Best way to ceiling mount camera (temporary)

Hi all.

Need to mount a Micro Studio Camera (and pancake lens) to a ceiling for an overhead shot without damaging the ceiling.

Only has to hold for 2 hours, so was looking at some suction cup solutions, but not sure on which to get. Nothing I've seen that looks particularly suitable.

Do not have the room/height for a boom arm.

Thank you for ideas.

Have you thought about a super pole? What is the floor to ceiling height?

I have not. Never heard of them.

Floor to ceiling height is 2.5 metres. With the host standing at 1.8 metres tall, so I have 70cm of room for the overhead camera not to appear in the main shot. I have contemplated getting a magic arm, and then getting a book shelf or something as a prop and extending it over, but logistically difficult.

My original plan was to use a GoPro, but mine got stuck up the side of a mountain, and I think the lens would be too wide anyway.

Biggest problem is lack of floor space.

Autopoles are your solution.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Autop ... 3715154793

You can mount them horizontally or vertically. When closing the lever a spring is released and clamps the Autopoles between walls. Then attach a super clamp and mount your camera.



If the distance between the walls is not to far, you can do that directly. Otherwise you can use 3 Autopoles and 5 super clamps. 2 Autopoles setup vertically spread between floor and ceiling outside your frame. Attach 2 super clamps to each other with a stud, mount one to the vertical autopole and the other to the horizontal autopole.

F**k yes. Little more than I wanted to spend this time round (about triple the cost here than what B&H lists), but can see that becoming a very integral part of my set up very quickly.

Thanks alot

Have you looked at wall spreaders?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Nt ... av-Search=

with caution!

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Would a putty knife work in this situation?

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Nt ... av-Search=

_Putty_Knife_with_Baby Pin.jpg (25.28 KiB) Viewed 6129 times

Furniture clamp with right angle baby spud.

http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Nt ... av-Search=

furniture clamp with right angle.jpg (6.58 KiB) Viewed 6126 times

Are you able to tape (with paper tape) a piece of 6" x 6" plywood to the ceiling.
Put a 1/4-20 flat head bolt in the middle of the plywood( if you can, counter sink the bolt and add some cloth the the plywood touching the ceiling) and attach a ball head to the 1/4-20.
Put tape on the head of the bolt so as not to scratch the paint on the ceiling.

Hopefully the tape will hold the weight.

Please let us know what worked for you.
Interesting project.

How about renting a jib? Something like the genus minijib or the kessler pocket jib traveller? Could work for an overhead shot if you used a second tripod head on the end of the jib to tilt the camera down

Have you thought of building a boom arm with the base situated behind or next to your A camera? With the arm extended over to where you need the camera.

If you need I can walk you through.
Hopefully you have access to the grip gear needed.

I had to do this recently. I used backdrop stands, and bar. Attached the camera by using zip ties through the camera cage.

I used backdrop stands, and bar

Oops , just reread your post, no room for boom ignore everything below.
Oh well, better luck next time.

In grip jargon that is a Goal post.
This can be put together using any stands and rigid cross piece.
Depending on the weight that the device has to carry you will use different equipment.

The difference between a boom arm and a goal post is how many support points you can have.
Example of boom arm.(no picture because "Sorry, the board attachment quota has been reached"

http://www.adorama.com/ltbak.html

If you have enough room on either side of the talent for stands then a Goal post is best, but if you do not have room, then a boom arm with one support can be used.

The advantage of using a micro camera is the small weight factor.

Not knowing what grip equipment is available on this shoot makes it difficult to suggest anything.
If you have grip gear you can put together your own boom arm.
The advantage of a boom arm over a jib is that you can have the arm parallel to the ceiling by raising the stand thereby decreasing the head room.

You need to put your grip hat on.

(1)I take it that you are not working in a space with removable ceiling panels.(scissor clamp)
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/search?Nt ... av-Search=
(2)Do you have room for a Goal post.
(3)How close to the talent can you place a stand before it gets into shot?(how long the boom arm will need to be)

and then getting a bookshelf or something as a prop and extending it over, but logistically difficult.

Sorry I cannot let this go.

Can you use the book shelf as the on-camera upright support for a goal post and put a stand at the
off-camera side? Raising the cross piece to touch the ceiling.

If you do not have floor space look at pipe and drape base for idea for small footprint.

http://www.pipeanddrapeonline.com/Bases_c_16.html

Decided on the autopole since cost effective and no floor space, plus can also use it to mount a soft box to free up floor space, and more importantly a 4K recorder so I don't have to figure out long 6G-SDI cable runs. Will also allow for me to do this permanently in my home studio.

Am travelling at the moment but will post pictures when it's set up.

So auto-poles worked really well on the shoot, though it was a very very tight fit - the room was the same length as the unextended pole!

I set the pole up in my home studio much easier. About 3.1 metres across.

foto_no_exif.jpg (137.62 KiB) Viewed 5836 times

Just got it with the Micro Cam and the Atomos Shogun at the moment, so I can still record in 4K, and then downconvert to HD for longer cable runs for monitoring.

Didn't have a 3/8" mount, but will put my microphone on there as well, and probably a softbox.

Just wanted to share another little "success story" regarding autopoles:

I started shooting another short recently (highly improvised 48hr-film-project-style) - the first location was a tiny japanese restaurant that was open for business and quite busy while we shot there, I had half an hour to light it.

To achieve the desired mood(s) under the given circumstances drove me to quickly set up a few portable neon lights here and there for contrast. I remembered this thread and got an autopole to hang up two LED 1x1s with softboxes and grids for some soft yet directional top light where required.

I was a little worried if the autopole would hold between the walls that were there and that it wouldn't damage the wall (I ended up putting beermats between the pole and walls on both ends) or fall on any waiters/customers head...
Everybody was happy with how it turned out!

Sorry for the image spam, not graded yet, just set the color temp and added little bit of contrast.
This is all BMCC with Sigma 18-35 1.8:













This is from a one take gimbal shot with BMMCC / Voigtländer 25mm f0.95 with ND(!) (couldn't change focus so was trying to keep a pre-set distance):

Autopoles are your solution.
http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/buy/Autop ... 3715154793

You can mount them horizontally or vertically. When closing the lever a spring is released and clamps the Autopoles between walls. Then attach a super clamp and mount your camera.



If the distance between the walls is not to far, you can do that directly. Otherwise you can use 3 Autopoles and 5 super clamps. 2 Autopoles setup vertically spread between floor and ceiling outside your frame. Attach 2 super clamps to each other with a stud, mount one to the vertical autopole and the other to the horizontal autopole.

sorry for the necro post.

after you put the pole, which component you use to attach the camera to the pole itself?

Walter, it depends on the camera size and weight.
A quick way is using a super clamp with a threaded spud.
Or combined with a magic arm.
Or an articulating arm (ASIN : B000MWWXJ2)

But be careful. If the Autopole is spread between walls and you put the camera on a magic arm you are creating a lever and the weight can start to turn the Autopole, sagging the camera.

Cardellini to Kupo EZ Grip. The baby pin receiver is bolted to the camera cage first so one is never spinning a camera, it slides on and clamps, easy.

Good Luck

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You might be able to hire or borrow a couple of ceiling fixer's props and strap a plank or metal bar between them to hang your camera from. It might be or might not be cheaper than hiring specific production equipment for the task. A couple of C-Stands and a plank or square tube for crosspiece with holes drilled in it for the camera and at the ends for the cross-piece to slip onto C-stand arms pointed vertically should do it for you. At risk of a hernia, struggle and grunting the heavy bases indoors, a couple of outdoor cafe umbrellas might go high enough for you to string a crosspiece between.

A couple of C-stand and this proaim overhead contraption.
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... s=pi&pim=Y

Thanks guys!

Almost forgot one of the best clamps I recently bought:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... ocket.html

The 9.solution savior clamp mounts perfectly onto an Autopole an holds more weight than a superclamp. And it sits more tightly. My new favorite.

And their double joint arm is super sturdy:
https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... short.html