How to Rig a Camera
for Filmmaking
How to Rig a Camera for Filmmaking
for Filmmaking
A thoughtful filmmaker customizes their camera rig the same way a musician customizes an instrument or a fine artist selects tools and media, striking a fine balance between personal style and the intended final product. An overdriven electric guitar is not the ideal choice for a lullaby, a gallon of paint isn’t appropriate for bronze sculpture, and a studio camera on a tripod isn’t going to win you any awards for your Skate Tour documentaries.
Assuming you’ve done your research and chosen a camera based on your budget and production needs, the next step is figuring out how to rig it in a way that strikes the perfect balance between style, intent, and the limitations of production. As Orson Welles once said, “The enemy of art is the absence of limitations,” and so the goal of this article is to help you build a rig that empowers you to realize your creative goals in spite of practical constraints.
There are countless ways to rig a camera, just as there are countless ways to shoot the same scene. You may need to mount your on-camera monitor in a specific way, attach a follow focus, or add a matte box if you’re shooting outdoors or near bright lights. Wooden Camera offers a wide range of high-quality, field-tested accessories to help you design and build a camera rig that’s best for you.
Wooden Camera products are designed by filmmakers for filmmakers. Being based in the USA provides us the unique opportunity to work with, and on, rapidly changing Hollywood productions alongside filmmakers from around the world. This allows us to design products with real-world applications, whether you’re on a soundstage or on location. Wooden Camera also sells replacement parts for customization or on-set DIY repair. And because unexpected loss and damage is an unfortunate fact of life when shooting in inhospitable locations, we also offer stellar customer support if you don’t want to fix your gear yourself.
We work hard to understand what makes sense and what doesn’t when it comes to streamlining your setup, so let’s take a look at some of the many camera accessories available and how you can use them to get the most out of your rig:
1. Choosing the Right Parts for your Build
When rigging most cameras, you have the option to seek out either accessories designed specifically for your camera or “universal” accessories. It may seem intuitive to reach for camera-specific designs, but there are pros and cons to both approaches.
In many cases, universal parts offer additional longevity compared to their camera-specific counterparts because their designs often allow them to be used over several generations of cameras. In some cases, universal parts may be used with cameras from different manufacturers entirely, meaning part of your rig for one camera may be compatible with another. The downside is that some universal designs may not always be sleek or form-fitting to your camera, may sacrifice protection and strength, or may not attach to or articulate according to the specific needs of your kit.
Camera-specific designs are just that: accessories designed to align with the form, features, and capabilities of a specific camera.
It’s important to think about your plans for the camera you’re accessorizing. What do you plan on shooting? Where? Is your camera a new release or a few years old? These are all important questions to keep in mind when deciding what’s best for your rig. Universal may be the best option for some, and camera-specific might be best for others. It’s all up to you and your needs.
2. Top Plates
Out of the box, every camera is designed to do one thing: capture images. But the process of capturing the images you want requires you to expand your camera’s capabilities by adding the mounting points and additional accessories you need.
Enter the top plate.
Maybe you want to mount your external monitor or remote lens control on top of your camera, add a top handle for basic handheld shooting, or just want some added protection for your camera body. A top plate gives you the mounting points you need to build your camera out with the accessories you want. And because every camera’s form factor is unique, every top plate is designed to address its uniqueness.
For example, the new Sony FX9 Top Plate is designed to integrate with the native FX9 top handle, allowing users to remove the middle segment to maintain communication between the handle controls and the camera body. Having the option for top rods enhances portability for FX9 users who might want lens motors but not an entire lower rod system.
3. Handles
Top handles add versatility to your shooting style, freeing your camera from your shoulder and making it easy to get smooth handheld shots from any angle. Adding a top handle to your accessory kit is a no-brainer. Wooden Camera offers several options based on your production needs. Here are the four standard top handles we offer, each with its own benefits and uses:
- NATO Handle Plus V2: Quick-release NATO functionality and rotation capabilities.
- Top Handle v2: Simple, fixed top handle. Both this and the above NATO handle have a 15mm rod clamp, 2 cold shoes on the front and back, and several 1/4-20 + 3/8-16 mounting points.
- Hot Shoe Camera Handle: Attaches directly to a camera's hot shoe. Does not need mounting points. Features a 15mm rod clamp, 3 cold shoes (2 front, 1 back), and several 1/4-20 + 3/8-16 mounting points.
- Trigger Handle (DSMC2): Run/Stop Trigger with locking switch, 1/4-20 + 3/8-16 mounting points, tool-free quick removal, and a detachable end for accommodating tall batteries.
NATO is an industry-standard rail/clamp width used to quickly attach and remove camera accessories. The NATO Handle Plus v2 is detachable for easy packing and can be rotated up to 180º while mounted to adapt to your shooting style.
As functional as it is eye-catching, the NATO Handle Plus v2 can be placed anywhere a NATO rail can go to serve as a side handle, top handle, or whatever the situation requires. Perfect for small to medium-sized cameras, this handle also offers additional mounting points for accessories like monitors and microphones.
The Ultra Handle Kits are the most secure handle setups that Wooden Camera makes at the time of this article’s publishing. Ultra Handles add modularity by allowing users to customize the handle’s length or add a drop-handle behind the battery. These handles are segmented for quick length adjustments, and they attach to the camera at up to four screw points depending on the camera configuration for extra security. The length of these handles allow them to accommodate larger cinema cameras with enough room left over to mount additional accessories, if desired.
Wooden Camera offers two different riser options, (¼-20) and (⅜-16), specifically designed for the Ultra Handles to work universally with a multitude of cameras so you do not have to buy an entire handle system when you change cameras. This system also includes color rings to place between components for when you need to color code your setup.
Wooden Camera also offers Master Top Handles, an industry standard for cinema cameras.
The Master Top Handle is the most secure handle that Wooden Camera makes at the time of this article’s publishing. Master Top Handles add modularity by allowing users to customize the handle’s length or add a drop-handle behind the battery. These handles are segmented for quick length adjustments, and they attach to the camera at two points for extra security. The length of these handles allows them to accommodate larger cinema cameras with enough room left over to mount additional accessories, if desired.
Wooden Camera offers four different Master Top Handles designed to work with ARRI Alexa XT, SXT, SXT-W, and Classic, ARRI Alexa Mini / Mini LF, Canon C700, Sony Venice, and Venice 2, the RED® DSMC2™, and a Universal Center Screw version.
Finally, we have rosette handles, another industry-standard mounting option. Usually used as a side handle, the rosette is designed with interlocking teeth to prevent unwanted rotation and provide a secure grip. Our most popular handle is the Wooden Camera Handgrip, carved from a solid piece of Sapele wood. You can even add a trigger box for a more fluid, ergonomic workflow.
Our most common rosette handles are our leather and rubber options, often used on shoulder rigs. The material of your rosette handle all comes down to your preferences, but here are some helpful tips to consider:
- Leather absorbs the oils from the hands that hold it and can break down after long-term use
- Metal handles are the easiest to clean, but the least comfortable for longer shoots
- Wood handles can crack in very dry weather
4. Shoulder Rigs
Shoulder rigs provide a form of handheld shooting that reduces strain on the arms, improves camera stability, and lets you follow a moving subject with your body. While it is not the only way to shoot handheld, a good shoulder rig can allow you to shoot comfortably for extended periods of time.
There are two goals of a shoulder rig: comfort and balance. Comfort is a result of both the shoulder pad and hand placement. Whether the user wants their arms wide or narrow, close to their body, or up by the camera—a good shoulder rig should allow the user to put the handles where they are needed. Balance comes from the camera’s position on the shoulder; a good rig allows the camera to rest squarely on the shoulder without requiring much additional support from the arms. The main obstacles to balance are camera shape, viewfinder placement, and the size and weight of the lens. Perfect balance cannot always be achieved, but a good shoulder rig will do everything it can to make operating as comfortable as possible.
Shoulder rigs are a fundamental form of camera stabilization. Alternatives include Steadicam, Ready Rig, or gimbal systems.
The Shoulder Rig v3 Pro was introduced in 2019, with structural redesigns based on customer feedback and extensive field-testing. It features a more durable and comfortable shoulder pad, telescopic arms, and adjustable arm rotation points that widen or narrow grip-spacing to accommodate different arm lengths; this allows users to optimize their grip based for certain situations, like squeezing into tight spaces on location. The Shoulder Rig v3 (Base) shoulder mount keeps it simple with a customizable foundation on which to add arms or articulation connectors to suit your needs. The crossbar has plenty of mounting points, including NATO, to easily attach and position monitors.
5. Base Plates, Dovetails, and Bridgeplates
Underneath your camera, you’ll find a base plate and a dovetail. You can use the base plate to build a 15mm LW rod system and/or easily position your camera along a dovetail or shoulder rig. The dovetail lets you identify the ideal center of gravity for your camera on a tripod, preventing it from tilting forward or backward under its own weight.
Wooden Camera uses the ARRI standard dovetail, making all of our dovetails and shoulder rigs compatible with all of our base plates.
Wooden Camera base plates come in a variety of camera-specific designs, but each of them lets you add a rod system at the correct optical center for the camera for which it’s designed. The “optical center” is the ideal distance between the center of the sensor and the rods on either side. Correct alignment is required to allow lens motors, matte boxes, and other accessories to be mounted on-axis without entering the field of view.
Wooden Camera Unified Baseplates quick-release in two ways: you can quick-release your camera from the top to detach from the rod system and rod-based accessories, or you can quick-release from the tripod to take all your accessories with you for on-the-fly handheld shooting.
Finally, bridgeplates allow dovetail compatibility with 15mm Studio or 19mm rod systems most commonly used to support heavier builds and lenses. Keep in mind that 15mm LW and 15mm Studio rod systems are not interchangeable, so you’ll need to make sure your lens accessories are compatible. Wooden Camera Unified Bridgeplates feature both ARRI and RED standard lens-height settings, while Quick Release Bridgeplates are designed for ARRI standard-height builds only.
6. DSLR Cages
When people think of filmmaking, they usually imagine wielding an impressively large camera on their shoulder, ready to make magic. But beautiful stories can be told using all kinds of cameras, which is why Wooden Camera offers a Unified DSLR Camera Cage, a minimalist camera cage with a vertical 15mm LW rod and 1/4"-20 and 3/8"-16 mounting points that connects a top plate/carry handle system with a base. The base features a Manfrotto Quick-Release Dovetail, which attaches to a variety of Manfrotto tripod heads.
The Unified DSLR Camera Cage comes in three sizes (small, medium, large) to accommodate a range of DSLR and mirrorless camera bodies. The length of the vertical 15mm LW rod varies from size to size. A great advantage is that as you change cameras or upgrade your rig, you never have to leave the Unified DSLR Camera Cage behind; simply swap out the vertical 15mm LW rod, and you’re good to go.
The minimalist design provides mounting points on the top and side while leaving all of the camera's vital controls on the right grip and left side easily viewable and accessible. If you need a 15mm LW rod system, you can add a Unified DSLR 15mm Baseplate. Customization is always an option with Wooden Camera accessories.
7. Matte Boxes
Whether you’re shooting on location or in a studio, a matte box is a great way to maintain a clean and professional-looking image. It helps block out glare and flares from the sun and light fixtures and holds filters to enhance your image cosmetically (like a gradient) or practically (like a polarizer). There are two main styles of matte box: clamp-on and swing-away. Choosing the right matte box for your rig depends on your personal shooting style and the type of production on which you’re working.
The “clamp-on” matte box gives you the benefits of a matte box without the need for a rod system, allowing it to be more compact. This type of matte box has tool-less backs, which can be purchased and swapped to fit your lens kit. A “swing-away” matte box (with rings) relies on a rod system, but provides a quick and easy way to swap lenses—just swing it out and change the ring. Wooden Camera offers a selection of setup rings. See the complete collection here.
Wooden Camera offers 3 different matte boxes:
First off, we have the little Zip Box, made of durable rubber and designed to withstand challenging locations. It sacrifices a few features to maintain its ultra-lightweight design, but it’s a reliable matte box perfect for gimbal work, drones, and Mother Nature’s bad days. The Zip Box is available in three versions based on filter sizes: 4” x 5.65”, 138mm round, and 4” x 4”.
The Zip Box Pro is our most popular matte box. It’s extremely lightweight and sleek, can hold three 4” x 5.65” filters, and you can easily swap out the back portion to accommodate different lens sizes or add a round rotating filter tray. It has just one flag on the top edge, but sometimes that’s all you need—especially if you’re trying to keep your rig streamlined. We offer two versions: one that attaches via rods and one that clamps straight onto the lens.
Finally, the UMB-1 Universal Mattebox is the most robust and customizable option of the three. It comes in four different styles: Base, Clamp-on, Swing-away, and Pro. The Pro is the only model that comes with 4 flags, but additional flags can be added to all of the other versions if you decide you need them later. Like the Zip Box Pro above, two attachment options are available. It comes with two 4” x 5.65” rotating filter stages and top and side-mounted NATO rails for expanded functionality.
You may notice that all three matte boxes accommodate 4” x 5.65" filters. That’s because the most common loose filter sizes in the professional production industry are 4” x 5.65", 4” x 4", and 6.6” x 6.6".
8. Follow Focus
Follow focus is another game-changing addition to any rig, giving you a more precise and ergonomically efficient way to adjust focus on a manual lens. Designed to mount on the side of the camera, a follow-focus device makes focusing on your subject easier by eliminating the need to adjust via the lens itself. Follow focus gives you more freedom to execute stylistic maneuvers as well as standard focusing at adjustable friction speeds. This is especially useful for focusing lenses without fixed lens gears.
There are two different kinds of follow focus: motor-based, like the ones made by Teradek, and the manual follow-focus accessories we make. Wooden Camera offers two different types: the Zip Focus and the Universal Follow Focus. The Zip Focus is a lightweight follow-focus system ideal for compact and handheld camera setups. It’s universally compatible with all lens types and features a 1:1 gear ratio. The UFF-1 Universal Follow Focus comes with a wide array of accessories, and it is noticeably longer than the Zip Focus, allowing your focus puller/1st AC to do their job without being right on top of you.
9. Power & Cables
Any responsible filmmaker can tell you that with great responsibility comes a need for equally great power—specifically, the power to your rig. Notice that we say “power to your rig,” not just “power to your camera.” That’s because powering your rig includes powering other accessories, like on-camera monitors, wireless transmitters, and wireless lens control systems. Paying attention to your power supply and distribution may help increase the amount of time you can shoot before having to change batteries. While power efficiency is clearly important, there are a number of possible options and configurations to consider before deciding on one that best suits your needs.
Battery Slides can be attached via rod systems and come included with Gold Mount and V-Mount options in many of our pro kits. You can also attach one of our camera-specific battery plates to your rods for cinema battery power, allowing you to shoot for much longer than native camera batteries alone. Some cinema cameras don’t provide native battery slots, so we offer camera-specific battery plates and power cables, which we build and customize in-house to accommodate industry-standard connections like D-Tap, LEMO, Fischer, Hirose, XLR, JST, XT-60, 5.5mm 12v Coax, and BMPCC 4K Power.
10. Rod Components
From foundational elements like handles and plates to specialized Utility items to UVF Support and Ultra Arms, Wooden Camera offers all the bells and whistles to help your rig realize its potential. We also offer an entire collection of Rod Components to inspire you to get creative with your accessories and find the perfect setup for your rig and your workflow.
We started out by describing ways to mount a monitor to your handle or top plate, but there are countless different creative options to explore, including articulating arms that allow you to attach and configure a wide range of accessories—monitors, transmitters, microphones, etc.—in ways only limited by your imagination. Wooden Camera articulating arms come in all available mount options and sizes and can easily be swapped out as needed. And if you’re feeling adventurous, you can also take things a step further by creating your own on The Customizer.
With over 20 unique combinations, the Ultra Arm v2 Customizer gives you the freedom to create the Ultra Arm that’s just right for you. Simply choose the two mount types on each end and the length in the middle to build your perfect articulating arm.
11. Visit Us In Person
We hope this article helps you better understand what’s possible and inspires you to get creative with your own camera rig. If you have any more rigging questions, please add them as a comment to this blog. And if you want to see these products in action, please visit our CSLA showroom in Burbank, CA. (Pro tip: CSLA will do hands-on fittings if you call and make an appointment!)
