Automation of a Camera Glidetrack
Format
SOECS Senior Project Demonstration
Faculty Mentor Name
Rahim Khoie
Faculty Mentor Department
Electrical and Computer Engineering
Abstract/Artist Statement
The camera glidetrack is a tool applied in many aspects of media production. The purpose of it is two fold: it allows the camera operator to track the scene being filmed in a steady manner that minimizes rough movement while adding an artistic enrichment to the scene or event being recorded. Whether it is a pivotal moment in a movie or a sporting event, the glidetrack allows the audience to be emotionally enveloped in the scene at hand. Since consumer grade glidetracks on the market are physically controlled, the objective of this project is to allow for automated movement of a camera without the requirement of manual control from a cinematographer or user. It can be controlled through either programmable motorization and wireless control. The programmable motorization allows the user to input both track position for translational movement and angular position for rotational movement, while the wireless control option allows the user to move and rotate the camera through a joystick. The most significant value in automating the glidetrack is due to the proportional control nature of the servo motors used to drive motion, allowing for precise, consistent motion superior to any hand-held technique. This also opens up possibilities for time-lapse photography in which the user can take many periodically moving pictures over large intervals of time -- a feature limited by the typical market glidetrack. A separate consumer grade camera remote control which can control camera properties is also included, allowing for a complete, robust package that allows for a fully automated device.
Location
School of Engineering & Computer Science
Start Date
2-5-2015 2:30 PM
End Date
2-5-2015 4:30 PM
Automation of a Camera Glidetrack
School of Engineering & Computer Science
The camera glidetrack is a tool applied in many aspects of media production. The purpose of it is two fold: it allows the camera operator to track the scene being filmed in a steady manner that minimizes rough movement while adding an artistic enrichment to the scene or event being recorded. Whether it is a pivotal moment in a movie or a sporting event, the glidetrack allows the audience to be emotionally enveloped in the scene at hand. Since consumer grade glidetracks on the market are physically controlled, the objective of this project is to allow for automated movement of a camera without the requirement of manual control from a cinematographer or user. It can be controlled through either programmable motorization and wireless control. The programmable motorization allows the user to input both track position for translational movement and angular position for rotational movement, while the wireless control option allows the user to move and rotate the camera through a joystick. The most significant value in automating the glidetrack is due to the proportional control nature of the servo motors used to drive motion, allowing for precise, consistent motion superior to any hand-held technique. This also opens up possibilities for time-lapse photography in which the user can take many periodically moving pictures over large intervals of time -- a feature limited by the typical market glidetrack. A separate consumer grade camera remote control which can control camera properties is also included, allowing for a complete, robust package that allows for a fully automated device.