2011Vehicles and Mounts forum
Bicycle rickshaw platforms for camera mounting and stabilization
15 years old. Gear and prices may have changed since.
What the thread found
- A bicycle rickshaw can be designed with multiple interchangeable mounting platforms including hard mounts, soft mounts for operators with seating, and bazooka-style platforms for non-stabilized shots.
- Rickshaws offer a portable alternative to ATVs for on-set following shots and steadicam work, particularly useful when transport is limited and breakdown capability is important.
- Bicycle-based camera rigs can be configured with traditional rickshaw designs found in various countries, or customized with components like speed rail, plywood, and specialized sidecars that mount to bicycle frames.
- Soft-mounting camera equipment on moving bicycles or rickshaws has practical application for specific shot types like behind-the-bike following shots and angled forward angles.
- Motorized and manual rickshaws under 400 dollars exist as commercial options in various markets and can potentially be adapted for camera work.
Depends on
- No confirmed examples of commercially successful camera rickshaws existed at the time of this discussion.
- The practicality of following shots from the front of a bicycle rig remains unclear.
- Soft-mounting preferences and techniques changed over time during the period covered by these posts.
- The stability and operator ergonomics of bicycle-mounted camera platforms have not been thoroughly validated.
- One person's experience with soft-mounting indicated preference against this technique in later work.