What do you get when you combine a chunky remote control toy car with a lightweight camcorder? You get a street-level action cam that captures video on the move! I came up with this quick and easy mashup for kicks, and have had lots of fun with it. I hope you will, too.
Projects from Make: Magazine
Remote-Controlled Camera Mount
Get a fun ground-level view of the world in 3 easy steps.
Drill the chassis.
Remove the plastic body from the car and drill a ¼” vertical hole through the chassis.
Fasten the bolt.
Put the bolt up through the hole, securing it with nuts and washers above and below. Then put a wing nut at the top, facing upward.
Attach your camera.
The ¼-20 bolt fits most camcorders’ standard tripod mounts. Screw your camera on, point it in your chosen direction, then secure it by tightening the wing nut.
Conclusion
It’s really that simple! I’ve been using the camera to do Hale’s Tours of my neighborhood. If you’re unfamiliar with the history, Hale’s Tours and Scenes of the World debuted in 1905.
Charles Hale used to strap a camera to the front of a train going through a particularly interesting route, and film it. People would then pay to see simulated train rides through exotic locales in this fashion. As an homage to my community and to film history, I’ve been re-creating this experience using the remote-controlled camera mount.
This project first appeared in MAKE Volume 20, page 120.