Scorpion Plate : A New DSLR Rig

Scorpion Plate : A New DSLR Rig

I am always looking for improvements and alternatives to equipment out on the market which can provide as good or better results than industry standards. The Scorpion plate is a full adjustable DSLR rig which can give you many options to your video filming needs. I like being able  to change configurations on the fly and I like I can use it in a host of applications for my video/film work.

Scorpion Rig

The system is based upon a plate with a number of threaded holes on all sides to allow a variety of attachment points which you can add the popular  magic articulating arms.  With the plate you just add a Monfrotto 577 quick release or the Calumet compatible equivalent, if you are looking for more savings. The unit can use the shoulder brace for more stability  and you can easily make it compatible to slide from one rig to a tripod using Monfrotto video  heads.

Scorpion Plate - PhotoZblog from Anthony Zeh on Vimeo.

If you like this design you can always go with a similar design by Cinevate which has a system which is nice, but too costly for me. For just over the cost of the base plate of their Simplis release plate, I built this whole system.  One of their nice adjustable arms runs about $110 compared to an articulaing arm at about $25.

3 Arm Shoulder Rig

Fig Rig

Parts of the Scorpion rig

Pistol Grip

Upright Rig

Currently this is just a concept , so not available in stores or online. If this is a product people would be interested in, please drop a response. 

Book recommendations for the aspiring DSLR filmmaker

Books to self educated about film, cinematography and DSLR's.

5 Books to check out if you are looking to learn cinematography techniques to build your creative eye or want to learn how to maximize you DSLR and the equipment you need to create great digital films.

I have been on a fast track trying to learn and grow my digital film abilities. I don't even want to say video, as this is looking forward to a cinematic look in what I want to create. A video is a straight shot with no adjustment to create a feel.  These books can help that feel by showing how to work through the process and how to use your equipment to get what you want.

Filmmakers Eye: learning (and breaking) the rules of cinematic composition / Gustavo Mercado

This book details composition used in cinema based on shots from close up, medium, long, to canted emblematic, and abstract to name only a few. They then cover how to break the rules of all those shots. It also covers when to use things such as a steady cam, dolly, or crane to emphasis a scene.

Cinematography : theory and practice : image making for cinematographers and directors / Blain Brown

This book covers what you need to know as a cinematographer. Things like what lenses to use, exposure composition, lighting, color, to the elements of story structure. A great book to learn about visual language and visual storytelling. This book also covers many technical aspects of the camera and lighting.

DSLR Cinema : Crafting the Film Look with Video / Kurt Lancaster

This is a great book for the person just beginning to dive into Video/Film with a DSLR. This book was my starting point. It drops you into the pool covering composition, lighting, picture styles, audio, and even building you gear based on a budget. This book covers a lot of gear, but on the downside, in a year or so, with all that is changing, this could be outdated as it can be gear specific down to brands.

The Digital Filmmaking Handbook / Sonja Schenk and Ben Long

This book cover everything from writing and scheduling to planning a shoot, to editing gear and software into editing sound, creating titles and effects. This book is not software specific in regards to editing, but rather about techniques you can use to achieve a great look in your filmmaking. This book is also not camera driven in regards to just a DSLR. It covers a variety of video camera solutions.

From Still to Motion: A photographer's guide to creating video with your DLSR / James Ball

This book is great for those moving from a Photographer to a video roll. It is geared toward the photographer and the DSLR. The book is simple broken up into 5 parts: A new way to tell a story, Cinematic lighting, gearing up for motion and sound, post production, and creative explorations. The book seeks to show you how you to look differently at the situation from photography to achieve the goal of film. Since you are not lighting for a single moment in time, but rather a extended amount of time while things in your composition change.

I recommend checking these books out at your local library or bookstore to see what will fill your needs for moving to a better understanding of digital film. If you have other books you would recommend for film, video and cinematography, for those striving to expand their scope, please leave them on our comments.

DIY DSLR Cage Rig

My DIY DSLR Cage 

I am building up my Video set up for filming and wanted to build a quality cage unit to hold my accessories like an LED light, Monitor, and mic with a matte box. I came across a build by Jarrod at Just Basl Productions. Originally I found it at CheesyCam.

I liked the design, so I decided to set out to build my own. I decided to go with an all-aluminum  rig. It's a beefy unit that is very stable. I have it set to hold all my accessories, and my 7D. The unit is just a 1/4 lb heavier than Jarrod's redesign to lighten from his original unit. So the weight is about 6lbs. I could have shed some weight in my design, but I like the really solid feel.

 I can go from a top hand hold position, to a side grip, to clicking it onto a tripod with no effort. The rig allows me to do low shots and see what I am filming with the monitor, and I can easily get to the chest level shot. In many cases, I will just pop it onto a tripod and film from there, but it offers easy switches of mobility. The unit was just under $90 with a $45 monfrotto slide plate. Without the monfrotto slide, the rig was only a $45 build.

I also can slide my camera from this rig to my DIY Shoulder Rig by releasing my monfrotto slide and sliding onto the one on my shoulder rig.  

Monfrotto 357 slide release

Ebay Matte Box

 If anyone wants the parts list, drop me a comment on my blog, and I will post it here. The build is pretty much like Jarrod's with modified parts. So you can check out his video at Vimeo for the how to build it section. I want to give credit where it is due. Thanks Jarrod for the great ideas.

I did add mini rails to his design so I could slide on a matte box. I don't currently have a high end matte box, but this works to cut the glare when working in sunny conditions like we have in Arizona. 

Parts List:

(1)Top Handle:  6.25"Long x 1" rnd tube

(4)crossbracing  10"Long x 1.25" x .75" Channel

(2)Inset Crosscracing: 10 Long x 1" square tube

(4)Handle posts: 8" high x 1"rnd Tube

(2)Risers for camera plate": 4.5" long x 1.25" x .75" Channel

(4)Feet: 2" long x 1" square

(1)Camera Plate: 3.5"x7" .25"thick

(2)Tubes for Matte box: 3.5"long x .5"round

(1) bottom plate for tripod plate 6.75" long x 1" x .25"thick

All of the above parts are Aluminum which can be found at a local metal supplier. Not available at home stores such as Home Depot or Lowes, but cheaper.

(2) 4.5"x.25" carriage bolts for Matte box tubes (2) .25" nuts

(4) 1.5"x.25" carriage bolts for camera plate (4) .25" nuts

(4) 3.5"x.375" carriage bolts for uprights

(4) 3.5"x.375" Standard bolts for uprights

(4) double ended threaded connectors .375" for uprights

(2) 1.25"x.25" bolts for bottom plate (2) .25" nuts

Manfrotto 577 quick release plate or Calumet Quick-release Video Head Adapter (both are the same)

Lilliput 668GL-70NP/H/Y 7" monitor review

Not bad price for an HDMI monitor. I purchased this unit to go on my DIY DSLR video rig. I am finding also great for Still photography when I am composing through live view. I have good eye sight, but this makes it easy for highly accurate focusing and viewing everything in your scene. It also makes it much easier to see problems in your composition. 

This unit came with the 7” monitor with HDMI input and composite inputs. It included a Li-ion battery, stand, hotshoe ball mount, remote, sun shade, and power cord. They also sent along an HDMI to HDMI mini to connect to my Canon 7D. This was not in the box, so I don’t know if you will get this from every company you order from. I ordered mine online from Amazon for $199 with free shipping and I got it in 3 days. I was pretty happy with the fast turn around.

Video

When I connect the unit to my tripod, I use a super clamp I have with an umbrella holder and the included ball joint. These are things I have, so I don’t have to spend $50+ on an Articulating Arm. This set up works fine for my needs.