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DIY Car Camera Rig

High-speed driving scenes from movies like "the Fast and the Furious," "the Transporter" and "Death Race" make audiences' hearts pound with excitement. To capture these scenes, filmmakers mount cameras directly to their vehicles with car camera rigs. Professional Hollywood-style rigs like those from Filmtools.com or Ultracameramounts.com can cost upward of $2,000 to buy and hundreds to rent. With a few simple items from a home renovation store and an hour of your time you can build a similar rig that will attach your camcorder to the exterior of any vehicle.

Things You'll Need

  • 9-inch piece of pre-drilled angle iron
  • 8- by 9.5- by 1-inch solid wooden board
  • 8- by 9.5-inch black neoprene mouse pad
  • Black spray paint
  • Four 3-foot bungee cords
  • Spray glue
  • 3/4-inch bolt
  • 2 large washers
  • 2 eye hooks
  • Four 3/4-inch wood screws
  • Screwdriver
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Instructions

    • 1

      Place the pre-drilled angle iron along the 9-inch edge of your board. Screw the angle iron to the board with the 3/4-inch wood screws. This will be the top of the do-it-yourself car camera rig.

    • 2

      Screw your two eye hooks into the bottom corners of the board. This will be the bottom of your car camera rig.

    • 3

      Spray-paint your car camera rig black.

    • 4

      Spray glue on one side of your neoprene mouse pad and attach it to the back of your board. The neoprene mouse pad will help prevent the do-it-yourself car camera rig from scratching your vehicle.

    • 5

      Line up your camcorder's tripod screw hole with the central hole in the pre-drilled angle iron. Place the large washers on the 3/4-inch bolt. Screw the bolt through the angle iron and into your camcorder's tripod screw hole.

    • 6

      Hook two of the bungee cords to the pre-drilled corners of the angle iron at the top of your do-it-yourself car camera rig.

    • 7

      Hook two of the bungee cords through the eye hooks at the bottom of your car camera rig.

    • 8

      Roll down the driver's window of your car. With one person holding the camera rig against the exterior of the car door, loop the top bungee cords through the open window. Loop the bottom two bungee cords up and around the bottom of your door. Attach the four bungee cords together and close the car door.

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