You could always do what Stanley Kubrick did for A Clockwork Orange. For the first shot in the film, the camera man ?who was probably Kubrick? sat in one of those wheely chairs and had someone push him. ?:p? It may not be high tech, but hey... it works!

Independent Film Director ? Photographer ? Writer ? 3D Animator

God I love that shot in Clockwork orange!!! how it just starts on his face and dollys out taking in the whole milk bar. Thats probably one of the few shots in a film that makes me go "Wow thats a really cool shot"

Make Love Not War!

I suggested, last time this question came up, the supermarket trolly which is much more agile than the wheel chair, and yet my posting got removed.
also the roadies trolly, which is basically a square of wood with the those multi directional wheels in the for corners.They can handle greater weight than they look like.Borrow dont buy, with a $200 budget.

robert rodriguez also used a wheelchair in el mariachi as a dolly.

Build one!

I found this link after a quick google search, enjoy.
http://www.angelfire.com/movies/nobudgetsfx/dolly.html

Here's another link for a do it yourself..

http://www.cartala.com/dollytrack.html

When looking for a wheelchair, go for one with the LARGEST wheels possible, as this will smooth out the bumps more and enable more consistent speed control.

There is nothing, absolutely nothing, in the art world (IMHO) that compares with a beautiful Dolly shot done "right". And yes, Kubrick was a master in this arena.

I get excited just thinking about my next Dolly shot.

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Yea, I love doy shots too. But setting them up can somethimes get a little time consuming.

Make Love Not War!

are these things noisy? if you're not doing adr, and are using production sound -- especially if you're using the camera mic, not a boom -- can you hear the dolly rolling on the footage?

lso, if you're using a track, you'd need a sort of crane arm (i don't know the right term) so that you could put the camera where it wouldn't see the actual track (unless the camera's poiting perpendicular to the track), right?

"it's time to leave the past and let go..." - common children

Some of them are, some aren't (noisy, that is). A wheelchair generally isn't noisy. Something we've been using a lot on a TV show I work on that does a ton of handheld is a rolling seat, the type mechanics use. They're like $30, and some of them have double casters or extra wheels (more than 4) so the operator can change directions easily. It's an easy way to do a low angle handheld shot that moves with the actor. Yeah, it can be noisy, but it depends on the room and the boom guy. We use it all the time without ADR, and this is stuff that plays on network TV.

No, you don't need an arm to not see the track. You just set up the shot to avoid seeing the floor (you'd be surprised how much you can get away with- you actually don't see actor's feet all that often (thank god, or I'd never get to put down marks!))

"On a good gate, that's a wrap."

Thanks a lot, guys!

Also if you're shooting outside, which makes it difficult for a track or a wheel chair or what have you, you can always put your car in a nuetral and sit on the hood while your buddies push you. You'd be amazed how smooth the shot is. If you have one, a small tripod to join on the hood or trunk of the the car works well because you don't have to hold the camera. But if you're shooting with like a smaller camera than it doesn't matter.

"It is not important that a director knows how to write but it is important that he knows how to read."
-Billy Wilder

Take a look at
?url??/url?www.cameracranes.us

They have good cranes and Dollies. Also so Camera Stabilizers