A Few of My DIY Tips/Tricks

For the Field:
> Attaching a Microphone Receiver to Your Camera If you have a Porta-Brace shoulder case on your camera with no pockets for a wireless mic receiver and need a place to put it because you have no mount either, try getting some industrial Velcro and needle/thread. Sew the one half of the Velcro onto the shoulder case's back battery cover/wrap and then stick the other half on your receiver. That should hold it but if you want to take things a step further, I used to use a 5 slot Zip Disk holder so that I could keep some extras in a pouch as well. All I did different was wrap the other end of the Velcro around that block (which was the same width as a standard Gold-Mount battery). The advantage there was that the shelves for the disks didn't cut all the way across so in essence they secured my wireless boxes, preventing them from moving around and shaking. I just got lucky because it was a tight fit.

> Lighting If you find yourself on location and in need of making your own cookie or gobo, try using poster board and a utility knife to cut out some patterns. Of course this doesn't work for stage-style lighting where such tins are inserted into the lamps. And if you need to direct the lighting a bit more than you think you can achieve with the tools you have around you, grab some tin foil. Black foil wrap is often used to direct and cut down lighting but if you don't have it handy you can always additionally use tin foil. It's not as strong but it'll get the job done if you're in a pinch, acting like custom-molded barn doors etc.

> For Travel Need a safe way to transport your camera? Place 2 boards on your vehicle's seat--one much wider than the other. The smaller one will go on the bottom and act as a leveler while the top most board will act as the platform for the camera. Dig down in your seat to find how it connects at the split and feel for something you can anchor bungee cords to. Take one under the boards and attach another from the top where the headrest rises/lowers. Then when you place your camera on the board, connect the two cords, securing your gear. You'll find this is very safe and very strong + free to do! If you stop short while in transit, it'll prevent the camera from rolling by snapping it back into place.

> On-Camera 9V Battery Storage I saw this in a magazine not too long ago and thought it genius. Perhaps some of you also saw it--ever need a place for a spare 9V battery for your wireless? If you have the UL2 lamp it just so happens you can fit one in its little pocket if you tilt the light up to reveal the crevice. Just be sure to put a piece of gaffers or whatever across the end so that it doesn't fall out the front on you (esp. if you are using it in combination with Anton Bauer's UL-Wedge product).

> D.I.Y. Track & Dolly For those looking to an inexpensive track and dolly solution, look at Varizoom's latest offering.  I highly recommend the Cinetrac Heavy Duty Dolly system.  The dolly retails for around $700.  Its intended use is designed for their 1.5" rubber track system.  The advantages to this setup are that it's relatively inexpensive compared to others of similar size (the track costing around $460).  Varizoom's flexible rubber track has no set radius, giving your production team greater flexibility when on-location.  The only issue is that because the track is so flexible, it often bends in ways you don't want it to if going for a precise and straight dolly path.  The D.I.Y. solution I came up with was to purchase sections of 1.5" PVC for $4 per 5' length.  Those PVC pieces can be connected with rubber 1.5" insert plugs that fit inside each piece of PVC ($0.76), ensuring the dolly's smooth performance on the outside surface of the pipe.  The inserts are almost too tight a fit so the easy fix for that is to just file the groves on their outer edges down (just be careful to leave the one that's in the center untouched; this will act as a stopper between the two halves, preventing the insert from falling all the way into the PVC).  Modifying the inserts so that they easily slide in and out of the PVC pipe allows setup and break down to be a breeze. 

(pictures below)  

In the Studio:
> On-Camera Rundown Holders Ever wish you had one of those handy clipboard style holders that the larger studio cameras and pedestals have? Well, you can make your own fairly inexpensive version if your studio camera doesn't have that option. All you have to do is buy the type of secretarial clip you would get that attaches to a CRT computer monitor if you were wanting to transcribe a handwritten document and turn it into a digital copy using your computer's word processor. Now you'll need reinforcement because with time and weight, eventually the stickies they supply you with will wear out--esp. if your camera doesn't have the most optimal mounting surface. For this task you can resort to good old gaffers tape or duct tape. All you have to do is attach the arm to the backside of the camera and then reinforce it with the tape. Once you've done that the next time you or your operator is working a show the rundown can be hung alongside as a handy reference guide. No more holding it by hand or laying it on top. And if you want to take it a step further, purchase a little battery-operated LED clip on book light to illuminate things since most studios are kept dark except for in front of the camera.