Skater dolly
A skater dolly is a mobile platform on wheels for the execution of precise and vibration-free, horizontal movements of film or video cameras and thus enables camera movements . The skater dolly is a special form of the dolly , an American-speaking name for a camera trolley that is usually pushed manually.
idea
The skater dolly was born from the idea of using simple and inexpensive components to manufacture a device with which camera movements can be implemented. The term is derived from the type of wheels used: Inline skate wheels are used.
In its simplest form, a skater dolly consists of a board with three or four rigid or movable wheels. The camera mounted on it can thus be moved horizontally on a flat surface in one or two axes.
Skater dollys constructed with steerable wheels enable, for example, circular camera movements around a centrally positioned object.
Areas of application
Due to the very smooth and precise running of ball-bearing inline skate wheels, manual tracking shots in the millimeter range can be carried out with skater dolly. Because of this, skater dollys are particularly suitable for macro shots with film or video cameras. Typical areas of application here are the advertising and industrial film sector.
The simple construction enables independent filmmakers to cost-effectively realize camera shots for scenic feature film projects.