Glide Track - The portable dolly system

Dave Arcari: Behind the scenes of ‘Colourblind’

The following video is a little cracker! Let me give you a little insight into the two people involved, who they are and what they do.

The video focuses on a Scottish singer / songwriter called Duncan McCrone. His first songwriting credit, in 1982, was when the big-selling Scottish singer Valerie Dunbar released the single Always Argyll, written by Duncan and a friend, Jimmy Jamieson. Duncan was looking to film a video for the release of his single, Colourblind, to tie in with his new album of the same name (which will be out in May this year). He got in touch with his friend Dave Arcari (who told us about the video) and Dave filmed the video for him with his D-SLR, a tripod and his trusty Glidetrack slider.

Dave is a slide guitarist and singer / songwriter who loves to play alternative blues. He has released seven solo albums. Dave is embarking on a European tour at the end of this month taking on France, Finland, Estonia and the UK.

So on to the video itself – a really simple video but also really well shot. It starts off with a tracking shot of Duncan singing while “looking out to sea” (lyrics from the song) on an esplanade. This is the only outside shot. The rest of the video is filmed inside in a cozy living room. This is where the really cool stuff begins – Dave is filming Duncan singing and playing the guitar. He switches between using his Glidetrack on a coffee table and a tripod to get the differences in close-ups to tracking shots, but what’s really cool is that somebody is filming Dave filming Duncan!

This additional footage is edited into Dave’s footage as a running commentary almost. The two videos run simultaneously with the behind-the-scenes video showing you what Dave is doing to make his video of Duncan – very cool! It’s great to actually catch a glimpse of a Glidetrack in a video and not just the finished work it helped create. You can see exactly what Dave sees as the additional behind-the-scenes camera picks up Dave’s LCD display.

This is a very cool video – almost as cool as Dave’s playing style and personality. You can actually tell that he’s used his personal aura to shoot a video for Duncan. Here’s hoping he films a few more videos for him as we loved this one! A Glidetrack slider put to great use there.

Duncan has the following gigs lined up. If you liked the video and you live in Scotland, why not go along and see him:

• Mar 10: Academy Theatre – Linlithgow
• Apr 21: Bank Street Gallery – Kirriemuir, Angus
• May 10: Star Folk Club – Glasgow
• May 11: Stonehouse Folk Club – Stonehouse, Lanarkshire
• May 26: Linlithgow Folk Festival – Linlithgow

We were recently sent over the video below from David McKinnon at 29studios. David had been working on a music video in aid of the Help for Heros charity and the results were pretty impressive! Check out the video below to see how David got the most from his DSLR set up by using Glidtrack for this great cause.

The Glidetrack Hybrid has been a fantastic addition to our equipment list at 29studios. We’ve made the move to DSLR filming, and the Glidetrack is the perfect partner for getting really awesome results.

We were asked to film a music video for the song ‘Scottish Soldier’, in aid of the charity Help for Heroes. Our challenge was to create a video which had a real ‘filmic’ quality to it – simple pans & tilts were not going to be enough. What our Glidetrack allowed us to do was to really think about the composition of each & every shot we took, and it really allowed us to take advantage of what was a stunning location.

The shots we got from using the Hybrid added a dramatic effect which you can’t get from pans or tilts. But the real advantage of the Glidetrack is it’s versatility. Given the fact that we spent the whole shoot day walking up & down a Scottish Hillside where the weather changed every minute, we also found the Hybrid to be an incredibly portable piece of equipment to use. Whether fixed onto our tripod, or levelled off on top of a fallen tree, it gave us great results every single time.

Our Glidetrack Hybrid is now a permanent part of our film crew, and we’re constantly looking at new ways to implement it into every film we make from now on.

The same revolutionary open architecture design, only lighter and more portable.

Following the phenomenal success of the Glidetrack HD Hybrid, we have expanded the range to include the Glidetrack SD Hybrid. We have spent a lot of time developing this with Igus to provide a Hybrid carriage design unique to the SD series (Igus 10-40).

The SD series Hybrid is aimed at users wishing to upgrade their existing SD Glidetrack or users with smaller dslr setups. If you are using a larger dslr with longer lenses i.e. 70-200 or cages, then we would recommend you consider the HD Hybrid series.

Requires 4-5 times less force to move than the traditional Drylin liners Adjustable feet and locking brake as standard Open architecture design incorporating eight self lubricating, dry running roller bearings Compact and Portable offering a massive arsenal of killer shots at your disposal.

Turn your existing SD slider into a Glidetrack Hybrid SD Slider with the SD Hybrid Carriage & Adjustable feet Bundle

The new Glidetrack Hybrid SD carriage system and Glidetrack adjustable feet are now available for sale separately & as part of a Bundle exclusively via the Glidetrack website as an upgrade to existing SD sliders (or any Igus system that uses 10-40 rail). Buy the Bundle and save 12.5%!

Please note that the Hybrid system was developed by and  made exclusively for Glidetrack by Igus, and are not available anywhere else.

Here’s a short video produced by Jon Palfrey. It was shot at a local public farm/nature walk called Occombe Farm in Paignton.

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Guest Blog- Live in Angola Documentary from Brett Michael Innes

JAM TVC – Food from Brett Michael Innes on Vimeo.

Glidetrack’s guest blogger this week is Brett Michael Innes. Brett is a talented filmmaker based in Johannesburg, and he got in touch with us to show off some amazing documentary work he’d filmed in Angola for the Joint Aid Management (JAM). The film shows how JAM brings food to schools and malnutrition clinics as well as help to dig wells in rural African areas. Brett really relied on his Glidetrack Hybrid to help make his filming possible.

“I do a lot of work in 3rd world countries which often means that I can only use the gear that I can carry on my back. The Glidetrack slider has transformed the production value of my footage, allowing me to shoot cinematic, intimate footage in areas that wouldn’t allow access to tracks & dolly systems. Aside from customs officials thinking that I’ve got a weapon of mass destruction, my Glidetrack has had no problems during my travels, being easy to assemble when a shot presented itself.”

“I was commissioned by JAM to produce three adverts for South African television that would showcase their work in the areas of food relief, clean water solutions and education throughout Africa. They wanted something cinematic which meant I immediately pulled out the Glidetrack to help give the subtle movement that it is so well known for, to the footage. It was portable, worked well in the informal settlements and achieved the motion that I expected it to achieve. Yet again another good working experience with the Glidetrack.”

Filmmakers who travel a lot for their work find that the Glidetrack Hybrid is ideal. As Brett illustrated, the ability to easily take our Hybrid slider into some far flung locations was invaluable for his shooting. The Hybrid has a heavy duty construction that is perfect for mid to large size rigs and it stands up perfectly to harsh conditions. We have certainly seen some amazing footage from filmmakers that have been shot around the world in settings where any other less compact sliding dolly would struggle to perform as well as a Glidetrack.

Three top tips for ensuring the perfect outdoor shot:

•    Tip 1: Pick equipment that won’t let you down. The last thing you want when you’re shooting on location in the middle of nowhere is a faulty dolly.

•    Tip 2: Ensure your equipment is up to the task. You wouldn’t mend a broken leg with a plaster would you? So don’t take a cheap, untested dolly with you because don’t want your favourite one getting scratched. You bought it to take smooth outdoor shots and that’s what it wants to do. The hybrid is extremely durable and is up to the challenges ahead.

•    Tip 3: Travel light. You never know how long you’re going to have to walk. Or hike. Or climb. Or drive to get that perfect shot you were looking for. I couldn’t think of anything worse that getting all hot and bothered with a three stone backpack weighing me down. The hybrid is so sight and compact that if it came to the crunch you’d choose to leave your tent behind inside of the Glidetrack.

Without the use of Glidetrack while filming Brett would have been unable to produce that first-rate work that he created. Want to create fantastic videos like this? Then please check out the Glidetrack Hybrid!

You can also check out Brett’s other video’s by following the links below:

JAM Water  TV commercial

JAM Education TV commercial

JAM Angola Trip