Sometimes, you just have to go with the lay. Two instances have come up in the last couple of weeks. One, underslung following feet. Of course the director, location manager or whoever makes these decisions picked a huge slope on a street in a town that could have been anywhere. In this case, yes, I had to lay on a slope so that the camera doesn't get higher as I go. Also, yes, I could have done a steady boom down as i went to keep the camera at ground level. I've done it many times. I decided to save myself the dialogue of explaining that I could do it on a level track and just go with the lay. Same thing happened last night. Push in on a downward slope. I was worried about the track being too high at the end and seeing it, so I went with the lay. I will suggest that you cheat a little as you do it though. No one understands track laying, so always bring the low end up a little so that you aren't struggling. No one will know the difference and just throw out some explanation about "side to side" or something and they'll buy it. At the end of the day, I didn't pick the location and I have to manage a 300lb plus dolly. It'll be fine.
Stay safe,
Cap
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I remember when my brother came up with the idea of two track on a hill side, to follow soldiers running up hill. Both were played with the lay of the land but only the one with the dolly laid level side to side etc for the dolly and camera. The other track was played very roughly, parallel and maybe 20’ behind. He used a doorway dolly loaded with sand bags and put it on this track. Then connected the two with a rope through a pulley on a tree above the tracks between the two. A little adjusting the weight and VOILA! It was a counter balanced up hill dolly move. Movie was Gettysburg. He might not have been the first to do it but it was the first time I had seen it.
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