Premium Members Thomas English Posted June 6, 2011 Premium Members Report Share Posted June 6, 2011 Silly question really as I think the answere is 30 degrees but.. What is a good but steep gradient for a ramp when operating steadicam on foot. I gotta request a ramp for this ad at the end of the week. Normally the chippy is there and you can look at it or show him. i gotta do this one blind... 30 degrees? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Charles Papert Posted June 6, 2011 Premium Members Report Share Posted June 6, 2011 I used to use a non-scientific but grip-friendly measurement: an apple and a half high (30") for a 4x8 piece of plywood. I sucked at geometry so I can't remember how to calculate the resulting angle... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Robert Starling SOC Posted June 6, 2011 Premium Members Report Share Posted June 6, 2011 30" of rise over a 96" span is a 31.25% grade Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members RonBaldwin Posted June 7, 2011 Premium Members Report Share Posted June 7, 2011 30% is about 15 deg. My crazy driveway is almost 20 degrees, pretty steep. A 30 degree incline is quite steep to walk up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Sanjay Sami Posted June 7, 2011 Premium Members Report Share Posted June 7, 2011 30% is about 15 deg. My crazy driveway is almost 20 degrees, pretty steep. A 30 degree incline is quite steep to walk up. I think 30 degrees would be really hard to walk up with steadicam. 15 to 20 should be more manageable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Thomas English Posted June 7, 2011 Author Premium Members Report Share Posted June 7, 2011 Thanks guys! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Peter Abraham Posted June 16, 2011 Premium Members Report Share Posted June 16, 2011 Used to drag around a wooden ramp. 4x8 foot sheet of 1" ply, cut lengthwise. Screwed together in a million places. Covered with that self-adhesive üuber-gritty black step tread stuff you can buy in bundles at Lowes or Home Despot. Took two of the thickest angle irons I could find. Bolted them to one end. Now I had a ramp of variable inclination. Pick the angle, hook it onto the step of a very strong ladder and you're good. A few apple boxes under it half way up to reduce flex and bounce. Worked like a charm, fit into the Mini Van. Some weisenheimer grip wrote " Steadi ramp " on it on a job. :) Wish I had photos of it in use. Pulled off a "crane shot" in front of the Ed Sullivan Theatre years ago, where Letterman is shot. Walked down at an angle from sign to sidewalk, straight into lobby, theatre, etc. Very inexpensive way to skin this cat. Best to all, Peter Abraham Director of Technical Services, Steadicam® The Tiffen Company pabraham@tiffen.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Thomas English Posted June 16, 2011 Author Premium Members Report Share Posted June 16, 2011 I followed Charles gradient calculation and had a wicked ramp made up for the end of the one shot commercial. The DoP was well chuffed with the rushes and said it looked better than it wouldve on a technocrane (the other option). I now have a massive articulated ramp in my basement. Intrigued Peter by your ramp. I wish you did have some photos! How wide is this ladder at the end and is it freestanding? Can you sketch a picture? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Premium Members Peter Abraham Posted June 17, 2011 Premium Members Report Share Posted June 17, 2011 Hi Thomas, Sadly no photos. The ladder was a regular fiberglass red ladder. 8 foot tall. The kind you find on every grip truck. The large heavy duty angle irons were bolted in to JUST barely fit inside of the verticals of the ladder up at the steepest angle ( and therefore had a bit of slop side to side on the lowest step ). Again, very much a home made kit. Used it for a lot of years, however. Support with apple boxes was key. Lacking them ( zero budget jobs ), I would simply stack a few of my cases up so they were jammed underneath the ramp about half way up. Again, enough to eliminate bounce or risk of cracking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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