Seriously though, very nice tutorial! Definitely the best one out there! Thanks a lot!

@monkeybred I've had no problem with the fishing line slipping or stretching. Just make sure you use rubber grooved training wheels and you should be fine. If the line does slip, shorten the length of the line or tighten up on the turnbuckle. Use 50lb. test line and it will never break on its own.

Dude, the most impressive build yet, so amazing design. just speechless :D

I just wish that all instructional videos on KZread were as good!

Genius design. The shots look great.

It looks like an awesome design. Gonna try this I think. Thank you so much for posting.

Excellent design! Gonna make me one of these!!

Really impressive set up. I like the simplicity of it. I have never had much success building my own stuff but but you clear instruction make it look very straight forward. I think I will spend some time checking out your other tutorials. Keep up the good work.

this is such a cool tool. I love the way you solve the problems in a low cost way.

@herpetologyboy The camera in the video is the Canon VIXIA HFS100, which has been discontinued, as has it's replacement, the HFS200. The closest thing to it right now is the HFS20. They run about $800 at B&H.

thanks mate. i have been working as weeding movie maker for last 3 year and i was looking for some kind of crane. but you video help me a lot.

@thefrugalfilmmaker will do! Actually, I'm thinking about using a metal flat rod, and bending it into a U Bracket for the pole support connection on the tripod and using the L Bracket on the end. To early to tell though.

Drill a horizontal hole near the top of the stand. You can then proceed in a similar way shown in the video.

Hey Frug, Nice jib design and, as always, excellent, helpful video. To deal with the “over-sensitivity” issue that you mentioned, you might want to consider any a several ways to induce some adjustable drag/friction on either of your garage pulleys. One way would be to drill holes through you main beam/fence pole, and insert a nylon bolt through the holes, so that is could be adjusted to rub on the inside of your pulley. Probably the best way to do that would be to use a thread tap, to thread the holes in the beam so that they would engage the nylon bolt, making it adjustable. But you would have to buy the tap, if you don’t have one. So that may violate your standards on either cost or simplicity. But there are probably at least 5 other ways to induce drag on those pulleys to slow them down/stiffen them up/control them. Another may be just wrapping some foam on the fence pole, between the pole and the pulley, to create some soft friction. Anyway - - - Thanks for an very nice design. I am probably going to try it. Dan L.

Thanks for the great ideas. I don't think most engineers can come up with these designs. You are a genius.

Maybe someone already figured this out but, i found you DONT have to cut the barbell in half, just take a boxcutter and trim off the RUBBER tip that stops the weight and just insert the whole bar inside the top rail. Thanks for ALL of the great ideas Mr FF.

Well I checked this out, then I said "eh, forget it, i'll just buy one" then went to the sites where they're sold, saw the ol' price tag, and now i'm back here with renewed enthusiasm! ;)

@EpicsodeOne Thanks for the kind words. I studied Film and Media Arts as an undergrad and am currently a taking Digital Filmmaking as a grad student.

Excellent creativity and VERY well-made video. Thanks for sharing your ingenuity... I LOVE the fishing line/turnbuckle idea. I'm sure (if you had an industrious side-buddy) if you wanted to, you could make a small fortune selling the 'kit' to make this! I bought a 'poor-man's' Stedicam years ago that way. I use it all the time and it's made from $15 of Lowes/Home Depot parts.

The best DIY crane. Great job !!!

Sure, you could just use a 1/4" screw directly into the tripod mount on the bottom of the camera. The quick release is convenient, but totally optional.

@JRTET21That's always the chance you take anytime you send your camera up on a pole like this. The only way your camera would fall off is if it wasn't secured properly. The odds of the screws falling out (especially with a lock washer) or the rubber wheel ripping are pretty slim. Of course, you should always check everything before you attach your camera.

i absolutely love this concept! building one myself but i may just got with your plans!

You're welcome! Metal pulleys are a better alternative. Check the Frugal Crane 2.0 episode for details.

you are a god among mortal youtubers in this time of economic crisis! Great job, i love it

this helps a lot. saw another DIY jib crane for around 100 bucks that didn't have some of these cool features. thanks

This has been fantastic. I finished mine today with a few slight design changes only to allow me work with the materials I had to hand. I have a cannon xm2 on the end and I have to say it is working like a dream. Thank you for guiding me through this build.

I'm thinking of making this for my D7000, i'm a little worried about the strength of the training wheel when holding a heavier camera. Great video.

@filmmakingtutorial It was designed for a camcorder, but should hold a DSLR as well. You'll just need to extend the mounting plate to accommodate the wider camera. Not sure of the specific weight limit.

@officiallyEPIC1998 The camera attached to the tripod allows a video input from another source. So, all I'm doing is providing that input with the output from the crane camera. This allows me to monitor the output from the crane cam via the input on the monitor cam. I've since switched to a cheap SD monitor, but the original idea still works.

I have watched this video Soooo many times. I intended to make one about ten years ago- my funding fell through, (hoping to get donated parts...) And then, I got back into playing music, but now I am back into making videos. My jib/crane will be built with yours as a starting point. The one I'm making will deviate somewhat from your 2.0 version, and I hope that you won't mind that my DIY video will include a link to your 2.0! Thanks for posting! Oh, BTW- where you use the white PVC pipe, I use the gray- it's cheaper, and for our purposes, it's good!

This design is pretty brilliant! I'm actually building a crane for my own work, and this is such a help! I hope to have the crane finished in time to use for my upcoming short film, so hopefully you all will be seeing some sexy-smooth jib shots haha

Great diy! Now with all the money I saved I can buy the tripod needed to support it :D love you're videos!

That is the cheapest, easiest and by far the best Crane build on line, i think.

That's the most genius thing I have ever seen

I also drive with a electro weelchair, en this a super idea. I'd like something to even be able to make pictures as people before me, I see nothing, of course, and so I can continue my hobby . Now I have a sliding tube, where the camera gets up, but it is not convenient.Thank you for this idea, and how to make, me try it from my mobile scooter. Roy. Belgium

Best. One. Yet. Holy crap!

I imagine that having another pulley system for the pan would work well, but you'd have to change the mounted position of the camera from being attached directly to the pole/pulley to below it. Also because of the size restrictions, the pulley may have to be attached to a whole other pole to be worth while, unless there's some sort of offset arm so the wires don't interfere.

@thefrugalfilmmaker can't wait for the 2.0. Planing to build one once the video is out and thanks for these awesome DIY

Awesome build! We just made one for $18, though. Saved a couple bucks! But then spent it.

amazing!you have given me hope of having my own jib soon!

omg when i saw the part showing the jib after the "this is what i came up with" i was like aaaaahhhhhh freakin out that looks awesome

By far both the best and cheapest DIY i have seen. I would probably change out the bogen 501 for the manfrotto 577 because I can still attach it to the camera mount and 50 as opposed to 187 seems more budgeted for me. beautiful jib though

Just a note for Canadians: better double the cost (at least) and Home depot doesn't carry the pipe, at least not where I live. I just made a revamped version of your "slider" and "Jib" ... Thanks for the Awesome input! : )

Hurray! I have just finished building my crane!!!!! Thanks! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!!!!

It's from Vivaldi's "The Four Seasons". I'm pretty sure that excerpt comes from "Winter". Glad you liked it!

@ksdvdcreators usually shots like that don't require a crane, it just requires a tripod and a finger to zoom, cranes are mostly for production value to make your amature film look pro

Check the sequel (Frugal Crane 2.0). I upgrade the training wheels to pulleys with bearings and the fishing line to a vinyl coated wire.

@Mystereas It's the Canon VIXIA HFS100. The wide angle lens is the Raynox 6600 and must be purchased separately.

@davidmatosfilms It's not really designed to hold a prosumer camera, but it's possible. You'd need a longer mounting plate and would have to reinforce the mounting wheel assembly.

Some people have used DJ speaker stands instead of a tripod. They are fairly cheap (around $30) and can hold about 80 lbs. Just drill a horizontal hold near the top and mount it the same way as described in the video. It's not as easy to break down, but it might suit your needs.

Awesome! Thank you so much! And thanks for doing what most diy videos forget to do, PUTTING IN THE SUPPLIES-LIST IN THE DESCRIPTION!!!!! Also what camera is that? Is it a Canon Vixia HF G20? And what is that BEAUTIFUL lens? Is it an ultra-wide?

Real cool man!...guess im gonna build myself one!! thanks for sharing mr Frugal! :) greetings from holland Jacques

Wow man! Fantastic as always! And completely worth the wait!

@LongboardBurlington The Sanyo CG10 can be had for only $119. It's perfect for web production, a full-manual HD cam that shoots 720p to an SD card. It's a great frugal cam!

This was simply amazing work. I'm sure you're on version 2 or 3 after learning from using, but this 30 dollar DIY is incredible and beats stuff that cost 6 times as much!

Ohh man, you are awesome..I love your creativity..

@linuphysio

10 жыл бұрын

Really his videos are great..A beginner who cannot dream about having a heavy expensive equipment like crain, can build one for themselves easily..

@ForeverFire It could, but you'd need a larger platform for the camera. DSLRs have wider bodies and would need an appropriate sized stage to accommodate them.

@wezhira Thank you! That's the best possible compliment I could receive.

If the wheel down by the operator's hand is smaller than the wheel up by the camera, the turning motion will be less sensitive and smoother on the camera. Lots of cranking, nice slow motion. Law of mechanical advantage :)

One of the cameras needs to have an AV input. That way, you can run the AV out from one camera into the AV in of the other. The camera with the AV input becomes your monitor of the first camera.

i simply dont have words to discribe you. you are awsome man......!!!

I'm using a Bogen 501 head on Manfrotto 3046 sticks. Some people use a far less expensive DJ speaker stand.

You could always add another section of top rail. That's ten extra feet, though I don't know how the tripod would take the added weight.

Check the "Frugal Crane 2.0" video for updated wheels (garage door pulleys) and a link to get them from Home Depot.

I had one laying around, but you can get them in the specialty hardware section of your hardware store. Usually the same aisle as screws, bolts, nuts, etc.

I can not realize why this videos has so few views, these video is awesome!!!

This is GREAT! I was looking for something like this to do model work. :) Thanks!

@thefrugalfilmmaker originality is how my films will find the spotlight, i can guarantee you that. sorry if it bothered you though. im making a documentary hopefully several. any tips for a first time filmmaker? or links to awesome websites or yours if anything? i know im making several of your home made designs! PVC rules the world! i appreciate your time that you put forth into the vids to help us all out

Genius!!!! Thank you I'll be making one eventually... Was the dumbbell Handle snug into the pole? I can foresee some damage if it would slip off. Nevertheless it is amazing idea and will make one. Thanks again! :)

Thank you very much friend who just do not speak English and I use the translator, so I do not understand very well what I explain in the video but thank you very much.

Yep. Be sure to check my "Frugal Crane 2.0" episode which adds a longer camera support for DSLRs.

thanks for the video, we really like this kind of audiovisual. we are making our own video tools.

@ChatBlancAudio Thanks! I'll see if I can incorporate your suggestions into the Frugal Crane 2.0, coming soon!

@estebanucrc A portable DVD player that has video inputs is another option. It has a bigger (wide) screen, but only one battery and no obvious way to mount it on the tripod.

@ChowderHeadFilms Any custom piece is doable. I was just trying to avoid that and use off the shelf parts to make construction as simple as possible. If you do go that route, don't forget a hole in the middle to allow the bolt and nuts to pass through.

If you went with a pre-drilled metal channel, you should be able to put heavier cameras on, but that will pretty much double the cost considering they usually run about 30 bucks, Im using a furring strip that I reinforced with a 8 foot 1/8 in thick aluminum angle iron, its pretty secure, I used your design for the crane part, but I built the rest with a lazy susan and some more angle iron,

@ReillyProject The intro and outro was shot with the Sanyo XACTI CG10, the test footage and bulk of the video was with the Canon VIXIA HFS100. The video of the HFS100 on the crane was shot with my neighbor's Canon VIXIA HFS200.