One of the best investments I’ve made as a filmmaker is a book called “Killer Camera Rigs That You Can Build“. Specifically, the Killer’s Kiss Crane and Dark Passage Dolly combo. Originally I was pricing a Kessler Skycrane (about 5 grand for the 12ft version), and at the time I thought it was the most economic approach to getting the crane shots I needed. Then I ran into this website http://www.dvcamerarigs.com/ .
I built the Killer’s Kiss Crane and Dark Passage Dolly for less than $100.00. This crane alone is worth the $40 it costs to buy the book. Not only is the book FULL of great DIY projects like a car mount, camera stabilizer and tons of other cool stuff. But, what impressed me the most was how much the author cares about his customers. When I started building this crane I had a few questions so I shot the author an email. Within an hour or two, I had his reply. He really went far beyond what I expected. This type of book written by someone who cares about his customers is a rare find..
