Tracking Vehicles and Camera Rigs: How We Film Moving Vehicles

The Caldwell Media crew with the Black Arm tracking rig — The Black Arm and Ronin 2 on our tracking car

Moving vehicles are one of our favourite things to shoot. Over the years we've built, tested and refined a set of rigs that let us put the camera almost anywhere: alongside a car at highway speed, through a race car window, on the bonnet, in a rider's helmet or up in the air. Here's how each one works, and what it looks like on screen.

Black Arm tracking car

Our main tracking rig pairs a three axis vibration isolation arm with a DJI Ronin 2 gimbal. The arm soaks up the road and the Ronin handles the fine movement, so the camera stays level and steady on rough surfaces and at high speed. The clip below was shot alongside a Mack truck at 100 km/h.

The car has a live video feed inside, so the operator, focus puller and director ride along and watch the shot as it happens. The operator flies the gimbal remotely, focus is pulled wirelessly, and the director can give notes on the spot. The same arm also rigs to buggies, bikes, boats and our CinEtrike.

The Black Arm rigged to a buggy for off road tracking — The Black Arm on a buggy

Through the window

Our custom dolly rig carries the camera from outside the car, through the window and into the cabin in one unbroken move. It works just as well over the bodywork, like this pass through a race car's rear spoiler.

Hard mounts and POV

For locked off driving shots we use hard, suction and magnetic mounts on the bonnet, doors, sides and interior. Cut together with helmet POV, they put the viewer right in the seat.

CinEtrike

The CinEtrike is our electric tracking trike. With the Black Arm, Ronin 2 and Alexa Mini on board, it gets smooth running shots in places a car can't go, like the pool deck in the clip below.

From the air

We match the aerial system to the shot. The DJI Mavic 3 Pro gives quick, light coverage with a client monitor feed. Our custom FPV cine lifters carry a cinema camera in close around vehicles and action. And our own helicopter vibration isolation system keeps shots stable from a helicopter.

You can see every rig, with more footage, on Ashley Caldwell's vehicle tracking rigs page. If you've got a vehicle shoot coming up anywhere in North or Central Queensland, we'd love to hear about it.