There was a time when making camera equipment yourself at home required an engineering degree and a workshop full of tools. Thankfully, technology has progressed to the point where we can design and make pretty much anything we want these days from the comfort of our couch.
Yes, that’s right, I’m talking about 3D printing. It opens up a world of options for photographers and filmmakers. A way to design and build tools to overcome challenges or annoyances you face. So, here are some designs by filmmaker and maker Mott to inspire you.
Not available to download
You might remember Mott from a post in May about the inspirational 3D-printed filmmaker’s dice. Well, that’s not the only thing he’s designed and 3D printing to assist with his filmmaking. He’s designed and printed a number of other tools, too.
When I first started designing for 3D printing, I first came up with the idea of making a drink holder using clamps for cameras and lights, but my son suggested that I 3D print the clamps as well, so I started designing and making them as research. I had doubts about the strength of plastic, but when I actually made it, I realized that it was quite durable, which led me to create various clamps
Unfortunately, unlike the dice, these designs aren’t available for you to download and print for yourselves. It turned out that people were downloading Mott’s designs, which he allowed people to print for personal use, and then making and selling them commercially.
I found out that there were some people in the film industry who are using my STL to sell prints without my permission, so I stopped sharing STL [files].
As a consequence, Mott stopped selling them. So, they’re here to inspire you to consider maybe buying a 3D printer of your own and perhaps learning a little CAD – It’s really not that difficult.
The “Tender Clamp”
The “Tender Clamp” is essentially a 3D-printed superclamp. It lets you clamp down on bars – like the vertical supports on a light stand – and attach cameras, lights and other devices to it. Mott says that the meaning of “tender” depends on how well it printed.
Camera Cart Umbrella Clamps
Sticking with the clamps theme, we’ve got camera cart umbrella clamps. As the name suggests, these are designed to mount to your camera cart and hold your umbrellas. This helps to keep them organised, out of the way and ready to go at a moment’s notice.
While this isn’t specifically a filmmaking tool, it might be depending on the tools you’re storing in it. But what keeps it relevant is that it’s made using 15mm rods. The same rods used on most camera rigs. So, if you’ve got a bunch of them lying around doing nothing, here’s an option.
Custom Game Controller
Now, this might seem a weird one to include in a list like this. But having seen it, some of you will be able to tell why. It uses the same kind of wheel-based control system used by many Hollywood cinema cameras and tools like DJI’s Master Wheels ($8,000).
Memory Card Case
We all have more memory cards at any given time than we can fit in our cameras. We need backups, spares, and backups for the spares. We accumulate loads. Memory card cases help you to keep them together and organised when you’re not using them so you know where they are.
Tripod Drinks Holder
Sitting there next to your camera, waiting for long exposures or timelapses to finish, is very thirsty work. Or, perhaps, you’re sitting and waiting for the sun to get into just the right position in the sky. This, too, is boring and thirsty work. A tripod-mounted drinks holder should help you get through it, though!
Camera Cart C-Stand Dock
C-Stands can be a pain to drag around on set. They’re big, heavy and unwieldy because they’re always off-balance when folded flat. But there is an easy way to shuffle them around set. You just need to design and make a dock to attach them to your camera cart. Now they go where you do.
Not available to download now.
As mentioned, Mott has removed the files from download after he discovered that people were selling them without his approval. He initially developed these items for himself, but when people take advantage, creators are going to react accordingly.
So, this is a sort of two-part post. firstly, it’s to inspire you to come up with your own solutions to problems. You might find yourself creating something that works even better than something you can buy off the shelf. You might even be able to create something new, solving a problem that nothing else does.
It’s also to teach you not to be an idiot and take advantage when people release their hard work for others to use. Because when things like that happen, it just gets taken away.
